STUDY OF CONODONTS.

NAME : PATEL KARNAV M.

M.SC SEM-2
GUIDED BY :DR. BHATT SIR
PAPER : GEL 408
 CONTENT
• INTRODUCTION
• SELF ANATOMY
• MORPHOLOGY AND ELEMENT
• CLASSIFICATION INTO FAMILY
• GROWTH PATTERNS
• PALEOECOLOGY
• EVOLUTIONARY HISTORY
• APPLICATION
 INTRODUTION
• Conodont are extinct group of primitive jawless vertebrates
microfossils belonging phylum chordata.
• Conodonts are tiny phosphatic tooth-like structures that occur
in marine rocks of late Precambrian to late Triassic age
• Soft-body organism,except presence of feeding apparatus
comprise of tooth like elements which is preserved as fossils.
• Size:0.1 to 5mm.(Elements).
• Conodont are earliest vertebrates.
• The name "conodont" was coined by C.H. Pander (a Russian) in
1856, who worked on Silurian fish fossils of Eastern Europe.
 SOFT ANATOMY OF CONODONT ANIMAL

• Conodonts elements are small ,laterally compressed ,eel-like

structure.
• The main structure preserved in the trunk are the head with
apparatus, notochord, cheveron muscle blocks and caudal fin rays.
• Generally tooth like structures is preserved as fossils.
 MORPHOLOGY AND ELEMENTS
• Conodonts elements may be from 0.1-5.0 mm long and of amber,
white, grey, brown, or black in colour.
• Conodonts elements are classified base on oral and aboral.
1. Oral : near to mouth.
2. Aboral : away from mouth.
3. Cusp : pointed end of head or tail of conodont.
CLASSIFICATION OF CONODONTS
MORPHOLOGICALLY, FOUR MAIN GROUPS OF CONODONTS CAN
DISTINGUISHED.
1. Simple cones: formed by a single tooth, or
denticle,curved horn like. Pointed at oral
end and base at aboral end.
2. Blade-type: Elongate, laterally compressed
units formed by a row of denticles which
are fused except at their tips.
3. Bar-type: Thin bars with or without a bent
shaft which is commonly branched.
• Bar and blade together known as Ramiform
elements , because they have additional cusp
called denticles developed upon either
posterior or anterior of main cusp.
4. Platform: It is thought these forms evolved
from bar and blade-type conodonts by the
developement of broad flanges into plates.
1. PROTOCONODONTS
• They are narrow, slightly curved simple cones with deep basal cavity
and aborally internally deposited lamellae.
• Some of them has a very thin wall with a flattened area on the
posterior edge, bounded by two longitudinal carinae.
2. PARACONODONTS
• The paraconodonts are dark brown to black elements in which the
lamellae are added aborally, with little overlap.
• Most are pixie cap shaped with deep basal cavity.
• As in furnishina has a broad flared base.
• Westergaardodina is unusual in having a small central cusp flanked
by two larger, lateral, lateral denticles forming a W or U shaped
element which contains lateral cavities.
3. EUCONODONTS

• Euconodonts consist of basal body and a conodont proper

with aboral-lateral and oral-lateraldirections of lamellar
growth, respectively.
• They may be arbitrarily divided into simple cones, bars, blades,
and platforms, but it must be remembered that this is not a
biological distinction.
 COMPOSITION AND GROWTH OF ELEMENTS
• Conodonts elements are built of tiny crystallites of calcium carbonate
fluoraapatite Initially crystallites were laid down in a layer called
lamellae.
• The growth beginning at a growth centre and accreting by the
addition of lamellae in various directions.
• Sometimes these lamellae did not quite touch over the growth axis,
leaving interlamellar space.
 GROWTH PATTERN
a) PROTOCONODONTS: Growth starts at the tip, with younger lamellae
added by the secretion in the succesive layers towards the base.
b) PARACONODONTS: Growth starts at the centre just below the tip.
c) EUCONODONTS: Growth starts at basal as well as laterally.
 PALEOECOLOGY
• The life history and ecology of conodont can known
indirectly from the associates fauna and facies.
• Exclusively marine. hypersaline to bathyal, Abyssal in
habitats
• Nektonic and pelagic forms.
• Diversity of conodonts were high in equatorial lattitudes.
• Zhuravlev (2007) reconstructed five major functional types
of conodont element
1) grasping-holding 2) Filtering 3)Cutting 4)crussing
and 5)grinding
• Thus, conodont were suspension feeders,detrius feeder or
predators.
• From oxygen isotopic data,conodonts lived in warmer seas
and could tolerate temperature in excess of 40 C.
 EVOLUTIONARY HISTORY
• The very earliest conodonts are known
from rocks of probable Precambrian age
in Siberia, they are found more
commonly in Cambrian deposits, diversity
increased in the Ordovician and again
during the Devonian.

• The conodont-bearing organism clearly

survived the Permo-Triassic boundary
extinctions but became extinct during the
late Triassic. It has been noted that the
extinction of the conodonts coincides
with the diversification of dinoflagellates
and first appearance of calcareous
nannofosils.
• The most primitive conodonts are single cones, which
dominate early Ordovician assemblages and reach a peak in
the Arenigian (late Early Ordovician).
• The first platform type conodonts occur around this time as
well. Conodont diversity and abundance declined in the
Silurian. During the early and mid Devonian diversity
gradually increased, reaching an acme in the late Devonian.
In the early Carboniferous conodonts remained abundant
and widespread but diversity decreased during the late
Carboniferous.
• In the Permian the conodonts almost became extinct,
however, they made a recovery in the early to middle
Triassic only to disappear in the late Triassic.
 APPLICATION
• Conodonts are relatively common in paleozoic rocks, and
extremely use as stratigraphic tools.
• Conodonts also use to calculate water depth or distance
from shore.
• It also help to determine geochemical characteristics of
paleozoic ocean.
• Ordovician system can be subdivided into some 30 biozones
defined by conodonts and graptolites.
• Conodonts are also useful as primary markes defining the
boundaries of many system.
  CCAI(Conodont Colour Alteration Index)
• Conodonts are heated in the
subsurface, they progressively
and irreversibly change in
colour with increase in
temperature and time.
• The progressive change in
conodont colour has been used
extensively in the petroleum
industry as an index of thermal
maturation
 REFERNCES
• Briggs, D. (May 1992). "Conodonts: A Major Extinct
Group Added To The Vertebrates”.

• Milsom, Clare; Rigby, Sue (2004).

"Vertebrates". Fossils At A Glance. Victoria, Australia.

• Google And Wikipedia.

• Microfossil By M. B. Brasier