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The Sirius Passet Lagerstätte of North Greenland: a remote window on the Cambrian Explosion

View ORCID ProfileDavid A. T. Harper, View ORCID ProfileEmma U. Hammarlund, View ORCID ProfileTimothy P. Topper, Arne T. Nielsen, View ORCID ProfileJan A. Rasmussen, View ORCID ProfileTae-Yoon S. Park and View ORCID ProfileM. Paul Smith
Journal of the Geological Society, 176, 1023-1037, 26 July 2019, https://doi.org/10.1144/jgs2019-043
David A. T. Harper
1Palaeoecosystems Group, Department of Earth Sciences, Durham University, , UK
2Department of Geology, University of Lund, Sölvegatan 12, , Sweden
Roles: [Conceptualization (Equal)], [Formal analysis (Equal)], [Funding acquisition (Lead)], [Writing - Original Draft (Equal)], [Writing - Review & Editing (Equal)]
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
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  • ORCID record for David A. T. Harper
  • For correspondence: david.harper@durham.ac.uk
Emma U. Hammarlund
2Department of Geology, University of Lund, Sölvegatan 12, , Sweden
3Department of Laboratory Medicine, Translational Cancer Research, Lund University, Scheelevägen 2, Medicon Village 404, , Sweden
Roles: [Formal analysis (Equal)], [Investigation (Equal)], [Writing - Review & Editing (Supporting)]
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
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  • ORCID record for Emma U. Hammarlund
Timothy P. Topper
4Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Early Life and Environments, State Key Laboratory of Continental Dynamics and Department of Geology, Northwest University, , China
5Department of Palaeobiology, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Box 50007, , Sweden
Roles: [Data curation (Equal)], [Writing - Review & Editing (Equal)]
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
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  • ORCID record for Timothy P. Topper
Arne T. Nielsen
6Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, Copenhagen University, Øster Voldgade 10, , Denmark
Roles: [Data curation (Equal)], [Investigation (Supporting)], [Writing - Review & Editing (Supporting)]
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Search for this author on this site
Jan A. Rasmussen
7Fossil and Mo-clay Museum, Museum Mors, Skarrehagevej 8, , Denmark
Roles: [Data curation (Supporting)], [Investigation (Equal)], [Writing - Review & Editing (Supporting)]
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
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  • ORCID record for Jan A. Rasmussen
Tae-Yoon S. Park
8Division of Earth-System Sciences, Korea Polar Research Institute, 26 Songdomirae-ro, Yeonsu-gu, , Republic of Korea
Roles: [Writing - Review & Editing (Supporting)]
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
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  • ORCID record for Tae-Yoon S. Park
M. Paul Smith
9Oxford University Museum of Natural History, Parks Road, , UK
Roles: [Writing - Review & Editing (Supporting)]
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  • ORCID record for M. Paul Smith
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Abstract

The lower Cambrian Lagerstätte of Sirius Passet, Peary Land, North Greenland, is one of the oldest of the Phanerozoic exceptionally preserved biotas. The Lagerstätte evidences the escalation of numbers of new body plans and life modes that formed the basis for a modern, functionally tiered ecosystem. The fauna is dominated by predators, infaunal, benthic and pelagic, and the presence of abundant nekton, including large sweep-net feeders, suggests an ecosystem rich in nutrients. Recent discoveries have helped reconstruct digestive systems and their contents, muscle fibres, and visual and nervous systems for a number of taxa. New collections have confirmed the complex combination of taphonomic pathways associated with the biota and its potentially substantial biodiversity. These complex animal-based communities within the Buen Formation were associated with microbial matgrounds, now preserved in black mudstones deposited below storm wave base that provide insight into the shift from late Neoproterozoic (Ediacaran) to Cambrian substrates and communities. Moreover, the encasing sediment holds important data on the palaeoenvironment and the water-column chemistry, suggesting that these animal-based communities developed in conditions with very low oxygen concentrations.

  • © 2019 The Author(s). Published by The Geological Society of London
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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Journal of the Geological Society: 176 (6)
Journal of the Geological Society
Volume 176, Issue 6
November 2019
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The Sirius Passet Lagerstätte of North Greenland: a remote window on the Cambrian Explosion

David A. T. Harper, Emma U. Hammarlund, Timothy P. Topper, Arne T. Nielsen, Jan A. Rasmussen, Tae-Yoon S. Park and M. Paul Smith
Journal of the Geological Society, 176, 1023-1037, 26 July 2019, https://doi.org/10.1144/jgs2019-043
David A. T. Harper
1Palaeoecosystems Group, Department of Earth Sciences, Durham University, , UK
2Department of Geology, University of Lund, Sölvegatan 12, , Sweden
Roles: [Conceptualization (Equal)], [Formal analysis (Equal)], [Funding acquisition (Lead)], [Writing - Original Draft (Equal)], [Writing - Review & Editing (Equal)]
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • ORCID record for David A. T. Harper
  • For correspondence: david.harper@durham.ac.uk
Emma U. Hammarlund
2Department of Geology, University of Lund, Sölvegatan 12, , Sweden
3Department of Laboratory Medicine, Translational Cancer Research, Lund University, Scheelevägen 2, Medicon Village 404, , Sweden
Roles: [Formal analysis (Equal)], [Investigation (Equal)], [Writing - Review & Editing (Supporting)]
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • ORCID record for Emma U. Hammarlund
Timothy P. Topper
4Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Early Life and Environments, State Key Laboratory of Continental Dynamics and Department of Geology, Northwest University, , China
5Department of Palaeobiology, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Box 50007, , Sweden
Roles: [Data curation (Equal)], [Writing - Review & Editing (Equal)]
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • ORCID record for Timothy P. Topper
Arne T. Nielsen
6Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, Copenhagen University, Øster Voldgade 10, , Denmark
Roles: [Data curation (Equal)], [Investigation (Supporting)], [Writing - Review & Editing (Supporting)]
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Jan A. Rasmussen
7Fossil and Mo-clay Museum, Museum Mors, Skarrehagevej 8, , Denmark
Roles: [Data curation (Supporting)], [Investigation (Equal)], [Writing - Review & Editing (Supporting)]
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • ORCID record for Jan A. Rasmussen
Tae-Yoon S. Park
8Division of Earth-System Sciences, Korea Polar Research Institute, 26 Songdomirae-ro, Yeonsu-gu, , Republic of Korea
Roles: [Writing - Review & Editing (Supporting)]
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • ORCID record for Tae-Yoon S. Park
M. Paul Smith
9Oxford University Museum of Natural History, Parks Road, , UK
Roles: [Writing - Review & Editing (Supporting)]
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • ORCID record for M. Paul Smith

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The Sirius Passet Lagerstätte of North Greenland: a remote window on the Cambrian Explosion

David A. T. Harper, Emma U. Hammarlund, Timothy P. Topper, Arne T. Nielsen, Jan A. Rasmussen, Tae-Yoon S. Park and M. Paul Smith
Journal of the Geological Society, 176, 1023-1037, 26 July 2019, https://doi.org/10.1144/jgs2019-043
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  • Article
    • Abstract
    • Geological context
    • Age of the Sirius Passet Lagerstätte
    • Sedimentology and depositional setting
    • The Sirius Passet fauna
    • Preservation and taphonomy
    • Water column chemistry
    • Significance of the fauna
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