Ustʹ Pinega Formation

64°9′0.000″N 41°55′59.988″E / 64.15000000°N 41.93333000°E / 64.15000000; 41.93333000

Ustʹ Pinega Formation
Stratigraphic range: Ediacaran 555 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Type	Geological Formation
Sub-units	Zimnie Gory Formation (Zimnie Gory and Vaizitsa beds) Verkhovka Formation (Vaizitsa, Syuzma and Verkhovka beds) Lyamtsa Formation (Arkhangelsk and Lyamtsa beds)[1]
Underlies	Lyubim Formation
Overlies	Pletenev Formation
Lithology
Primary	Argillite
Other	Sandstone, Siltstone, Clay
Location
Region	Arkhangelsk Oblast
Country	Russia

The Ustʹ Pinega Formation is an Upper Ediacaran geological formation exposed along the banks of the Syuzma and Onega Rivers in Arkhangelsk Oblast, northwestern Russia,^[2] and makes up the middle portion (555 Ma) of the White Sea assemblage, which spans from 560 to 550 Ma.

It also preserves a wealth of rare Ediacaran fossils, like Zolotytsia, Ventogyrus and Bomakellia.

Paleobiota

The Ustʹ Pinega Formation is home to many rare and common Ediacaran fauna, from the well known motile forms such as Dickinsonia and Kimberella,^[3] to the rarer, more elusive forms like Ventogyrus and Zolotytsia. All forms within this formation are preserved in layers of ash beds, which are not only good at preserving the fine exterior details of organisms, but also their internals, like Burykhia.^[4]

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.

Proarticulata

Genus	Species	Notes	Images
Andiva[5]	A. ivantsovi	Elongated oval motile organism.
Archaeaspinus[6]	A. fedonkini	Oval motile organism.
Armillifera[7]	A. parva	Elongated oval motile organism.
Cephalonega[7]	C. stepanovi	Oval motile organism.
Cyanorus[6]	C. singularis	Elongated motile organism.
Dickinsonia[7][8]	Dickinsonia sp.	Oval to elongated motile organism.
Ivovicia[9]	I. rugulosa	Elongated oval motile organism.
Karakhtia[10]	K. nessovi	Oval motile organism.
Keretsa[11]	K. brutoni	Elongated motile organism.
Lossinia[9]	L. lissetskii	Elongated motile organism.
Ovatoscutum[7][8]	O. concentricum	Rounded motile organism.
Palaeoplatoda[7][12]	P. segmentata	Elongated motile organism.
Paravendia[6]	P. janae	Elongated motile organism.
Vendia[7][8]	V. rachiata	Elongated motile organism.
Yorgia[8]	Y. waggoneri	Oval motile organism.

Petalonamae

Genus	Species	Notes	Images
Bomakellia[13]	B. kelleri	Sessile frondose organism.
Charnia[7][8]	Charnia sp.	Sessile frondose organism.
Charniodiscus[7]	Charniodiscus sp.	Sessile frondose organism.
Pteridinium[7]	Pteridinium sp.	Sessile frondose organism.

Trilobozoan

Genus	Species	Notes	Images
Albumares[7]	A. brunsae	Tri-radial organism.
Anfesta[7][8]	A. stankovskii	Tri-radial organism.
Tribrachidium[7][8]	T. heraldicum	Tri-radial organism.

Cnidarian

Genus	Species	Notes	Images
Bonata[7]	B. septata	Discoid organism.
Brachina[7]	Brachina sp.	Discoid organism.
Ediacaria[7][8]	Ediacaria sp.	Discoid organism.
Eoporpita[7][8]	E. medusa.	Discoid organism.
Inaria[8]	I. karli	Sac-like organism.
Medusinites[7]	Medusinites sp.	Discoid organism.
Staurinidia[7][8]	S. crucicula	Discoid organism.
Tirasiana[7]	Tirasiana sp.	Discoid organism.
Vendoconularia[14]	V. triradiata	Hexagonal tubular organism.
Zolotytsia	Z. biserialis	Deformed mass of ovals along a mid-line groove.

Chordata

Genus	Species	Notes	Images
Burykhia[4]	B. hunti	Sac-like organism, possible tunicate.
Yarnemia[15]	Y. ascidiformis	Sac-like organism, possible tunicate.

Annelida

Genus	Species	Notes	Images
Calyptrina[7]	C. striata	Tubular organism.

incertae sedis

Genus	Species	Notes	Images
Catellichnus	Catellichnus sp.	Palaeopascichnid organism.
Cyclomedusa[7][8]	Cyclomedusa sp.	Discoid organism.
Hiemalora[7][8]	Hiemalora sp.	Discoid organism, possibly holdfasts of petalonamids.
Kimberella[3][8]	Kimberella sp.	Egg-shaped organism, possible mollusc.
Mawsonites[8]	M. spriggi	Discoid organism.
Nimbia[7][8]	N. occlusa	Discoid organism.
Orbisiana[7]	Orbisiana sp.	Palaeopascichnid organism.
Palaeopascichnus[7][8]	Palaeopascichnus sp.	Palaeopascichnid organism.
Parvancorina[7][8]	P. sagitta	Anchor-shaped organism, possible mollusc or arthropod.
Redkinia[7]	Redkinia sp.	Rod-like fossil, possibly mouth parts of a arthropod.
Solza[10]	S. margarita	Egg-shaped organism.
Vendotaenid[7]	Vendotaenid	Ribbon-like fossils.
Ventogyrus	V. chistyakovi	Tri-radial egg-shaped organism, tethered to the seafloor.

Flora

Genus	Species	Notes	Images
Beltanelliformis[7][8]	Beltaneillformis sp.	Cyanobacterial colony.
Chuaria[7]	Tawuia sp.	Elongated organism.
Mezenia[7]	M. kossovoyi	Sausage shaped macroalgae.
Serebrina[16]	S. crustacea	Encrusting macroalgae.

Ichnogenera

Genus	Species	Notes	Images
Epibaion	Epibaion sp.	Feeding traces of proarticulates.
Kimberichnus[17][8]	Kimberichnus sp.	Feeding traces of Kimberella.
Nenoxites[7]	Nenoxites sp.	Movement traces.
Neonereites[7]	Neonereites sp.	Burrows.
Planolites[7]	Planolites sp.	Burrows.

See also

• List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in Russia

References

1. D. V., Grazhdankin (2003). "Structure and Depositional Environment of the Vendian Complex in the Southeastern White Sea Area". Geology Science. Retrieved 2 May 2025.
2. Sokolov, Boris S.; Fedonkin, Mikhail A. (1 March 1984). "The Vendian as the Terminal System of the Precambrian". Episodes. 7 (1): 12–19. doi:10.18814/epiiugs/1984/v7i1/004.
3. Fedonkin, M.A.; Simonetta, A; Ivantsov, A.Y. (2007), "New data on Kimberella, the Vendian mollusc-like organism (White sea region, Russia): palaeoecological and evolutionary implications", in Vickers-Rich, Patricia; Komarower, Patricia (eds.), The Rise and Fall of the Ediacaran Biota, Special publications, vol. 286, London: Geological Society, pp. 157–179, doi:10.1144/SP286.12, ISBN 978-1-86239-233-5, OCLC 156823511
4. Fedonkin, M. A.; Vickers-Rich, P.; Swalla, B. J.; Trusler, P.; Hall, M. (2012). "A new metazoan from the Vendian of the White Sea, Russia, with possible affinities to the ascidians". Paleontological Journal. 46: 1. doi:10.1134/S0031030112010042.
5. Fedonkin, Mikhail A. (January 2002). "Andiva ivantsovi gen. et sp. n. and related carapace‐bearing Ediacaran fossils from the Vendian of the Winter Coast, White Sea, Russia". Italian Journal of Zoology. 69 (2): 175–181. doi:10.1080/11250000209356456.
6. Ivantsov, A. Yu. (2004). "New Proarticulata from the Vendian of the Arkhangel'sk Region". Paleontological Journal. 38 (3): 247. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.738.7043.
7. Sokolov, Boris S.; Fedonkin, Mikhail A. (1 March 1984). "The Vendian as the Terminal System of the Precambrian". Episodes. 7 (1): 12–19. doi:10.18814/epiiugs/1984/v7i1/004.
8. Martin, M. W.; Grazhdankin, D. V.; Bowring, S. A.; Evans, D. A. D.; Fedonkin, M. A.; Kirschvink, J. L. (5 May 2000). "Age of Neoproterozoic Bilatarian Body and Trace Fossils, White Sea, Russia: Implications for Metazoan Evolution". Science. 288 (5467): 841–845. doi:10.1126/science.288.5467.841.
9. Ivantsov, A. Yu. (April 2007). "Small Vendian transversely Articulated fossils". Paleontological Journal. 41 (2): 113–122. doi:10.1134/S0031030107020013. S2CID 86636748.
10. Ivantsov, Andrey Yu.; Malakhovskaya, Ya.E.; Serezhnikova, E.A. (January 2004). "Some problematic fossils from the Vendian of the southeastern White Sea Region". Paleontological Journal. 38 (1): 1–9 – via researchgate.net.
11. A.Yu. Ivantsov (2017). "The most probable Eumetazoa among late Precambrian macrofossils". Invertebrate Zoology. 14 (2): 127–133. doi:10.15298/invertzool.14.2.05.
12. Fedonkin, M. A. (1979). "Paleoichnology of Precambrian and Early Cambrian". In Sokolov, B. S. (ed.). Paleontology of Precambrian and Early Cambrian (in Russian). Leningrad: USSR Academy of Sciences. pp. 183–192.
13. M. A. Fedonkin (1985). "Systematic Description of Vendian Metazoa". Vendian System: Historical–Geological and Paleontological Foundation. 1: Paleontology. Moscow: Nauka: 70–106.
14. Ivantsov, A. Y.; Fedonkin, M. A. (2002). "Conulariid-like fossil from the Vendian of Russia: a metazoan clade across the Proterozoic/Palaeozoic boundary" (PDF). Palaeontology. 45 (6): 1119–1129. doi:10.1111/1475-4983.00283. Archived from the original (Free full text) on 2016-01-28.
15. Chistyakov, V.G.; Kalmykova, N.A.; Nesov, L.A. & Suslov, G.A. (1984). "О наличии вендских отложений в среднем течении р. Онеги и возможном существовании оболочечников (Tunicata: Chordata) в докембрии" [On the Presence of Vendian Deposits in the Middle Course of the Onega River and Presumable Existence of Tunica (Tunicata: Chordata) in Precambrian] (PDF). Vest. Leningrad. Gos. Univ. (LGU) (in Russian). 6: 11–19. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 7, 2007.
16. Istchenko, A. A. (1983). "To the question about stages of development of the algal flora of the South-Western part of Eastern-European platform". Fossil Fauna and Flora of the Ukraine. III Session of the Ukrainian Paleontological Society: 70–75.
17. Ivantsov, A. Yu. (May 2013). "Trace fossils of precambrian metazoans "Vendobionta" and "Mollusks"". Stratigraphy and Geological Correlation. 21 (3): 252–264. doi:10.1134/S0869593813030039.