Early Ordovician Trace Fossils From The Amanos Mountains (Ne Osmanıye, Se Anatolia)

Trace fossils are found in the Lower Ordovician quartzarenite shale alternations, to the northeast of Osmaniye in southeastern Turkey. The sequence contains abundant, diverse, and well-preserved arthropod ichnofossil assemblages comprising nineteen ichnogenera (Arthrophycus isp., Circulichnis isp, Cruziana isp. , Cruziana furcifera, Cruziana imbricata, Cruziana rugosa, Cruziana goldfussi, Deadulus isp., Didymaulichnus isp., Diplocraterion isp., Monocraterion isp., Monomorphichnus isp., Teichichnus isp., Skolithos isp., Palaeophycus isp., Planolites isp. Rusophycus isp. Protovirgularia isp., Trichophycus isp.). They are included in the Cruziana rugosa Group (Cruziana furcifera, C. goldfussi, C. rugosa) and can be used for chronostratigraphy throughout the Ordovician (Tremodocian to Arenigian). The presence of Cruziana furcifera, C. goldfussi, C. rugosa, and C. imbricata in the studied section indicate that the unit is of Early Ordovician (Tremodocian-Floian) age. These trace fossils belong to the shallow marine subtidal low-energy Cruziana ichnofacies.