Trace Fossils in Quaternary, Bahamian-Style Carbonate Environments: The Modern to Fossil Transition

Tracemaking organisms are common and diverse components of the fauna and flora of tropical, shallow-marine and coastal carbonate environments. In the shallow subtidal zone, the burrowing activity of callianassid shrimp commonly is the dominant process in the modification of original depositional fabrics (Tudhope and Scoffin, 1984; Tedesco and Wanless, 1991). Both borers and burrowers have great potential to leave their mark in tropical carbonate sediments and rocks and to become part of the fossil record.