Sole marks are sedimentary structures found on the bases of certain strata, that indicate small-scale (usually on the order of centimetres) grooves or irregularities. This usually occurs at the interface of two differing lithologies and/or grain sizes. They are commonly preserved as casts of these indents on the bottom of the overlying bed (like flute casts). This is similar to casts and molds in fossil preservation. Occurring as they do only at the bottom of beds, and their distinctive shapes, they can make useful way up structures and paleocurrent indicators. Sole markings are found most commonly in turbidite deposits, but are also often seen in modern river beds and tidal channels. History Sole markings were first recognized in the Devonian rocks of New York State by James Hall in 1843. Originally, the features found on the undersides of beds were called hieroglyphs, fucoids, and bio hieroglyphs, because of their structure and how they were thought to be created; however, the term sole mark is used by geologists at present. Scour marks and flute casts Scour marks and flute casts are scours dug into soft, fine sediment which typically get filled by an overlying bed (hence the name cast). Measuring the long axis of the flute cast gives the direction of flow, with the tapered end pointing toward the flow and the steep end up current. The concavity of the flute cast also points stratigraphically up. Flute casts can be characterized into four types, parabolic, spindle-shaped, comet-shaped, and asymmetrical. Parabolic flute casts are the most common and simple form. The shape of the bulbous end is parabolic or rounded shape and rarely shows any asymmetrical behavior. They occur in groups or individually, and all move parallel to each other and to paleoflow. In any given environment, their width and length will be consistent and range from a few centimeters, up to one meter in length. Spindle-shaped flute casts are found singularly or in groups, are considerably longer than they are wide and have pointed bulbous ends and are generally five to fifteen centimeters long. They can be quite shallow or as much as two thirds of the width in depth. These structures are easily definable because they lack symmetry parallel to the flow direction. Comet-shaped flute casts are characteristically found in isolation, and have a sharply pointed bulbous end, but the shallower end shows no stable continuous path. The overall length