Abstract
So-called ‘tectonic’ melanges in many parts of the world seem to contain a disproportionately high number of fossils relative to the enclosing rocks. This is particularly true of mélanges in ‘greywacke type’ terrains, in particular the Esk Head Mélange1 in the otherwise sparsely fossiliferous Torlesse Zone of the Alpine Assemblage2 in the New Zealand Geosyncline, the mélange belts of the Franciscan Assemblage of California (M. C. Blake, jun., personal communication), and the Liptrap Formation of southern Victoria, Australia. In addition, the fossils contained in mélange belts commonly contain shallow water forms, and in extreme cases even terrestrial fossils (D. L. Jones, personal communication).
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References
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BISHOP, D., BRADSHAW, J. & O'CONNOR, B. Fossils in mélanges. Nature 249, 242 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1038/249242a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/249242a0
