Sporfossiler fra den Mellem Miocaene transgression I Soby-Fasterholt området

An examination of trace fossils at the transgressive base of the Hodde Formation revealed the presence of Ophiomorpha, meniscus backfilled tunnels and small, vermiform burrows. The Ophiomorpha closely resemble the burrows produced today by Callianassa major in the littoral zone of the coast of Georgia, USA. Since other species of Callianassa produce somewhat similar burrows in sublittoral environments, the Ophiomorpha is used with caution as an environmental indicator. However, the strongly vertical morphology of the Miocene forms, together with the presence of related collapse structures, are taken to indicate a littoral environment for the basal transgressive layer of the Hodde Formation. The meniscus burrows are interpreted as the work of spatangoid echinoderms and are indicative of a marine environment generally below normal wave-base. They constitute the best preserved echinoid burrows hitherto described in the fossil record.