Fermeuse Formation

Fermeuse Formation
Stratigraphic range: Ediacaran 560 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Beds of the Fermeuse Formation near Ferryland, NL; note Aspidella discs
Type	Formation
Unit of	St John's Group[1]
Underlies	Renews Head Formation[2]
Overlies	Trepassey Formation
Thickness	1400 m (4,593 ft)[3]
Lithology
Primary	Gray Shale[4]
Other	Sandstone, Siltstone[4]
Location
Region	Newfoundland and Labrador
Country	Canada
Occurrence of Fermeuse formation in southeast Newfoundland

The Fermeuse Formation is an Ediacaran aged geologic formation in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.

It is known to outcrop on both the Avalon and Bonavista Peninsulas, both of which preserve fossils.

Depositional environment

On Bonavista Peninsula the depositional environment was a slope and outer shelf–below photic zone Turbidites probably were the dominant sediment transporters.^[5]

It is predominantly silts and sands, in contrast to underlying Trepassey Formation, which is mostly dark grey shales. There is a coarsening up sequence throughout the two formations, such that the top of the Fermeuse is predominantly sandstones.^[5]

On Avalon Peninsula there were much shallower waters, particularly than in underlying Mistaken Point Formation and Trepassey Formation.^[1] It is indicated by sandy channel fills, slumping, occasional silts.^[1] There is a possible delta front and shallow slope setting.^[1]

Paleobiota

1-2 centimetre-wide Aspidella discs (and some smaller mm-sized individuals) on a bedding surface of the Fermeuse Formation near Ferryland, Newfoundland

On Avalon Peninsula^[1] there is low diversity, and includes rare agglutinating organisms, Palaeopascichnus,^[6] and Aspidella discs,^[7] sometimes in great concentrations.^[5]

On Bonavista Peninsula there is higher diversity, including more fronds (rangeomorphs) and better preserved than on Avalon Peninsula.^[1]

Petalonamae

Genus	Species	Notes	Images
Aninoides[8]	A. coombsorum	Sessile frondose organism.
Arborea[9]	A. spinosa A. arborea(?)	Sessile frondose organism, A. spinosa was previously described as a species of Charniodiscus. A. arborea may be considered belonging to Charniodiscus.[9]
Bradgatia[7]	B. linfordensis	Sessile frondose organism.
Charnia[7]	C. masoni	Sessile frondose organism.
Charniodiscus[7]	Charniodiscus sp. C. arboreus(?)	Sessile frondose organism. C. arboreus may be considered belonging to Arborea.[9]
Fractofusus[7]	F. andersoni	Sessile spindle-like frondose organism.
Primocandelabrum[7]	Primocandelabrum sp. P. heimaloranum	Sessile frondose organism.
Vinlandia[10]	V. antecedens	Sessile frondose organism, previously reported as a species of Charnia.[7]

Cnidaria

Genus	Species	Notes	Images
Haootia[11]	H. quadriformis	Staurozoan cnidarian.
Hiemalora[7]	H. stellaris	Discoid organism, possibly holdfasts of petalonamids.

incertae sedis

Genus	Species	Notes	Images
Aspidella[7][3]	A. terranovica	Enigmatic discoidal fossil.
Hadrynichorde[7]	H. catalinensis	Sea Whip-like frondose organism.
Palaeopascichnus[1][12]	P. delicatus	Palaeopascichnid organism.

Ivesheadiomorphs

Genus	Species	Notes	Images
Ivesheadia[7]	I. lobata	Poorly preserved organism.

Ichnogenera

Genus	Species	Notes	Images
Neonereites[12]	Neonereites sp.	Burrows.

See also

• Earth sciences portal
• Canada portal
• Paleontology portal

• List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in Newfoundland and Labrador

References

1. A.G. Liu; D. McIlroy. "Horizontal Surface Traces from the Fermeuse Formation, Ferryland (Newfoundland, Canada), and their Place within the Late Ediacaran Ichnological Revolution" (PDF).
2. "Geoscience Atlas". Department of Natural Resources, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador.
3. Gehling, James G.; Narbonne, Guy M.; Anderson, Michael M. (September 2000). "The first named Ediacaran body fossil, Aspidella Terranovica". Palaeontology. 43 (3): 427–456. Bibcode:2000Palgy..43..427G. doi:10.1111/j.0031-0239.2000.00134.x.
4. "GEOLOGY OF THE AVALON PENINSULA, NEWFOUNDLAND" (PDF).
5. LAFLAMME, MARC; SCHIFFBAUER, JAMES D.; NARBONNE, GUY M.; BRIGGS, DEREK E. G. (June 2011). "Microbial biofilms and the preservation of the Ediacara biota". Lethaia. 44 (2): 203–213. Bibcode:2011Letha..44..203L. doi:10.1111/j.1502-3931.2010.00235.x.
6. Mikhail A. Fedonkin (2007). The Rise of Animals: Evolution and Diversification of the Kingdom Animalia. JHU Press. p. 54. ISBN 978-0-8018-8679-9.
7. Hofmann, H. J.; O'Brien, S. J.; King, A. F. (January 2008). "Ediacaran biota on Bonavista Peninsula, Newfoundland, Canada". Journal of Paleontology. 82 (1): 1–36. Bibcode:2008JPal...82....1H. doi:10.1666/06-087.1.
8. Rosse‐Guillevic, Simon; Muirhead‐Hunt, Heléna; McIlroy, Duncan (November 2025). "Aninoides : a new rangeomorph genus from the upper Ediacaran of Newfoundland". Papers in Palaeontology. 11 (6). doi:10.1002/spp2.70061.
9. Pérez-Pinedo, Daniel; McKean, Christopher; Taylor, Rod; Nicholls, Robert; McIlroy, Duncan (20 January 2022). "Charniodiscus and Arborea Are Separate Genera Within the Arboreomorpha: Using the Holotype of C. concentricus to Resolve a Taphonomic/Taxonomic Tangle". Frontiers in Earth Science. 9 785929. Bibcode:2022FrEaS...9.1393P. doi:10.3389/feart.2021.785929.
10. Brasier, Martin D.; Antcliffe, Jonathan B.; Liu, Alexander G. (September 2012). "The architecture of Ediacaran Fronds". Palaeontology. 55 (5): 1105–1124. Bibcode:2012Palgy..55.1105B. doi:10.1111/j.1475-4983.2012.01164.x.
11. Liu, Alexander G.; Matthews, Jack J.; Menon, Latha R.; McIlroy, Duncan; Brasier, Martin D. (22 October 2014). "Haootia quadriformis n. gen., n. sp., interpreted as a muscular cnidarian impression from the Late Ediacaran period (approx. 560 Ma)". Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 281 (1793) 20141202. doi:10.1098/rspb.2014.1202. PMC 4173675. PMID 25165764.
12. Liu, Alexander G.; Kenchington, Charlotte G.; Mitchell, Emily G. (June 2015). "Remarkable insights into the paleoecology of the Avalonian Ediacaran macrobiota". Gondwana Research. 27 (4): 1355–1380. Bibcode:2015GondR..27.1355L. doi:10.1016/j.gr.2014.11.002. hdl:1983/ef181134-4023-4747-8137-ed9da7a97771.

• Various Contributors to the Paleobiology Database. "Fossilworks: Gateway to the Paleobiology Database". Archived from the original on 25 March 2022. Retrieved 17 December 2021.