Possible Polychaeta (Annelida) Trace Fossils in Pleistocene Deposits of Belarus

Abstract

Sedimentary structures attributed to trace fossils are reported from Pleistocene sediments of Belarus. Among them, a single trace of a worm-like organism was found in varved deposits in the north of the Polatsk Lowland; possible burrows of infauna were noted in thin-bedded sands in the east of the Minsk Upland. The sediments from which the finds come are usually devoid of in situ macroscopic fossil remains. This makes the traces found of particular interest. It is suggested that the trace fossils belong to representatives of polychaetes (Annelida, Polychaeta), including, possibly, Arenicola sp. Modern Arenicola Lamarck inhabit the intertidal zone of shallow marine waters, estuaries and upper sublittoral in the Northern Hemisphere under conditions of normal-marine salinity and in brackish waters. Similar trace fossils can be left by other organisms as well, even in freshwater sediments. To interpret the traces and clarify their significance for paleogeographic reconstructions, a search and detailed study of new locations is necessary.