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 and pentastomids like Dietericambria.
Paleobiota PaleobiotaGenusSpeciesHigher taxonNotesImagesDietericambriaD. hensoniensisPentastomidaThe earliest pentastomid fossil knownPerissopygeP. phenaxPtychopariidaAlso known from various other formationsEoagnostusE. roddyiAgnostidaPagetidesP. elegansEodiscidaFritzolenellusF. truemaniOlenelloideaOvatoryctocaraO. yaxiensis, O. granulataOryctocephalidaeArthricocephalusA. chauveauiOryctocephalidaeLancastriaL. planaOryctocephalidaeProtoryctocephalusP. arcticusOryctocephalidaeEoptychopariaE. pearylandicaPtychopariidaeBonniaB. brennusDorypygidaeNeopagetinaN. rjonsnitzkiiHebediscidaeHaliplanktosH. jishouensisOryctocephalidaeOryctocephalusO. indicaOryctocephalidaeIndicator for transition between Cambrian Series 2 and 3Onchocephalus?O?. freucheniPtychopariidaBathyuriscusB. spDolichometopidaeAlso known from the Burgess ShaleGlossopleuraG. walcottiDolichometopidaeQuite widespread across North AmericaKooteniaK. nodosaDorypygidaeMay be synonymous with Olenoides?HartshilliaH. inflataCorynexochidaOlenoidesO. spDorypygidaeOne of the best-known trilobites thanks to fossils from the Burgess ShaleBolaspidellaB. spPtychoparioideaOgygopsisO. klotzi, O. typicalis, O. batis, O. virgataDorypygidaeVery common in the Burgess Shale, but rare elsewhereParasolenopleuraP. aculeataSolenopleuridaeZacanthoidesZ. blakeriCorynexochidaElrathiaE. spAlokistocaridaeIncredibly abundant in the Wheeler ShaleSyspacephalusS. sppPtychopariidaeKnown from three separate undescribed speciesEodiscusE. scanicusEodiscidaeCostadiscusC. minutusEodiscidaMongolitubulusM. squamifer, M. reticulatusArthropodaEnigmatic sclerite taxonNavaranaN. pearylandicaBradoriidaFormerly assigned to HipponicharionLiangshanella?L. nivalisBradoriidaPseudindianaP. sipaPhosphatocopidaDabashanellaD. retroswinga, D. longa, D?. lunaiformisPhosphatocopidaComleyopsisC. qassutitPhosphatocopidaFormerly classed under LiangshanellaOnychodictyonO. spLobopodiaKnown from complete fossils in the Maotianshan ShalesMicrodictyonM. robisoniLobopodiaWidespread genus of lobopodian, mostly known from scleritesInuitiphlaskusI. kouchinskyiPriapulidaA loricate (with lorica) priapulid larvaHadimopanellaH. apicataPalaeoscolecidaEnigmatic sclerite taxonBlastozoa/“Pelmatozoa” indet.UnapplicableEchinodermataKnown from stem fragments and holdfastsTarimspiraT. artemiParaconodontidaPossibly the earliest paraconodont?CambroctoconusC. kooriOctocorallia?Only otherwise known from AsiaTavsenicorallaT. avannaaEumetazoaBranching “corallimorph”, may be a bryozoan?Olivooides?O. spMedusozoaPossibly known from very early embryonic stagesChancelloriaC. spChancelloriidaeAn enigmatic fossil known mostly from scleritesAllonniaA. tetrathallis, A. erromenosa, A. quadrocornuformis, A. rossicaChancelloriidaeAn enigmatic fossil known mostly from scleritesThoracospongiaT. lacrimiformisAmphidiscosida?Tentatively assigned to the family StiodermatidaeDodecaactinellaD. onceraCalcarea?Also known from the OrdovicianEiffeliaE. floriformisEiffeliidaeMainly known from the Burgess ShaleAbnormisellaA. inseperataSiliceaPossibly the same as Speciosuspongia?Australispongia?A?. inuakSiliceaMainly known from other formations in GreenlandCeltispongiaC. dorteSiliceaPossibly also known from ChinaCjulanciellaC. asimmetricaSiliceaSpecies name occasionally spelled as asymmetricaKuonamiaK. fusiformisSiliceaRenamed from DisparellaSanningasoqiaS. borealisSiliceaAlso found in the Holm Dal FormationHertzinaH. elongataProtoconodontaAmphigeisinaA. danicaProtoconodontaHagionellaH. cultrataProtoconodontaGumellaG. cuneataProtoconodontaGapparodusG. bisulcatusProtoconodontaPaibiconusP. proarcuatusProtoconodontaProtowenellaP. flemingiOrthothecidaPreviously thought to be a helcionelloid molluscConothecaC. hensoniCircothecidaeTulenicornusT. frykmaniHyolithidaSlapylitesS. spHyolithidaCrestjahitusC. groenlandicusHyolithidaYukuY. tjurtuHyolithidaNausakiaN. thulensisNaukatidaAn unusual brachiopod with a hat-like lower valveEoobolusE. priscusLinguloideaAcrotheleA. spAcrotheloideaLinnarssoniaL. ?tuberculataAcrotretidaTesellaT. deplanataTommotiidaHensoniconusH. sikuHelcionelloideaPreviously placed in the genus ScenellaVendrascospiraV. frykmani, V. troelseniHelcionelloideaFormerly placed within FigurinaTavseniconusT. erectusStenothecidaeAlso known from MoroccoDorispiraD. accordionata, D. arguta, D. avannga, D. septentrionalis, D. tavsenensis, D. tippik, ?D. penecyranoHelcionelloideaA relatively widespread helcionelloidParailsanellaP. spHelcionelloideaOnly known from one internal mould in Henson GletscherSermeqiconusS. polarisHelcionelloideaReferred tentatively to FigurinaMellopegmaM. chelata, M. georginense, M. schizocherasStenothecidaeKnown from hundreds of specimensErugoconusE. acuminatusHelcionelloideaFamily uncertainEotebennaE. arcticaHelcionelloideaOnly known otherwise from AustraliaYochelcionellaY. greenlandica, Y. gracilisHelcionelloideaBears an unusual “snorkel” from the back of its shellNyboeconusN. robisoniHelcionelloideaSimilar shells were formerly placed as enigmatic fossilsCapitoconusC. borealisHelcionelloideaCoreospiraC. spHelcionelloideaStenothecoidesS. elongata, S. terraglacieiStenothecoideaEnigmatic shelled genus, maybe a brachiopod or molluscStenothecellaS. sibiricaStenothecoideaEnigmatic shelled genus, maybe a brachiopod or molluscCostipelagiellaC. nevadensePelagiellidaeHyolithellusH. micansHyolithelminthidaTorrelellaT. spHyolithelminthidaColeoloidesC. typicalisHyolithelminthidaSphenothallusS. spConulariida?Enigmatic holdfast, possibly a conulariidCambrocoryneC. lagenamorphaincertae sedisBears some similarities to foraminiferans and sclerites of WiwaxiaAetholicopallaA. adnataincertae sedisResembles ArchaeooidesLaugephakosL. groenlandicusincertae sedisResembles hyolithelminthidsHensonidendraH. hensoniensis, H. tavsenicaincertae sedisResembles bryozoans, “corallimorphs”, and epiphytaceansEohyellaE. sppCyanobacteriaResembles modern HyellaGirvanellaG. sppOscillatoriaceaeSubtifloraS. spOscillatoriaceaeEpiphytonE. spCyanobacteria
See also
List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in Greenland
References