“The response of stromatolites to seismic shocks: Tomboliths from the Palaeoproterozoic Chaibasa Formation, EÂ India”: Reply

Our contribution about a newly recognized sedimentological feature, which we called tombolith, has raised some comments on the etymology of the term, the assumed lack of field data, the usage of a term that has a special meaning in stratigraphy, the origin of the seismic shocks that played a role, so-called basic tenets, the origin of soft-sediment deformation structures, and the role of liquefaction. We argue that most comments result from an insufficiently thorough reading of our text, whereas some other remarks concern aspects that we did not deal with. Finally, several remarks are based on outdated literature and from insufficient knowledge of the regional geology.