Sedimentation of the Himmiste-Kuigu fish bed (Ludlow of Estonia) and taphonomy of the Phlebolepis elegans Pander (Thelodonti) shoal

Abstract

. Sediments with the squamations of Phlebolepis elegans Pander at Himmiste-Kuigu were formed in a lagoon of the Palaeobaltic Sea, situated in the tropical realm during Himmiste time of the Paadla Age, Ludlow, late Silurian. From the micro-and macrolithological features of the rocks, and the distribution of facies during Himmiste time it is concluded that the thelodonts died in a shallow depression on the bottom of the lagoon behind the reef belt towards the land; the depression acted as a trap during low tide. Unfavourable conditions, primarily the lack of oxygen in warm and shallow water, caused the perishing of the Phlebolepis shoal. Very low wave activity prevented post-mortem disintegration of the squamation and rapid conservation in mud saved the exoskeletons from scattering.