Henson Gletscher Formation

Henson Gletscher Formation
Stratigraphic range: Cambrian
Type	Formation
Location
Country	Greenland
Type section
Named for	Henson Gletscher

The Henson Gletscher Formation is a geologic formation in Greenland. It preserves fossils dating back to the Cambrian period. It is named after the Henson Glacier (Greenland). It preserves numerous phosphatocopines and bradoriids, alongside priapulid larvae such as Inuitiphlaskus^[1] and pentastomids like Dietericambria.^[2]

Color key Taxon Reclassified taxon Taxon falsely reported as present Dubious taxon or junior synonym Ichnotaxon Ootaxon Morphotaxon		Notes Uncertain or tentative taxa are in small text; crossed out taxa are discredited.

Paleobiota

Paleobiota
Genus	Species	Higher taxon	Notes	Images
Dietericambria	D. hensoniensis	Pentastomida	The earliest pentastomid fossil known[2]	Dietericambria reconstruction
Perissopyge	P. phenax	Ptychopariida	Also known from various other formations[3]
Eoagnostus	E. roddyi[4]	Agnostida
Pagetides	P. elegans[4]	Eodiscida
Fritzolenellus	F. truemani[4]	Olenelloidea		F. truemani from Canada
Ovatoryctocara	O. yaxiensis, O. granulata[4]	Oryctocephalidae
Arthricocephalus	A. chauveaui[4]	Oryctocephalidae		A. chauveaui
Lancastria	L. plana[4]	Oryctocephalidae		L. elongata fossil from China
Protoryctocephalus	P. arcticus[4][5]	Oryctocephalidae
Eoptychoparia	E. pearylandica[4]	Ptychopariidae
Bonnia	B. brennus[4]	Dorypygidae
Neopagetina	N. rjonsnitzkii[5]	Hebediscidae
Haliplanktos	H. jishouensis[5]	Oryctocephalidae
Oryctocephalus	O. indica[5]	Oryctocephalidae	Indicator for transition between Cambrian Series 2 and 3	O. indicus fossil
Onchocephalus?	O?. freucheni[5]	Ptychopariida
Bathyuriscus	B. sp	Dolichometopidae	Also known from the Burgess Shale[6]	Bathyuriscus specimens from elsewhere
Glossopleura	G. walcotti	Dolichometopidae	Quite widespread across North America[6]	G. mckeei fossil from the Bright Angel Shale
Kootenia	K. nodosa[6]	Dorypygidae	May be synonymous with Olenoides?	K. burgessensis fossil from the Burgess Shale
Hartshillia	H. inflata[6]	Corynexochida
Olenoides	O. sp[6]	Dorypygidae	One of the best-known trilobites thanks to fossils from the Burgess Shale	3D reconstruction of O. serratus
Bolaspidella	B. sp[6]	Ptychoparioidea
Ogygopsis	O. klotzi, O. typicalis, O. batis, O. virgata[5][4][6]	Dorypygidae	Very common in the Burgess Shale, but rare elsewhere	O. klotzi from the Burgess Shale
Parasolenopleura	P. aculeata[6]	Solenopleuridae
Zacanthoides	Z. blakeri[6][5]	Corynexochida
Elrathia	E. sp[6]	Alokistocaridae	Incredibly abundant in the Wheeler Shale	E. kingii fossil from the Wheeler Shale
Syspacephalus	S. spp	Ptychopariidae	Known from three separate undescribed species[6]
Eodiscus	E. scanicus[6]	Eodiscidae
Costadiscus	C. minutus[6]	Eodiscida
Mongolitubulus	M. squamifer, M. reticulatus[7]	Arthropoda	Enigmatic sclerite taxon[8]
Navarana	N. pearylandica	Bradoriida	Formerly assigned to Hipponicharion[9]
Liangshanella	?L. nivalis, L. qassutit[4][7]	Bradoriida		L. burgessensis fossil from the Burgess Shale
Pseudindiana	P. sipa[4]	Phosphatocopida
Dabashanella	D. retroswinga, D. longa, D?. lunaiformis[7]	Phosphatocopida		Dabashanella reconstruction
Onychodictyon	O. sp	Lobopodia	Known from complete fossils in the Maotianshan Shales[10]	Restoration of Onychodictyon ferox
Microdictyon	M. robisoni[4]	Lobopodia	Widespread genus of lobopodian, mostly known from sclerites	M. sinicum reconstruction
Inuitiphlaskus	I. kouchinskyi	Priapulida	A loricate (with lorica) priapulid larva[1]
Hadimopanella	H. apicata	Palaeoscolecida	Enigmatic sclerite taxon[11]
Blastozoa/“Pelmatozoa” indet.	Unapplicable	Echinodermata	Known from stem fragments and holdfasts[12][13]
Tarimspira	T. artemi	Paraconodontida	Possibly the earliest paraconodont?[14]
Cambroctoconus	C. koori	Octocorallia?	Only otherwise known from Asia[15]
Tavsenicoralla	T. avannaa	Eumetazoa	Branching “corallimorph”, may be a bryozoan?[7]
Olivooides?	O. sp	Medusozoa	Possibly known from very early embryonic stages[16]
Chancelloria	C. sp	Chancelloriidae	An enigmatic fossil known mostly from sclerites	C. pentacta from Utah
Allonnia	A. tetrathallis, A. erromenosa,[4] A. quadrocornuformis, A. rossica[7]	Chancelloriidae	An enigmatic fossil known mostly from sclerites	A. pennetta life reconstruction
Thoracospongia	T. lacrimiformis	Amphidiscosida?	Tentatively assigned to the family Stiodermatidae[17]
Dodecaactinella	D. oncera	Calcarea?	Also known from the Ordovician[18]
Eiffelia	E. floriformis	Eiffeliidae	Mainly known from the Burgess Shale[18]	E. globosa from the Burgess Shale
Abnormisella	A. inseperata	Silicea	Possibly the same as Speciosuspongia?[18]
Australispongia?	A?. inuak	Silicea	Mainly known from other formations in Greenland[18]
Celtispongia	C. dorte	Silicea	Possibly also known from China[18]
Cjulanciella	C. asimmetrica	Silicea	Species name occasionally spelled as asymmetrica[18]
Kuonamia	K. fusiformis	Silicea	Renamed from Disparella[18]
Sanningasoqia	S. borealis	Silicea	Also found in the Holm Dal Formation[18]
Hertzina	H. elongata[4]	Protoconodonta
Amphigeisina	A. danica[4]	Protoconodonta
Hagionella	H. cultrata[4]	Protoconodonta
Gumella	G. cuneata[4]	Protoconodonta
Gapparodus	G. bisulcatus[4]	Protoconodonta
Paibiconus	P. proarcuatus[7]	Protoconodonta
Protowenella	P. flemingi	Orthothecida	Previously thought to be a helcionelloid mollusc[19]
Conotheca	C. hensoni[4]	Circothecidae
Tulenicornus	T. frykmani[4]	Hyolithida
Slapylites	S. sp[4]	Hyolithida
Crestjahitus	C. groenlandicus[7]	Hyolithida
Yuku	Y. tjurtu[7]	Hyolithida
Nausakia	N. thulensis	Naukatida	An unusual brachiopod with a hat-like lower valve[20]
Eoobolus	E. priscus[4]	Linguloidea
Acrothele	A. sp[4]	Acrotheloidea		A. susidua from Utah
Linnarssonia	L. ?tuberculata	Acrotretida		L. sp
Tesella	T. deplanata[7]	Tommotiida
Hensoniconus	H. siku	Helcionelloidea	Previously placed in the genus Scenella[21][22]
Vendrascospira	V. frykmani, V. troelseni	Helcionelloidea	Formerly placed within Figurina[22]
Tavseniconus	T. erectus	Stenothecidae	Also known from Morocco[22]
Dorispira	D. accordionata, D. arguta, D. avannga, D. septentrionalis, D. tavsenensis, D. tippik, ?D. penecyrano	Helcionelloidea	A relatively widespread helcionelloid[22]
Parailsanella	P. sp	Helcionelloidea	Only known from one internal mould in Henson Gletscher[22]
Sermeqiconus	S. polaris	Helcionelloidea	Referred tentatively to Figurina[22]
Mellopegma	M. chelata, M. georginense, M. schizocheras	Stenothecidae	Known from hundreds of specimens[22]
Erugoconus	E. acuminatus	Helcionelloidea	Family uncertain[22]
Eotebenna	E. arctica	Helcionelloidea	Only known otherwise from Australia[23]
Yochelcionella	Y. greenlandica, Y. gracilis[24]	Helcionelloidea	Bears an unusual “snorkel” from the back of its shell	Y. cyrano reconstruction
Nyboeconus	N. robisoni	Helcionelloidea	Similar shells were formerly placed as enigmatic fossils[25]
Capitoconus	C. borealis[4]	Helcionelloidea
Coreospira	C. sp[4]	Helcionelloidea
Stenothecoides	S. elongata, S. terraglaciei[26]	Stenothecoidea	Enigmatic shelled genus, maybe a brachiopod or mollusc[22]
Stenothecella	S. sibirica	Stenothecoidea	Enigmatic shelled genus, maybe a brachiopod or mollusc[22]
Costipelagiella	C. nevadense	Pelagiellidae[22]
Hyolithellus	H. micans[4]	Hyolithelminthida
Torrelella	T. sp[7]	Hyolithelminthida
Coleoloides	C. typicalis[7]	Hyolithelminthida
Sphenothallus	S. sp[7]	Conulariida?	Enigmatic holdfast, possibly a conulariid	Sphenothallus from the Ordovician of the US
Cambrocoryne	C. lagenamorpha	incertae sedis	Bears some similarities to foraminiferans and sclerites of Wiwaxia[27]
Aetholicopalla	A. adnata	incertae sedis	Resembles Archaeooides[7]
Laugephakos	L. groenlandicus	incertae sedis	Resembles hyolithelminthids[7]
Hensonidendra	H. hensoniensis, H. tavsenica	incertae sedis	Resembles bryozoans, “corallimorphs”, and epiphytaceans[7]
Eohyella	E. spp	Cyanobacteria	Resembles modern Hyella[28]	Microscope image of modern Hyella caespitosa
Girvanella	G. spp[7]	Oscillatoriaceae
Subtiflora	S. sp[7]	Oscillatoriaceae
Epiphyton	E. sp[7]	Cyanobacteria

See also

• Earth sciences portal
• Paleontology portal

• List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in Greenland

References

1. Peel, J.S. (31 December 2022). "A priapulid larva from the middle Cambrian (Wuliuan Stage) of North Greenland (Laurentia)". Bulletin of Geosciences: 445–452. doi:10.3140/bull.geosci.1865.
2. Peel, John S. (3 April 2022). "The oldest tongue worm: a stem-group pentastomid arthropod from the early middle Cambrian (Wuliuan Stage) of North Greenland (Laurentia)". GFF. 144 (2): 97–105. doi:10.1080/11035897.2022.2064543.
3. Stein, Martin; Peel, John S. (June 2008). "Perissopyge (Trilobita) from the lower Cambrian (Series 2, Stage 4) of North America and Greenland". GFF. 130 (2): 71–78. doi:10.1080/11035890801302071.
4. Peel, John S.; Streng, Michael; Geyer, Gerd; Kouchinsky, Artem; Skovsted, Christian B. (21 August 2020). "'Ovatoryctocara granulata' assemblage (Cambrian series 2-series 3 boundary) of Londal, North Greenland". Australasian Palaeontological Memoirs (49): 241–282.
5. Geyer, G.; Peel, J.S. (30 September 2011). "The Henson Gletscher Formation, North Greenland, and its bearing on the global Cambrian Series 2–Series 3 boundary". Bulletin of Geosciences: 465–534. doi:10.3140/bull.geosci.1252.
6. Babcock, L.E (1 January 1994). "Systematics and phylogenetics of polymeroid trilobites from the Henson Gletscher and Kap Stanton formations (Middle Cambrian), North Greenland". Bulletin Grønlands Geologiske Undersøgelse. 169: 79–127. doi:10.34194/bullggu.v169.6727.
7. Peel, J. (13 April 2025). "Middle Cambrian (Wuliuan Stage) Small Shelly Fossils from North Greenland (Laurentia)". Bulletin of Geosciences: 1–56. doi:10.3140/bull.geosci.1912.
8. Skovsted, Christian B.; Peel, John S. (31 December 2001). "The problematic fossil Mongolitubulus from the Lower Cambrian of Greenland". Bulletin of the Geological Society of Denmark. 48: 135–147. doi:10.37570/bgsd-2001-48-07.
9. Peel, John S. (September 2017). "Systematics and biogeography of some early Cambrian (Series 2) bradoriids (Arthropoda) from Laurentia (Greenland)". Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences. 54 (9): 961–972. doi:10.1139/cjes-2017-0101.
10. Topper, Timothy P.; Skovsted, Christian B.; Peel, John S.; Harper, David A.T. (October 2013). "Moulting in the lobopodian Onychodictyon from the lower Cambrian of Greenland". Lethaia. 46 (4): 490–495. doi:10.1111/let.12026.
11. Peel, J.S; Larsen, N.H (31 December 1984). "Hadimopanella apicata from the Lower Cambrian of western North Greenland". Rapport Grønlands Geologiske Undersøgelse. 121: 89–96. doi:10.34194/rapggu.v121.7875.
12. Clausen, Sebastien; Peel, John S. (September 2012). "Middle Cambrian echinoderm remains from the Henson Gletscher Formation of North Greenland". GFF. 134 (3): 173–200. doi:10.1080/11035897.2012.721003.
13. Peel, John S. (3 July 2017). "The oldest pelmatozoan encrusted hardground and holdfasts from Laurentia (Cambrian Series 2–3)". GFF. 139 (3): 195–204. doi:10.1080/11035897.2017.1347196.
14. Peel, John S. (January 2019). "Tarimspira from the Cambrian (Series 2, Stage 4) of Laurentia (Greenland): extending the skeletal record of paraconodontid vertebrates". Journal of Paleontology. 93 (1): 115–125. doi:10.1017/jpa.2018.68.
15. Peel, John S. (September 2017). "A problematic cnidarian ( Cambroctoconus ; Octocorallia?) from the Cambrian (Series 2–3) of Laurentia". Journal of Paleontology. 91 (5): 871–882. doi:10.1017/jpa.2017.49.
16. Peel, John S.; Willman, Sebastian (March 2022). "Cavity-dwelling microorganisms from the Ediacaran and Cambrian of North Greenland (Laurentia)". Journal of Paleontology. 96 (2): 243–255. doi:10.1017/jpa.2021.96.
17. Peel, John S. (3 July 2017). "First records from Laurentia of some middle Cambrian (Series 3) sponge spicules". Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology. 41 (3): 306–314. doi:10.1080/03115518.2017.1282983.
18. Peel, John S. (3 April 2019). "Sponge spicule assemblages from the Cambrian (Series 2–3) of North Greenland (Laurentia): systematics and biogeography". GFF. 141 (2): 133–161. doi:10.1080/11035897.2019.1578261.
19. Peel, John S. (2 October 2021). "In-place operculum demonstrates that the Middle Cambrian Protowenella is a hyolith and not a mollusc". Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology. 45 (4): 385–394. doi:10.1080/03115518.2021.2004225.
20. Streng, Michael; Butler, Aodhán D.; Peel, John S.; Garwood, Russell J.; Caron, Jean-Bernard (March 2016). "A new family of Cambrian rhynchonelliformean brachiopods ( Order Naukatida) with an aberrant coral-like morphology". Palaeontology. 59 (2): 269–293. doi:10.1111/pala.12226.
21. Peel, John S. (3 July 2023). "Muscle scars in Miaolingian helcionelloids from Laurentia and the diversity of muscle scar patterns in Cambrian univalve molluscs". Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology. 47 (3): 221–233. doi:10.1080/03115518.2023.2243501.
22. Peel, John S.; Kouchinsky, Artem (22 April 2022). "Middle Cambrian (Miaolingian Series, Wuliuan Stage) molluscs and mollusc-like microfossils from North Greenland (Laurentia)". Bulletin of the Geological Society of Denmark. 70: 69–104. doi:10.37570/bgsd-2022-70-06.
23. Peel, John S. (1 July 1989). "A Lower Cambrian Eotebenna (Mollusca) from Arctic North America". Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences. 26 (7): 1501–1503. doi:10.1139/e89-127.
24. Atkins, Christian J.; Benthe, H. F.; Haberland, G. (20 October 2004). "New species of Yochelcionella (Mollusca: Helcionelloida) from the Lower Cambrian of North Greenland". Bulletin of the Geological Society of Denmark. 51: 1–9. doi:10.37570/bgsd-2004-51-01.
25. Peel, J.S (1 January 1994). "An enigmatic cap-shaped fossil from the Middle Cambrian of North Greenland". Bulletin Grønlands Geologiske Undersøgelse. 169: 149–155. doi:10.34194/bullggu.v169.6729.
26. Peel, J.S. (1 October 2021). "Ontogeny, morphology and pedicle attachment of stenothecoids from the middle Cambrian of North Greenland (Laurentia)". Bulletin of Geosciences: 381–399. doi:10.3140/bull.geosci.1839.
27. Peel, J. S. (2023). "A phosphatised fossil Lagerstätte from the middle Cambrian (Wuliuan Stage) of North Greenland (Laurentia)". Bulletin of the Geological Society of Denmark. 72: 102–122. doi:10.37570/bgsd-2023-72-03. S2CID 259807172.
28. Stockfors, Martin; Peel, John S. (September 2005). "Endolithic Cyanobacteria from the Middle Cambrian of North Greenland". GFF. 127 (3): 179–185. doi:10.1080/11035890501273179.