Trace Fossils and Ichnofabric of the Kope-Corryville Sequence in the Type Cincinnatian

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In spite of their obvious potential utility, trace fossils and ichnofabric have been incorporated only rarely into stratigraphic analyses. For their potential to be fully realized, a predictive model based on all aspects of the ichnological record must be developed within a well-constrained stratigraphic horizon. The purpose of this research is to document discrete trace fossils and their distributions, record ichnofabric indices, and describe the ichnofabric from the Cincinnatian Kope-Corryville succession. The sequence and cyclo-stratigraphy of these strata have received considerable attention in the past ten years and a high resolution choronostratigraphic study is currently underway. As a result, a well constrained stratigraphic framework has emerged providing an ideal opportunity to test the utility of the ichnological record in stratigraphic analyses. These strata have an additional advantage; the Ordovician represents a critical time in the history during this time. This study will aid in our understanding of the history of the benthic community during the Ordovician radiation. Dr. Droser will also attend the Third International Ichnofabric Workshop at the University of Lopenhagen, Denmark and participate in field trips that include visits to similar age strata to the Cincinnationa Kope-Corryville succession but that represent very different environmental conditions of deposition. The interactive activities consist of five main facets: teaching one graduate-upper level undergraduate seminar in ichnology; participating in additional paleontology and departmental seminars; actively involving students, particularly undergraduates, in research; leading general department field trips; and leading field trips for middle school and high school museum volunteers at the Cincinnati Museum of Natural History.