Field Guide to Fossils: No. 3 - Zechstein Reef Fossils and Their Palaeoecology

The Upper Permian reef of north-east England developed along the western margin of the Zechstein basin. This bryozoan and shell-dominated reef contains a well-preserved fauna which the authors have studied extensively in the field and laboratory. This book contains a 16-page field guide for the identification of all the common fossils, using photographs, line drawings, and life mode reconstructions. In addition, four reef paleocommunities are reconstructed. These provide a visual indication of changing faunal relationships during reef development and they are supported by relative abundance diagrams and a short description of the inferred ecology of each community.Sunderland Borough Council, in co-operation with the Nature Conservancy Council and the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers, have preserved the eight key localities which are described here. These have been chosen to illustrate the various reef facies types and they yield diagnostic faunas. Short notes on collecting and study techniques complete the text. This Guide, to a unique reef complex, should be essential to all those interested in the Zechstein or in reef ecology, whether amateur or professional.