Significance of ichnofossils to genetic stratigraphy - Examples from the Cretaceous of Alberta, Canada

Trace fossils represent both sedimentological and paleontological entities, representing a unique blending of potential environmental indicators in th e rock record. Trace fossils and trace fossil suites can be employed effect ively to aid in the recognition of various discontinuity types and to assis t in their genetic interpretation. Ichnology may be employed to resolve sur faces of stratigraphic significance in two main ways: 1) through the identi fication of discontinuities using substrate-controlled ichnofacies, and 2) through careful analysis of vertical softground (penecontemporaneous) ichno logic successions (analogous to facies successions). Ichnological analysis is a valuable tool in genetic stratigraphic studies. Integrating the data d erived from substrate-controlled ichnofacies with paleoecological data from vertical ichnologic successions greatly enhances the recognition and inter pretation of a wide variety of stratigraphic surfaces. When this is coupled with conventional facies analysis and sequence stratigraphy, a powerful ap proach to the interpretation of the rock record is generated.