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Great Canadian Lagerstätten 4. the Devonian Miguasha Biota

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Great Canadian Lagerstätten 4. the Devonian Miguasha Biota Document généré le 29 sept. 2021 18:57 Geoscience Canada Great Canadian Lagerstätten 4. The Devonian Miguasha Biota (Québec): UNESCO World Heritage Site and a Time Capsule in the Early History of Vertebrates Richard Cloutier Volume 40, numéro 2, 2013 Résumé de l'article Au cours des 170 dernières années, le biote du Dévonien supérieur de URI : https://id.erudit.org/iderudit/geocan40_2ser02 Miguasha de l’Est du Canada a fourni un assemblage aquatique diversifié, comprenant 20 espèces de vertébrés inférieurs (anaspides, ostéostracés, Aller au sommaire du numéro placodermes, acanthodiens, actinoptérygiens et sarcoptérygiens) et un assemblage peu diversifié d’invertébrés ainsi qu’une composante continentale, représentée par des plantes, des scorpions et des mille-pattes. À l’origine Éditeur(s) interprété comme un milieu lacustre d’eau douce, les dernières preuves paléontologiques, taphonomiques, sédimentologiques et géochimiques The Geological Association of Canada confirment un environ-nement saumâtre rappelant celui d’un estuaire. Plus de 18,000 fossiles de poissons ont été découverts montrant différents états de ISSN conservation, notamment en trois dimensions et la préservation de tissus mous. La plupart des vertébrés sont connus par de nombreux spécimens 0315-0941 (imprimé) complets et articulés. Des spécimens de larves et de juvéniles, 1911-4850 (numérique) exceptionnellement bien conservés, ont été identifiées pour 14 des 20 espèces de poissons permettant des études détaillées de leur croissance. De nombreux Découvrir la revue horizons au sein de la Formation d’Escuminac sont inter-prétés soit comme des Konservat– ou Konzentrat–Lagerstätten. Citer cet article Cloutier, R. (2013). Great Canadian Lagerstätten 4. The Devonian Miguasha Biota (Québec): UNESCO World Heritage Site and a Time Capsule in the Early History of Vertebrates. Geoscience Canada, 40(2), 149–163. All rights reserved © The Geological Association of Canada, 2013 Ce document est protégé par la loi sur le droit d’auteur. L’utilisation des services d’Érudit (y compris la reproduction) est assujettie à sa politique d’utilisation que vous pouvez consulter en ligne. https://apropos.erudit.org/fr/usagers/politique-dutilisation/ Cet article est diffusé et préservé par Érudit. Érudit est un consortium interuniversitaire sans but lucratif composé de l’Université de Montréal, l’Université Laval et l’Université du Québec à Montréal. Il a pour mission la promotion et la valorisation de la recherche. https://www.erudit.org/fr/ GEOSCIENCE CANADA Volume 40 2013 149 SERIES cal, taphonomic, sedimentological and niles, exceptionnellement bien geochemical evidence corroborates a conservés, ont été identifiées pour 14 brackish estuarine setting. Over 18,000 des 20 espèces de poissons permettant fish specimens have been recovered des études détaillées de leur croissance. showing various modes of fossiliza- De nombreux horizons au sein de la tion, including uncompressed material Formation d’Escuminac sont inter- and soft-tissue preservation. Most ver- prétés soit comme des Konservat– ou tebrates are known from numerous, Konzentrat–Lagerstätten. complete, articulated specimens. Exceptionally well-preserved larval and HISTORICAL OVERVIEW juvenile specimens have been identified The Miguasha fossil site in eastern Québec was among the first major Great Canadian for 14 out of the 20 species of fishes, allowing growth studies. Numerous paleontological localities to have been Lagerstätten 4. horizons within the Escuminac Forma- discovered and excavated in North America. The discovery of the first The Devonian Miguasha tion are now interpreted as either Kon- servat– or Konzentrat–Lagerstätten. fossils at Miguasha was made in 1842 Biota (Québec): UNESCO by Abraham Gesner, the government geologist in New Brunswick, also SOMMAIRE World Heritage Site and a known for his work on the distillation Au cours des 170 dernières années, le of kerosene. While surveying the Time Capsule in the Early biote du Dévonien supérieur de Migua- northern part of New Brunswick for History of Vertebrates sha de l’Est du Canada a fourni un coal, Gesner came to Miguasha and assemblage aquatique diversifié, com- reported “I found the remains of fish, Richard Cloutier prenant 20 espèces de vertébrés infé- and a small species of tortoise with Département de Biologie, Chimie et rieurs (anaspides, ostéostracés, placo- foot-marks” (Gesner 1843, p. 64). Evi- Géographie dermes, acanthodiens, actinoptérygiens dently, this fossil was not a tortoise but Université du Québec à Rimouski et sarcoptérygiens) et un assemblage rather a placoderm fish, most likely 300 allée des Ursulines peu diversifié d’invertébrés ainsi qu’une Bothriolepis canadensis, one of the most Rimouski, QC, Canada, G5L 3A1 composante continentale, représentée common fish from the Escuminac For- Email: [email protected] par des plantes, des scorpions et des mation. Although fossil plants were mille-pattes. À l’origine interprété found, there was no potential in terms SUMMARY comme un milieu lacustre d’eau douce, of coal mining, and the site was for- Over the past 170 years, the Late les dernières preuves paléontologiques, gotten for more than 30 years. Devonian Miguasha biota from eastern taphonomiques, sédimentologiques et Between 1879 and 1881, the Canada has yielded a diverse aquatic géochimiques confirment un environ- Geological Survey of Canada organ- assemblage including 20 species of nement saumâtre rappelant celui d’un ized several expeditions to Miguasha lower vertebrates (anaspids, osteostra- estuaire. Plus de 18,000 fossiles de lead by R. W. Ells (Fig. 1a), A. H. cans, placoderms, acanthodians, poissons ont été découverts montrant Foord and T. C. Weston. A few dozens actinopterygians and sarcopterygians), différents états de conservation, of collected fossils were given to pio- a more limited invertebrate assemblage, notamment en trois dimensions et la neer paleontologists: Joseph F. and a continental component including préservation de tissus mous. La plupart Whiteaves, a British paleontologist plants, scorpions and millipedes. Origi- des vertébrés sont connus par de nom- working at the Geological Survey of nally interpreted as a freshwater lacus- breux spécimens complets et articulés. Canada, who studied the fossil fishes, trine environment, recent paleontologi- Des spécimens de larves et de juvé- and Sir J. William Dawson, a Canadian Geoscience Canada, v. 40, http://dx.doi.org/10.12789/geocanj.2013.40.008 © 2013 GAC/AGC® 150 Figure 1. Fossil collecting at the Miguasha site through time. a. Geologist Robert Wheelock Ells, from the Geological Survey of Canada, re-discoverer of the Miguasha fossil site in the summer of 1879 and one of the first fossil collectors in Miguasha (Pho- tograph: Geological Survey of Canada). b. Local collector Joseph Landry in the late 1930s, displaying fossiliferous concretions (Photography: Archive René Bureau, Parc national de Miguasha). c. René Bureau’s 1963 expedition in Miguasha, collecting in the cliffs with the help of local collectors Ralph Plourde (son, left) and Euclide Plourde (father, centre) (Photograph: Claude Bureau). d. Recent systematic collecting performed by personnel of the Parc national de Miguasha (Photograph: Johanne Kerr). paleobotanist working at McGill Uni- olepiform Eusthenopteron foordi from 1937 and 1998, Erik Jarvik wrote some versity, who looked at the fossil plants. Miguasha had a fin anatomy similar to thirty scientific articles on These workers were the authors of the that of the limbs of stegocephalians Eusthenopteron (Cloutier 1996c), while first scientific descriptions of the (Cope 1892), a paraphyletic group Erik Stensiö published on the detailed Miguasha fossils (Whiteaves 1880; acknowledged today to include stem anatomy of the placoderm Bothriolepis Dawson 1882). From the late 1880s tetrapods. Fossils from Miguasha there- (Stensiö 1948). until the 1940s, British and American by made their entrance to studies doc- The history of the Miguasha paleontologists came to Miguasha (fre- umenting the origin and evolution of biota can also be tracked through the quently referred to mistakenly as Scau- major groups of vertebrates, a perspec- sequence of scientific publications and menac Bay) in order to collect new tive fairly new at the time, considering the date of original descriptions for the material for major museums, such as the Darwinian revolution. Following various vertebrate species (Fig. 2). the British Museum of Natural History Cope’s (1892) publication, From 1880 to 1900, half of the known (London, England), the Royal Scottish Eusthenopteron foordi was considered a vertebrate diversity had been described Museum of Edinburgh (Scotland) and key species in the transition from fish- on the basis of original collecting in the American Museum of Natural His- es to tetrapods, thus promoting the Miguasha. Between 1900 and 1924, tory (New York, USA). From 1887 to focus of numerous studies on the most likely as a result of global social 1892, M. Jex collected an impressive anatomy of its paired fins, vertebral instability and World War I, paleonto- array of fossil fishes in Miguasha, column and nostrils. Between 1905 and logical research, including that on the which he sold to different museums in 1993, local collectors (Fig. 1b–c) famil- Miguasha biota, was not a priority in the United Kingdom. As a result, part iar with fossil fish hunting in Miguasha the scientific community. Renewed and counterpart of the same fossils were pivotal in creating reference col- interest in
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