FOSSILS OF BIVALVE MOLLUSKS IN THE WALLS AND SIDEWALKS OF LVIV (WESTERN UKRAINE)

Abstract

Urban paleontology is a new interdisciplinary field that investigates urbanized areas by integrating paleontology, geology, archaeology, and urban studies. It involves comprehensive surveys of fossils and the host rocks–natural sedimentary building stones– that form the fabric of urban environments. The primary focus is on urban or anthropogenic fossils, which on one hand bear witness to past stages of life’s evolution, and on the other, have been displaced from their original habitats and incorporated into the architectural structures of cities. The construction of historic buildings in ancient Lviv has long relied on sedimentary rocks containing fossil remains of various organisms. This study presents comprehensive lithological and paleontological research of urban bivalve fossils and their host rocks–the natural building stones of Lviv’s historical architecture–which confirms the significance and uniqueness of such investigations. A specially developed and tested methodology for fieldwork enabled efficient identification, documentation, and preliminary description of urban fossils directly within the cityscape of Lviv. Six fossiliferous locations featuring bivalve remains were identified and characterized in Lviv’s historic city center.Each site is described using a standardized format including: name, address, general site description, characteristics of the host rock, and fossil description. This research marks the beginning of the study of Lviv’s urban fossils. The findings confirm the widespread presence of fossil-bearing natural stones in the walls, pavements, and cobblestones of ancient Lviv. This makes Lviv a unique city for the development of urban paleontology.