Ichnology is the study of traces created in the substrate by living organisms. This is the first book to systematically cover basic concepts and applications in both paleobiology and sedimentology, bridging the gap between the two main facets of the field. It emphasizes the importance of understanding ecologic controls on benthic fauna distribution and the role of burrowing organisms in changing their environments. A detailed analysis of the ichnology of a range of depositional environments is presented using examples from the Precambrian to the recent, and the use of trace fossils in facies analysis and sequence stratigraphy is discussed. The potential for biogenic structures to provide valuable information and solve problems in a wide range of fields is also highlighted. An invaluable resource for researchers and graduate students in paleontology, sedimentology and sequence stratigraphy, this book will also be of interest to industry professionals working in petroleum geoscience.

Author Biography

Luis Buatois is a Full Professor at the University of Saskatchewan, specializing in paleoenvironmental and stratigraphic aspects of ichnology. He has received awards from the Argentinean Paleontological Association, the Egidio Feruglio Foundation, the Argentinean Academy of Sciences and the Argentinean Secretary of Science and Technology. Currently President of the International Ichnological Association, and formerly Vice-President of the International Palaeontological Association, he has carried out field and subsurface work in many different countries. Professor Buatois has published four other books, edited three journal special issues and is the author of over 150 scientific papers. He is also a member of the editorial board of a number of journals, including Lethaia and Ichnos. Gabriela Mangano is an Associate Professor at the University of Saskatchewan and works on ecologic and evolutionary aspects of trace fossils. In addition to her research projects in paleontology and geology, she has a strong interest in philosophy and history of science. Dr Mangano has done extensive international field work and, as a researcher for the National Research Council in Argentina, she obtained awards from the Argentinean Paleontological Association, the Mid-American Paleontological Society and the Argentinean Federation of University Women. She is a member of the editorial board of a number of journals, including Palaios, Paleontologia Electronica and Revista Brasilera de Paleontologia, has edited two special issues, and has published three other books and more than 100 scientific papers.