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File:Daemonelix burrow (Harrison Formation, Middle Miocene; Sioux County, northwestern Nebraska, USA) (15358318158).jpg

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Summary

Description

Daemonelix burrow from the Miocene of Nebraska, USA (reproduction, public display, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, Illinois, USA).

Daemonelix burrows are commonly called “Devil’s corkscrews”. These distinctive, large, spiral burrows were made by an ancient species of terrestrial beaver. The spiraled portion of these trace fossils is usually about 1.5 to 2 meters tall. The base of the spiraled portion merges with a subhorizontal tube. The burrows are filled with siliciclastic sediments that are better cemented compared with surrounding materials.

Stratigraphy: paleosol in the Harrison Formation, upper Middle Miocene

Locality: Sioux County, northwestern Nebraska, USA


Trace fossils are any indirect evidence of ancient life. They refer to features in rocks that do not represent parts of the body of a once-living organism. Traces include footprints, tracks, trails, burrows, borings, and bitemarks. Body fossils provide information about the morphology of ancient organisms, while trace fossils provide information about the behavior of ancient life forms. Interpreting trace fossils and determination of the identity of a trace maker can be straightforward (for example, a dinosaur footprint represents walking behavior) or not. Sediments that have trace fossils are said to be bioturbated. Burrowed textures in sedimentary rocks are referred to as bioturbation. Trace fossils have scientific names assigned to them, in the same style & manner as living organisms or body fossils.
Date
Source Daemonelix burrow (Harrison Formation, Middle Miocene; Sioux County, northwestern Nebraska, USA)
Author James St. John

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This image was originally posted to Flickr by jsj1771 at https://www.flickr.com/photos/47445767@N05/15358318158. It was reviewed on 6 May 2015 by FlickreviewR and was confirmed to be licensed under the terms of the cc-by-2.0.

6 May 2015

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21 August 2010

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current19:21, 6 May 2015Thumbnail for version as of 19:21, 6 May 20151,696 × 3,696 (1.69 MB)Natuur12Transferred from Flickr via Flickr2Commons
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