Directional orientations of solitary rugose corals
Unattached solitary rugose corals lying parallel to bedding are common in many Ordovician and younger Paleozoic units, but their directional orientations have seldom been examined. Interpretations based on occurrences in North American Upper Ordovician and Lower Silurian strata provide a foundation for such studies. Distinct directional patterns resulted from preferred orientation with respect to water motion. They indicate transportation rather than biologic orientation, if it can be shown that the corals were not preserved in life position or were abraded to a significant degree before burial. Transported, slightly curved specimens having trochoid to ceratoid form were aligned parallel to currents, with the apex pointing upstream, and (or) were rolled nearly perpendicular to currents or almost parallel to crests of advancing waves, with the apex facing either way but directed slightly upstream. Therefore, unimodal orientation patterns, bimodal patterns with equal peaks that are opposite one another but ...