New occurrences of the problematic fossil Berenicea (?) vetera and associated stromatolic structures in the early Ordovic of the Prague Basin (Central Bohemia)

Geoscience Research Reports 46, 2013 (GRR for 2012), pages 180–184

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Abstract

New occurrences of the problematic fossil Berenicea (?) vetera and related stromatolic structures in the Prague Basin (Bohemia) are reviewed. Berenicea (?) vetera is common on the surface of pebbles and microbial mats covering the pebbles embedded in the layers of oolitic ironstone at the Ejpovice and Kleštěnice localities (SW part of the Prague Basin). Berenicea (?) vetera also frequently occurs on abraded rocks of shore cliff associated with thin stromatolitic mats at Ejpovice. Berenicea (?) vetera zoaria are abundant in the most external layer of the stromatolite mat attached to abraded cliff surface. Berenicea (?) vetera is associated with a small trepostome bryozoan at Ejpovice. Knob-like clasts with internal stromatolic structures are known also at some other localities of the Prague Basin (eg. Skomelno, Borek, Holoubkov). These fragments are similar to Berenicea-bearing stromatolitic fragments in Ejpovice but Berenicea (?) vetera was not undoubtedly observed in these stromatolic clasts. Occurrence of stromatolitic clasts and Berenicea (?) vetera indicate high-energy environment proximal to the sea shore. Surprising abundance of these fossils indirectly indicates that rocky shores with stromatolite-producing organisms were quite common along margins of the Prague Basin