dubiofossil

English

Noun

dubiofossil (plural dubiofossils)

1. (geology, paleontology) Any geological object that has characteristics of a fossil but whose identity is uncertain.
   • 1998, H. J. Hofmann, Chapter 4: Synopsis of Precambrian Fossil Occurrences in North America, S. B. Lucas, M. R. St-Onge (editors), Geology of the Precambrian Superior and Grenville Provinces and Precambrian Fossils in North America, Geology of Canada No. 7, Geological Society of America, Geological Survey of Canada, page 284,

     Relevant data on dubiofossil and pseudofossil occurrences can be found in Mendelson and Schopf (1992, Table 22.2), and Hofmann (1992, Table 23.6).

     Regarding microscopic dubiofossils, the biological versus abiological origins of the oldest possibly biogenic remains, spheroidal structures in the about 3.8 Ga old Isua sequence in southern West Greenland reported in the previous decade, were discussed by Bridgwater et al. (1981) and Roedder (1981), with an abiogenic interpretation considered more likely.

   • 2019, Mukund Sharma, Veeru Kant Singh, “Megascopic Carbonaceous Remains from Proterozoic Basins of India”, in M. E. A. Mondal, editor, Geological Evolution of the Precambrian Indian Shield, Springer, page 739:

     In a review, Venkatachala et al. (1996) have considered 13 reports as authentic fossils and the rest were considered as non-fossils or dubiofossils.

   • 2019, Chirananda De, Mangrove Ichnology of the Bay of Bengal Coast, Eastern India, Springer, page 143:

     Thus, Manchuriophycus and Rhysonetron had received the status of pseudofossil or dubiofossil in the published literature (Schopf and Klein 1992).

Related terms

• pseudofossil

Translations

geological object of uncertain identity that has characteristics of a fossil

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• German: Dubiofossil n
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