Chondrites (genus)

Chondrites [ kɔndritɛs ] is the generic name of a fossil trace of life that occurs in fine-grained marine sedimentary rocks. The name goes back to Kaspar Maria von Sternberg ( 1833).

The multi-branched ( dendritic ) transitions are more or less parallel layer applied, which is why they only occur on bedding planes in a typical expression. The individual gears are very small, rarely larger than one millimeter. They often occur en masse and express themselves perpendicular to fracture surfaces to the layering in an irregular pattern of dots and dashes.

The branched, bushy appearance, these trace fossils reminiscent of plants. Therefore, even Eberhard Fraas (1910 ) they made ​​to the ferns, however, already expressed doubts about this systematic position. Also a misinterpretation derives from the genus name Fucoides, one still occasionally used in later literature synonym of Chondrites, which was coined by Alexandre Brongniart in 1823 based on the seaweed genus Fucus. The name Chondrites goes back to a kelp species ( Chondrus = cartilage Tange ).

Have caused these traces Which organisms is still unknown conclusion. It is clear that they only occur in marine deposits. In recent, coastal seabeds are tracks that match the trace fossil Chondrites or him are very similar, produced by sediment -feeding polychaetes. Since Chondrites is detected but from the Cambrian period, can not be ruled out that representatives of other groups of invertebrates have left such traces in the sediment throughout the earth.

The term " Chondrites " [ kɔndraɪ̯t͡s ] known in English also special meteorites ( chondrites ), which have nothing to do with this biological taxon.