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Experiments on the Settling of Gastropod and Bivalve Shells: Biostratinomic Implications

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 July 2017

Mary Anne McKittrick
Mary Anne McKittrick*
Affiliation:
Department of Geosciences, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721
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Abstract

I measured the settling velocities and observed the settling behavior of sixteen molluscan species from Bahia la Choya. Bivalve shells stabilize in a concave-up fall position, and exhibit slower settling velocities than gastropod shells of similar weight and volume. Within individual species settling rates increase as the ratio of shell weight to maximum cross-sectional area increases. Five distinct fall-patterns occur: straight-fall, gliding, rotation, rocking, and oscillation.

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References

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