Places I've been: Inverloch Pt 2 - Chrono-turbation

The faulted cliff just to the east of the stairs has some very interesting sedimentary structures, the bulbous shapes in the middle of the above image. Each year, for the benefit of the students, we have a debate over the formation of these features. I tend to fall into the chrono-turbation camp. The basal shape of the structures suggests that the lower, unconsolidated, layer of mud was frozen (permafrost). When it was overlain by a denser mud, it eventually thawed and the heavier mud pushed down into the underlying sediment creating these bulbs.
The other camp is the bio-turbation camp.

If this were bio-turbation the 'burrows' are quite sizeable (digital camera case for scale), so either this is one kick-ass worm-critter, or the smaller dinosaurs were in the habit of digging burrows to a very uniform depth (which could also be explained by permafrost i guess). To me, the lack of fossilised bedding material rules out habitation burrows so if these were burrows they were temporary structures.

This image is of the structures, top down. While there isn't really enough exposure, I feel this looks more like weathered load casts than bio-turbation. I encourage you to visit the shore platform and the cliffs around Inverloch and make your own decision.

Next up: Fossils!