The internal orientation of fossil mass occurrences can be exploited as useful source of information about their primary depositional conditions. A series of studies, using different kinds of fossils, especially those with elongated shape (e.g., elongated gastropods), deal with their orientation and the subsequent reconstruction of the depositional conditions (e.g., paleocurrents and transport mechanisms). However, disk-shaped fossils like planispiral cephalopods or gastropods were used, up to now, with caution for interpreting paleocurrents. Moreover, most studies just deal with the topmost surface of such mass occurrences, due to the easier accessibility. Within this study, a new method for three-dimensional reconstruction of the internal structure of a fossil mass occurrence and the subsequent calculation of its spatial shell orientation is established. A 234 million-years-old (Carnian, Triassic) monospecific mass occurrence of the ammonoid Kasimlarceltites krystyni from the Taurus Mountains in Turkey, embedded in limestone, is used for this pilot study. Therefore, a 150×45×140 mm3 block of the ammonoid bearing limestone bed has been grinded to 70 slices, with a distance of 2 mm between each slice. By using a semi-automatic region growing algorithm of the 3D-visualization software Amira, ammonoids of a part of this mass occurrence were segmented and a 3D-model reconstructed. Landmarks, trigonometric and vector-based calculations were used to compute the diameters and the spatial orientation of each ammonoid. The spatial shell orientation was characterized by dip and dip-direction and aperture direction of the longitudinal axis, as well as by dip and azimuth of an imaginary sagittal-plane through each ammonoid. The exact spatial shell orientation was determined for a sample of 675 ammonoids, and their statistical orientation analyzed (i.e., NW/SE). The study combines classical orientation analysis with modern 3D-visualization techniques, and establishes a novel spatial orientation analyzing method, which can be adapted to any kind of abundant solid matter.

中文翻译：

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从数字化研磨和地标数据中捕获的空间菊石壳方向的计算重建

化石群发生的内部方向可以用作有关其主要沉积条件的有用信息来源。一系列研究使用不同种类的化石，尤其是那些具有细长形状的化石（例如细长的腹足动物），处理它们的方向和随后的沉积条件（例如，古洋流和运输机制）的重建。然而，到目前为止，使用盘状化石，如平面螺旋头足类动物或腹足类动物，在解释古洋流时仍需谨慎。此外，由于更容易访问，大多数研究只处理此类大规模事件的最顶层表面。在这项研究中，建立了一种新的三维重建化石团块产状内部结构及其空间壳方向计算的新方法。来自土耳其金牛座山脉的嵌在石灰岩中的 2.34 亿年前（卡尼阶、三叠纪）单种单种大量出现的菊石 Kasimlarceltites krystyni 被用于这项试点研究。因此，一块 150×45×140 mm3 的含氨石灰岩床被研磨成 70 片，每片之间的距离为 2 mm。通过使用 3D 可视化软件 Amira 的半自动区域增长算法，该质量出现的一部分的菊石被分割并重建了 3D 模型。地标、三角函数和基于矢量的计算用于计算每个菊石的直径和空间方向。空间壳方向的特征在于纵轴的倾角和倾角方向和孔径方向，以及通过每个菊石的假想矢状面的倾角和方位角。确定了 675 种菊石样品的准确空间壳方向，并分析了它们的统计方向（即 NW/SE）。该研究将经典方位分析与现代 3D 可视化技术相结合，建立了一种新颖的空间方位分析方法，可适用于任何种类的丰富固体物质。并分析了它们的统计方向（即 NW/SE）。该研究将经典方位分析与现代 3D 可视化技术相结合，建立了一种新颖的空间方位分析方法，可适用于任何种类的丰富固体物质。并分析了它们的统计方向（即 NW/SE）。该研究将经典方位分析与现代 3D 可视化技术相结合，建立了一种新颖的空间方位分析方法，可适用于任何种类的丰富固体物质。