| Abstract | The Joggins Fossil Cliffs, a renowned Carboniferous UNESCO World Heritage Site, is found along the shores of Chignecto Bay, Nova Scotia. This spectacular outcrop has a well-established stratigraphy with
14 cycles comprising alternations between open-water, poorly drained floodplain and well-drained floodplain facies assemblages. The ichnology of the formation has been previously studied; however, the majority of the trace fossils identified
primarily include surface trails and vertebrate trackways, resulting in a limited record of infaunal activity. Analyses of primarily invertebrate trace fossils from both the Joggins Fossil Cliffs and approximately 700 m of Joggins Formation onshore
core (REI B2-1) provide further documentation of the trace fossil record for these Carboniferous rocks. The diverse suite of traces includes: Acanthichnus, Arenicolites, Beaconites, Chondrites, Cochlichnus, Diplichnites, Diplocraterion,
Diplopodichnus, fugichnia, Gordia, Haplotichnus, Kouphichnium, Limulichubichnus, Lingulichnus, Palaeophycus, Phycosiphon, Planolites, Protichnites, Rhizocorallium, Skolithos, Stiaria, Teichichnus, Thalassinoides, Treptichnus, Undichnia, tunnel and
chamber structures, plausible wood borings, and rhizoliths. A number of these traces fossils have not been previously recognized from the formation and reflect the work of annelids, arthropods, fish and molluscs. Combining the trace fossil record
with the sedimentological framework provides a robust approach in interpreting depositional settings. Within alluvial plain to fluvial channel margin settings, the trace fossil suites include both the Skolithos and Scoyenia Ichnofacies. In
marine-influenced strata including bayhead delta and brackish bay settings, trace fossil suites reflect proximal to archetypal Cruziana Ichnofacies and include some strictly marine trace fossils such as Chondrites and Phycosiphon. |