The Parachilna Formation and its trace fossils

Abstract

The sediments comprising the Parachilna Formation have long been regarded as ‘transition beds” between the regressive Pound Quartzite and the massive Lower Cambrian shelf carbonates of the Wilkawillina Limestone. This study, suggested by Professor M. F. Glaessner, is an attempt to interpret the Parachilna Formation by means of its trace fossil content. In considering the palichnology of the formation, the lithology has not been neglected, but rather is presented as a complement in palaeoenvironmental interpretation. The nature of the relationships between the Parachilna Formation and both the underlying Pound Quarztite and overlying Wilkawillina Limestone is considered in some detail, with resultant reflections on the aptness of the term ‘transition beds’ in this instance.