There are different criteria that are usually analysed independently before identifying a new trace fossil, such as morphological regularity, completeness, dispersion, recurrence and complexity, surface morphology, and context. The synthesis of these criteria, as utilized in paleosol ichnology, composes a protocol that is presented herein for the first time and can be used for testing the ichnogenicity of trace-like structures in any paleoenvironment of Earth or Mars. As a study case, the Martian ‘stick-like structures’ do not fulfil any of the requirements posed by this protocol to be postulated as trace fossils. The ichnogenicity test, focussed exclusively on morphology and context, is simpler but equally useful as the biogenicity ones. It may be applied in the future with other potential cases before carrying on more complex analyses or to evaluate the astrobiological interest of trace-like structures.

中文翻译：

---

火星棒状结构不是痕迹化石：一种用于测试从古土壤 ichnology 合成的 ichnogenicity 的新协议

在识别新的痕迹化石之前，通常需要独立分析不同的标准，例如形态规律性、完整性、分散性、重现性和复杂性、表面形态和背景。这些标准的综合，如在古土壤 ichnology 中使用的那样，构成了本文首次提出的协议，可用于测试地球或火星任何古环境中微量结构的 ichnogenicity。作为一个研究案例，火星的“棒状结构”不满足该协议提出的任何被假定为痕迹化石的要求。专门针对形态和背景的异源性测试更简单，但与生物源性测试同样有用。