Lara Sciscio
University of Cape Town, Department of Geological Sciences, Graduate Student
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The Scalenodontoides Assemblage Zone (SAZ) is the oldest fossil tetrapod biozone of the Stormberg Group (Karoo Supergroup) and preserves the oldest dinosaur bearing deposits in the Karoo Basin. The SAZ represents a revision of the... more
The Scalenodontoides Assemblage Zone (SAZ) is the oldest fossil tetrapod biozone of the Stormberg Group (Karoo Supergroup) and preserves the oldest dinosaur bearing deposits in the Karoo Basin. The SAZ represents a revision of the ‘Euskelosaurus’ Range Zone, whose taxonomic basis has been undermined because ‘Euskelosaurus’ is well demonstrated to be a nomen dubium. Recent qualitative and quantitative investigations into the biostratigraphy of the Elliot and Clarens formations have resulted in the first biostratigraphic review of all lower Elliot Formation (lEF) taxa in nearly 40 years. Thus, we replace the ‘Euskelosaurus’ Range Zone with a new biostratigraphic assemblage zone, the Scalenodontoides Assemblage Zone (SAZ). Named after the traversodontid cynodont Scalenodontoides macrodontes, which co-occurs with the sauropodomorphs Blikanasaurus cromptoni and Melanorosaurus readi. The SAZ is currently accepted to range in age between the upper Norian and Rhaetian. Our new biozone, which...
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Here we present the results of our sedimentological, stratigraphic and ichnological investigations at a historic ichnosite in NE Lesotho that is among the first documented vertebrate track-bearing palaeosurfaces in southern Gondwana.... more
Here we present the results of our sedimentological, stratigraphic and ichnological investigations at a historic ichnosite in NE Lesotho that is among the first documented vertebrate track-bearing palaeosurfaces in southern Gondwana. <br><br>Contains the Subeng Agisoft 3D model (and associated photographs) in addition to the CloudCompare model and rendered palaeosurface figure.
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... Sciscio, Lara (2011) Neogene fluvial deposits along the south-west coast of South Africa : understanding the palaeoclimate through proxies ... Branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraether (GDGTs) membrane lipids have been used as a... more
... Sciscio, Lara (2011) Neogene fluvial deposits along the south-west coast of South Africa : understanding the palaeoclimate through proxies ... Branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraether (GDGTs) membrane lipids have been used as a new proxy for the reconstruction of terrestrial ...
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Ichnogeneric classification of sauropod trackways is determined using qualitative and quantitative descriptions of morphological parameters. More recently, the validity of several of these parameters has been called into question (e.g.,... more
Ichnogeneric classification of sauropod trackways is determined using qualitative and quantitative descriptions of morphological parameters. More recently, the validity of several of these parameters has been called into question (e.g., trackway gauge). This paper aims to test traditional and more novel landmark-based geometric morphometric (GM) analysis to describe sauropod tracks and trackways. The Courtedoux-Tchâfouè (TCH) tracksite, in NW Switzerland, has been used as a test site because it hosted several Late Jurassic sauropod track-bearing levels, over a short time period (∼40 ka), creating a time capsule of sauropod activity. Exploratory statistical analyses suggest that the TCH trackway dataset can be partitioned into clusters based on trackway parameters (e.g., width of pes angulation pattern/pes length) that demonstrate differences between trackways. Nevertheless, clustering reflected a moderate degree of intercluster similarity and a continuum in TCH trackway morphologies...
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Supplementary Tables S1 - S3: georeferenced sites, fossil catalogues.<br>Supplementary file: Chete Formation brief, structural mapping around Lake Kariba.<br>
The data included here are the photogrammetric models that are supplemental to the following paper: Abrahams, M., Sciscio L., Reid, M., Haupt, T. & Bordy, E. M., 2020. Large tridactyl dinosaur tracks from the Early Jurassic of southern... more
The data included here are the photogrammetric models that are supplemental to the following paper: Abrahams, M., Sciscio L., Reid, M., Haupt, T. & Bordy, E. M., 2020. Large tridactyl dinosaur tracks from the Early Jurassic of southern Gondwana - uppermost Elliot Formation, Upper Moyeni, Lesotho. Annales Societatis Geologorum Poloniae, 90:https://doi.org/10.14241/asgp.2020.07 <br><b>Abstract</b>: A new ichnosite in southwest Lesotho (Upper Moyeni; Quthing District) is located within the uppermost part of the highly fossiliferous Elliot Formation, ~ 35 m below the conformably overlying Clarens Formation and ~ 65 m above the world-renowned Lower Moyeni ichnosite. While the Lower Moyeni site preserves diverse Early Jurassic ichnofossils, the ichnites at the Upper Moyeni comprise one vertebrate burrow and ~ 50 tridactyl tracks with footprint lengths between 15 and 51 cm. Many of the tracks preserve digital pad impressions, claw marks and displacement rims, all related ...
Research Interests: Geology and Paleontology
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Late Triassic invertebrate and plant trace fossils are described from the Pebbly Arkose Formation of the Upper Karoo Group (Gwembe Sub-basin, Mid-Zambezi Basin), Zimbabwe. These ichnofossils appear in pedogenically modified siltstone and... more
Late Triassic invertebrate and plant trace fossils are described from the Pebbly Arkose Formation of the Upper Karoo Group (Gwembe Sub-basin, Mid-Zambezi Basin), Zimbabwe. These ichnofossils appear in pedogenically modified siltstone and silty mudstone floodplain deposits and overbank fluvial channels. The ichnofossil-bearing sites show variability in their pedogenic features, maturity and preservation. Invertebrate ichnofossils are primarily recorded as horizontal, vertical and inclined burrows, sometimes branched, lined or unlined and may have an active meniscate infill. The common forms documented are Taenidium, Beaconites, Palaeophycus, Skolithos, and Planolites ispp. with some rare and more unusual morphologies (i.e., ‘Y’-shaped burrow type). Ichnofossil-bearing sites show a low-diversity but high-density of traces commonly dominated by Taenidium and Planolites ispp. The greatest diversity of invertebrate ichnofossils are within interbedded overbank sandstones in weakly pedogen...
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supplementary materials: equal area and orthogonal plots of sample demagnetization behavior from key sites. All samples are shown in in-situ geographic coordinates. Abbreviations for sample number as per text.
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The Massospondylus Assemblage Zone is the youngest tetrapod biozone in the Karoo Basin (upper Stormberg Group, Karoo Supergroup) and records one of the oldest dinosaur dominated ecosystems in southern Gondwana. Recent qualitative and... more
The Massospondylus Assemblage Zone is the youngest tetrapod biozone in the Karoo Basin (upper Stormberg Group, Karoo Supergroup) and records one of the oldest dinosaur dominated ecosystems in southern Gondwana. Recent qualitative and quantitative investigations into the biostratigraphy of the lower and upper Elliot formations (lEF, uEF) and Clarens Formation in the main Karoo Basin resulted in the first biostratigraphic review of this stratigraphic interval in nearly four decades, allowing us to introduce a new biostratigraphic scheme, the Massospondylus Assemblage Zone (MAZ). The MAZ expands upon the Massospondylus Range Zone by including the crocodylomorph Protosuchus haughtoni and the ornithischian Lesothosaurus diagnosticus as two co-occurring index taxa alongside the main index taxon, the sauropodomorph Massospondylus carinatus. With a maximum thickness of ~320 m in the southeastern portion of the basin, our new biozone is contained within the uEF and Clarens formations (upper S...
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Abstract Our recent comprehensive review of the Permian-Early Triassic tetrapod tracksites from South Africa includes a revision of the ichnotaxonomy and the incorporation of a large quantity of new material. The paper also discusses, in... more
Abstract Our recent comprehensive review of the Permian-Early Triassic tetrapod tracksites from South Africa includes a revision of the ichnotaxonomy and the incorporation of a large quantity of new material. The paper also discusses, in light of the revised ichnotaxonomy and palaeontology of several sites, trackmaker attribution and the biostratigraphy of Permian-Early Triassic tetrapod tracks. Precise information about the fossiliferous localities was provided where possible and when sites were relocated. Three footprint associations were described (FA I-III) and highlight their potential stratigraphic value. The youngest (FA III) was recognized at four different localities and is likely Induan in age. A recent comment by Gastaldo and Neveling (2019) regarded one of these FA III localities, the Bethel tracksite, which received criticism for its unclear geographic placement and its stratigraphic position. Further comments included a discussion of the possible palaeoecological interpretation of this tracksite. In replying to these queries, we provided more precise geographic and stratigraphic information, confirming the occurrence of this tracksite ~15 m above the faunal transition which we consider to be currently coinciding with the Permian-Triassic boundary (PTB). Palaeoecological inferences are herein further clarified.
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Research Interests: Evolutionary Biology, Earth Sciences, Geology, Geochemistry, Geophysics, and 15 morePaleontology, Sedimentology, Ichnology, Taxonomy, Biostratigraphy, Evolution, Taphonomy, Vertebrate Paleontology, Mass extinctions, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Sedimentary geology and stratigraphy, South Africa, Gondwana, Permian, and Geologia
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Abstract The end-Triassic mass extinction and the transition and explosive diversification of fauna over the Triassic-Jurassic boundary is poorly understood and poorly represented in the rock record of the Southern Hemisphere. This is... more
Abstract The end-Triassic mass extinction and the transition and explosive diversification of fauna over the Triassic-Jurassic boundary is poorly understood and poorly represented in the rock record of the Southern Hemisphere. This is despite the rich diversity in both body and trace fossils of Triassic-Jurassic age in southern Africa, which is not found in coeval Northern Hemisphere localities. We report here the first palaeomagnetic polarity zonation of the Upper Triassic-Lower Jurassic continental red bed succession (Elliot Formation; Stormberg Group) in southern Africa. The results from 10 partially overlapping sections, with a composite thickness of ~ 280 m, provide a magnetic polarity chronology of the main Karoo Basin in South Africa and Lesotho. Palaeomagnetic analyses reveal that heating samples to between 150 °C and ~ 300 °C removes the secondary, moderately inclined (~ 48°) normal-polarity component of remanent magnetization. This component overlaps with the present-day field and is comparable to the overprint direction expected from Lower Jurassic Karoo dolerite intrusions. In contrast, a likely primary, high unblocking temperature component, of dual polarity, consistently is of steeper inclination (~ 63°). This characteristic remanence passes the reversals test, except where means are based on small sample populations. There are only two resulting polarity zones for the ~ 200 m thick lower Elliot Formation (LEF) with potential for a thin 3rd magnetozone in the uppermost part. The upper Elliot Formation (UEF), in contrast, which was sampled over a thickness of ~ 80 m, has five polarity zones. The failure of the reversal test for the UEF and combined Elliot Formation (LEF + UEF) indicates that the normal polarity samples may be biased by a younger overprint of either the Jurassic normal polarity of the Karoo Large Igneous Province or present day field. The separate poles calculated for the four sites in the LEF and ten sites in the UEF overlap with the Late Triassic and Early to Middle Jurassic Gondwana poles, respectively. The combined Elliot Formation and UEF pole positions are better constrained than the LEF and therefore considered more reliable. Overall the LEF shows considerable overlap with the Late Triassic Apparent Polar Wander Paths (APWP) poles.
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Fragmentary caudal ends of the left and right mandible assigned toLesothosaurus diagnosticus, an early ornithischian, was recently discovered in the continental red bed succession of the upper Elliot Formation (Lower Jurassic) at Likhoele... more
Fragmentary caudal ends of the left and right mandible assigned toLesothosaurus diagnosticus, an early ornithischian, was recently discovered in the continental red bed succession of the upper Elliot Formation (Lower Jurassic) at Likhoele Mountain (Mafeteng District) in Lesotho. Using micro-CT scanning, this mandible could be digitally reconstructed in 3D. The replacement teeth within the better preserved (left) dentary were visualised. The computed tomography dataset suggests asynchronous tooth replacement in an individual identified as an adult on the basis of bone histology. Clear evidence for systematic wear facets created by attrition is lacking. The two most heavily worn teeth are only apically truncated. Our observations of this specimen as well as others do not support the high level of dental wear expected from the semi-arid palaeoenvironment in whichLesothosaurus diagnosticuslived. Accordingly, a facultative omnivorous lifestyle, where seasonality determined the availabili...
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Abstract The Triassic-Jurassic boundary marks a global faunal turnover event that is generally considered as the third largest of five major biological crises in the Phanerozoic geological record of Earth. Determining the controlling... more
Abstract The Triassic-Jurassic boundary marks a global faunal turnover event that is generally considered as the third largest of five major biological crises in the Phanerozoic geological record of Earth. Determining the controlling factors of this event and their relative contributions to the biotic turnover associated with it is on-going globally. The Upper Triassic and Lower Jurassic rock record of southern Africa presents a unique opportunity for better constraining how and why the biosphere was affected at this time not only because the succession is richly fossiliferous, but also because it contains important palaeoenvironmental clues. Using mainly sedimentary geochemical proxies (i.e., major, trace and rare earth elements), our study is the first quantitative assessment of the palaeoclimatic conditions during the deposition of the Elliot Formation, a continental red bed succession that straddles the Triassic-Jurassic boundary in southern Africa. Employing clay mineralogy as well as the indices of chemical alteration and compositional variability, our results confirm earlier qualitative sedimentological studies and indicate that the deposition of the Upper Triassic and Lower Jurassic Elliot Formation occurred under increasingly dry environmental conditions that inhibited chemical weathering in this southern part of Pangea. Moreover, the study questions the universal validity of those studies that suggest a sudden increase in humidity for the Lower Jurassic record and supports predictions of long-term global warming after continental flood basalt emplacement.
Research Interests: Geology and Geophysics
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The Karoo Supergroup in the Tuli Basin (South Africa) consists of a sedimentary sequence composed of four stratigraphic units, namely the Basal, Middle and Upper units, and Clarens Formation. The units were deposited in continental... more
The Karoo Supergroup in the Tuli Basin (South Africa) consists of a sedimentary sequence composed of four stratigraphic units, namely the Basal, Middle and Upper units, and Clarens Formation. The units were deposited in continental settings from approximately Late Carboniferous to Middle Jurassic. This paper focuses on the Clarens Formation, which was examined in terms of sedimentary facies and palaeo-environments
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Footprint morphology (e.g., outline shape, depth of impression) is one of the key diagnostic features used in the interpretation of ancient vertebrate tracks. Over 80 tridactyl tracks, confined to the same bedding surface in the Lower... more
Footprint morphology (e.g., outline shape, depth of impression) is one of the key diagnostic features used in the interpretation of ancient vertebrate tracks. Over 80 tridactyl tracks, confined to the same bedding surface in the Lower Jurassic Elliot Formation at Mafube (eastern Free State, South Africa), show large shape variability over the length of the study site. These morphological differences are considered here to be mainly due to variations in the substrate rheology as opposed to differences in the trackmaker’s foot anatomy, foot kinematics or recent weathering of the bedding surface. The sedimentary structures (e.g., desiccation cracks, ripple marks) preserved in association with and within some of the Mafube tracks suggest that the imprints were produced essentially contemporaneous and are true dinosaur tracks rather than undertracks or erosional remnants. They are therefore valuable not only for the interpretation of the ancient environment (i.e., seasonally dry river ch...
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Organic material from the Noordhoek area on the western margin of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa, was obtained from a ~ 50 m-long drill-core dominated by fluvio-lacustrine siliciclastic sediments. The aim of this study is to constrain... more
Organic material from the Noordhoek area on the western margin of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa, was obtained from a ~ 50 m-long drill-core dominated by fluvio-lacustrine siliciclastic sediments. The aim of this study is to constrain fluctuations in climate and the decline of tropical vegetation elements along the southwestern coast and the Cape Peninsula of South Africa, during the Late Cenozoic phase, when the Benguela upwelling system was established. The approach was to combine palynological, biogeochemical (tetraether lipids) and stable isotope (C, N) studies of the organic-bearing record from the Noordhoek area on the western margin of the Cape Peninsula. Bulk C and N isotope data of sediment organic matter, point to a predominantly C3 higher plant source vegetation. Mean annual air temperature (MAT) from the analyses of tetraether lipids (MBT′–CBT index) was compared with palynomorphs from partly unpublished data of a previously drilled core adjacent to the study site. The palynomorphs are of subtropical affinities, and suggest that an open riparian forest would have existed in the early to middle Miocene of the southwestern coast of South Africa. Together these data sources allow vegetation and climate reconstructions of subtropical conditions during the early to middle Miocene, which comprised fluctuating open riparian forest and swamp vegetation. Temperatures rose in the middle Miocene and were higher than those of the present day.
Research Interests: Evolutionary Biology, Palaeogeography, Earth Sciences, Geology, Sedimentology, and 15 moreBiogeochemistry, Stable Isotope Analysis, Palynology, Stable Isotope Geochemistry, Ecology, Biogeography, Palaeoclimate, Palynofacies, Paleogeography, Miocene, Cenozoic, Southern Hemisphere, Palynostratigraphy, Palynomorphs, and peninsula
Research Interests: Geology and Oceanography
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Abstract Swimming and subaqueous traces and trails are reported, for the first time, from a freshwater pond community in the middle Norian lower Elliot Formation (lEF) in the main Karoo Basin of South Africa. These ichnofossils,... more
Abstract Swimming and subaqueous traces and trails are reported, for the first time, from a freshwater pond community in the middle Norian lower Elliot Formation (lEF) in the main Karoo Basin of South Africa. These ichnofossils, associated abiotic tool marks, and sedimentary structures are preserved on the upper bedding plane of a fine- to medium-grained sandstone that is overlain by laminated mudstones. The assessment of the relationship between the sedimentology and ichnology of this ichnosite reveals a unique perspective into a Late Triassic ecosystem. Here, a brief time window showcases events ranging from the abandonment of a river channel, to the initiation of a floodplain pond, and its subsequent infilling by silty sediments. The trace fossil assemblages, their cross-cutting relationships and the sedimentological evidence suggest that several generations of traces formed during the silting up of this floodplain pond, a palaeoenvironment infrequently documented in the lEF. Some trails are described as similar to Undichna Anderson 1976, and can be attributed to small, swimming freshwater fish. Didactyl tracks with Grallator/Anchisauripus-like affinities are associated with both sickle-shaped digit drag marks and 3–8 cm long disorderly striations showing variable morphology (e.g., narrowly incised, straight to slightly sinuous, V-shaped grooves). Their preservation indicates wading and subaqueous behaviour of tetrapods. Other traces range from semi-circular impressions of unknown affinity to unique, yet indistinct,