Download or read book Exceptional Fossil Preservation written by David J. Bottjer and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2002 with total page 422 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Most nonscientists are usually aware of fossils, and it is commonly believed that they are extremely rare. In fact, fossils are exceptionally common in many sedimentary rocks and are used extensively in geology for age dating, interpretation of ancient environments, and the discovery of natural resources. However, there is another type of fossil deposit that is truly rare. These rare fossil deposits, called Lagerstätten, preserve the remains of the soft tissues or the articulated skeletal remains of ancient creatures in truly astonishing fine detail. Some of these deposits are world-famous, such as the Burgess Shale, or Solnhofen but there are others dating from many different geological eras from the Paleozoic, up to the Eocene. Recently, a concerted effort has been made to understand the overall significance of these rare fossil deposits. Whereas in the past these deposits were considered novelties, modern researchers are trying to understand what they can tell us about ancient life and environments. New sophisticated techniques (including image and geochemical analyses) are providing enormous new contributions to our knowledge of Lagerstätten sites and to paleobiology in general. This volume describes many of the most famous Lagerstätten locations worldwide and is complete with over 70 superb halftones showing some of these exotic fossils in all their glory. Paleontologists are beginning to understand why such deposits occur, how they have varied since the advent of marine metazoan life, and how their presence effects our understanding of the evolution of life in the Earth's oceans. In this way, the study of Lagerstätten continues to move towards the mainstream of paleobiological, biological, and geological research, and away from its former status as the examination of mere curiosities. All those interested in these beautiful and sometimes enigmatic deposits will want to own this book.
Download or read book Exceptional Fossil Preservation Implications for Palaeobiology and Taphonomy written by Miriam Heingård and published by . This book was released on 2022 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Exceptional Fossil Preservation written by David J. Bottjer and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2002 with total page 428 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Most nonscientists are usually aware of fossils, and it is commonly believed that they are extremely rare. In fact, fossils are exceptionally common in many sedimentary rocks and are used extensively in geology for age dating, interpretation of ancient environments, and the discovery of natural resources. However, there is another type of fossil deposit that is truly rare. These rare fossil deposits, called Lagerstätten, preserve the remains of the soft tissues or the articulated skeletal remains of ancient creatures in truly astonishing fine detail. Some of these deposits are world-famous, such as the Burgess Shale, or Solnhofen but there are others dating from many different geological eras from the Paleozoic, up to the Eocene. Recently, a concerted effort has been made to understand the overall significance of these rare fossil deposits. Whereas in the past these deposits were considered novelties, modern researchers are trying to understand what they can tell us about ancient life and environments. New sophisticated techniques (including image and geochemical analyses) are providing enormous new contributions to our knowledge of Lagerstätten sites and to paleobiology in general. This volume describes many of the most famous Lagerstätten locations worldwide and is complete with over 70 superb halftones showing some of these exotic fossils in all their glory. Paleontologists are beginning to understand why such deposits occur, how they have varied since the advent of marine metazoan life, and how their presence effects our understanding of the evolution of life in the Earth's oceans. In this way, the study of Lagerstätten continues to move towards the mainstream of paleobiological, biological, and geological research, and away from its former status as the examination of mere curiosities. All those interested in these beautiful and sometimes enigmatic deposits will want to own this book.
Download or read book Taphonomy of Exceptionally Perserved Fossils from the Kinzers Formation Cambrian Southeastern Pennsylvania written by Ethan S. Skinner and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Abstract: The pelitic Emigsville Member of the Kinzers Formation (Cambrian), southeastern Pennsylvania, is a deposit of exceptional fossil preservation. It contains three main lithofacies that were part of a mixed siliciclastic-carbonate debris fan developed seaward of a carbonate shelf along the Appalachian margin of Laurentia. Fossils were exceptionally preserved in a shelf environment subject to tempestite deposition. Most remains are fragmentary, which emphasizes the importance of predation as a taphonomic process where Emigsville sediments were deposited. Remains are preserved mostly as organic carbon films, pyrite crusts, and aluminosilicate films. These preservation styles apparently depended upon the development of microbial consortia; some microbes were autolithifiers. Sedimentary and biological evidence suggests that anoxia, salinity fluctuations, and sedimentary obrution played relatively minor roles for fossil preservation in the Emigsville Member of the Kinzers Formation. The abundance of exceptionally preserved remains suggests that unusual sedimentary conditions were not necessary in the Cambrian in order for exceptional preservation to occur. The abundance of predation evidence in a deposit of exceptional preservation reinforces the concept that predation was the primary taphonomic filter during Cambrian time.
Download or read book Mechanisms for Exceptional Preservation in the Fezouata Lagerst tte Early Ordovician Morocco written by Farid Saleh and published by . This book was released on 2020 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Fezouata Shale is the most diverse Lower Ordovician unit with exceptional fossil preservation. Fossils from this formation altered our understanding of early metazoan communities at the transition between the Cambrian Explosion and the Ordovician Radiation. The paleontology and the general sedimentological context of the Fezouata Shale are well established. However, little was done to understand the interaction between both, and studies regarding fossil preservation remain scarce. In this thesis, we investigate the general conditions and mechanisms responsible for soft-tissue preservation in the Fezouata Shale. Comparing brachiopod, bivalve, and trilobite size fluctuations between sites allowed us to constrain burial rates in this formation. This permitted the discovery of a relative post-mortem burial tardiness in sites where exceptional fossil preservation occurred. Moreover, mineralogical investigations showed a correlation between particular chlorite phases (i.e. chamosite/berthierine) and preserved soft parts. This mineralogy may have slowed down oxic decay and its deposition was most probably due to periods with high seasonality. Furthermore, we hypothesized for the first time, a possible implication of biomolecules (i.e. ferritin) in the preservation of soft parts. This, if confirmed, would resolve the observed discrepancies between the fossil record preserving nervous systems to the exclusion to everything else, and decay experiments showing that nervous tissues are among the first structures to decay and disappear in laboratory conditions. Additionally, we show that metamorphism was not operational in the Fezouata Shale. However, modern weathering leached organic material from surface sediments and transformed pyrite into iron oxides. This finding infers that the original mode of preservation of the Fezouata Shale comprises both carbonaceous compressions and accessory authigenic pyritization. The direct implication of this work was shown through a comparison of enigmatic patterns preserved in three groups of echinoderms. It appears that some of these patterns in eocrinoids and somasteroids do not reflect original anatomies and are preservation artifacts. However, it is certain that the structures preserved in stylophorans are real, closing a long-standing debate on the affinity of this animal group. Finally, a general comparison between the Fezouata Shale and Cambrian Lagerstätten allowed us to decipher the implication of the suggested taphonomic pathway on fossil preservation. It appears that the Fezouata Shale mechanism for preservation failed to preserve completely cellular organisms (e.g. chordates, ctenophores, medusoids) implying a possible underestimation of the original Fezouata Biota and confirming that the Cambrian Explosion and the Ordovician Radiation are one single episode of anatomical innovation. Thus, all these results have implications on understanding ecosystems, and evolution at the dawn of animal life and may contribute in the future to the development of a predictive approach for the discovery of exceptionally preserved biotas.
Download or read book Fossilization written by Carole T. Gee and published by JHU Press. This book was released on 2021-03-30 with total page 303 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An in-depth look at the latest breakthroughs in our understanding of the material record that deep time leaves behind. Understanding the complex interplay of physical and chemical processes leading to fossilization is crucial to elucidating the 3800 million years of life on earth. And yet, the process of fossilization also leads to the loss of pivotal biological information, placing constraints on the very same understanding of ancient life it preserves. Over the last decade, however, remarkable advances in approaches, techniques, tools, and instrumentation have helped scientists to transcend these constraints by enabling high-resolution analysis of fossil material—even down to the nanoscale. Fossilization provides a critical look at these cutting-edge innovations in the science of fossil preservation and provides a road map for future research. Drawing from the fields of paleontology, organic and inorganic chemistry, microbiology, and high-resolution imaging and analysis, and spanning the diversity of life from plants to vertebrates and invertebrates, this resource details expert findings on • fossilization of hard and soft part tissues in dinosaurs • high-resolution chemical analysis of organic and inorganic tissues • arthropods preserved in amber • experimental silicification of wood • chemical defenses and color in fossil plants • confocal Raman spectroscopy • microprobe analysis • radioisotopic studies • and much more A true interdisciplinary undertaking, the book is authored by paleontologists, mineralogists, geochemists, organic chemists, microbiologists, and materials scientists who have worked together to investigate questions around substance fossilization and the limits of the fossil record. A special color section contains SEM, Raman, and other striking images of vertebrates, invertebrates, and plants. Fossilization is a trailblazing reference book for research scientists and specialists in related fields, as well as for advanced undergraduates and graduate students interested in fossilization, emerging research techniques, and fresh approaches in the analysis of plant and animal fossils. Contributors: H. Jonas Barthel, Aurore Canoville, Carole T. Gee, Thorsten Geisler, Jens Götze, Conrad C. Labandeira, Sashima Läbe, Moritz Liesegang, Victoria E. McCoy, Martina Menneken, Jes Rust, P. Martin Sander, Frank Tomaschek, Torsten Wappler, Kayleigh Wiersma, Tzu-Ruei Yang
Download or read book Evolution of Fossil Ecosystems written by Paul Selden and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2012-03-15 with total page 613 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Evolution of Fossil Ecosystems describes all of the main Fossil Lagerstätten (sites of exceptional fossil preservation) from around the world in a chronological order. It covers the history of research, stratigraphy and taphonomy, main faunal and floral elements, and the palaeoecology of each site and gives a comparison with coeval sites around the w
Download or read book Exceptionally Preserved Fossils from Some Ordinary Ordovician and Devonian Sedimentary Deposits of the Midwestern United States written by Prescott J. Vayda and published by . This book was released on 2021 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Most of the fossil record consists of "ordinary" deposits, those where only biomineralized parts such as teeth, shells, and bones are preserved. Rarely, when the proper conditions are met, nonbiomineralized tissues such as guts and muscles also can be preserved. These deposits can reveal new insights into the biology, ecology, and taphonomy of ancient organisms, so identifying and understanding them is critical to paleontology. Anoxia is one of the conditions thought to be necessary for exceptional preservation. Because of this, "ordinary" deposits from predominantly aerobic depositional settings have been largely disregarded as potential sites for exceptional preservation. The discovery of pyritized nonbiomineralized tissues in the Silica Shale (Devonian) of Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana seems to contradict historical assumptions about environments conducive to exceptional preservation. This study characterizes the extent of exceptional preservation in the Silica Shale, and provides a comparison with another similar "ordinary" deposit for exceptional preservation, the Cincinnatian (or 'Cincinnati Group'; Ordovician) of Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana. Comparing these two occurrences provides insight into the mechanism for exceptional preservation in these deposits. Fossil specimens were examined using X-ray Computed Tomography (XCT) to non-destructively view internal structures. In total, 247 specimens from the Silica Shale and 102 specimens from the Cincinnatian were examined. They represent a variety of taxa including brachiopods, trilobites, corals, cephalopods, gastropods, bivalves, and echinoderms. More than 60% of Silica Shale specimens and 20% of Cincinnatian specimens contained pyritized nonbiomineralized tissues. XCT analysis reveals that one brachiopod specimen from the Silica Shale, assigned to Paraspirifer bownockeri, lived with situs ambiguous. In both the Silica Shale and the Cincinnatian, rapid burial during storm events likely created local, temporary areas of anoxia that allowed for exceptional preservation of nonbiomineralized tissues in a broadly well oxygenated environment. The results of this study open the possibility that other "ordinary" deposits also have been overlooked, and such deposits merit reexamination through this new lens.
Download or read book Size Limits of Very Small Microorganisms written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 1999-10-13 with total page 171 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How small can a free-living organism be? On the surface, this question is straightforward-in principle, the smallest cells can be identified and measured. But understanding what factors determine this lower limit, and addressing the host of other questions that follow on from this knowledge, require a fundamental understanding of the chemistry and ecology of cellular life. The recent report of evidence for life in a martian meteorite and the prospect of searching for biological signatures in intelligently chosen samples from Mars and elsewhere bring a new immediacy to such questions. How do we recognize the morphological or chemical remnants of life in rocks deposited 4 billion years ago on another planet? Are the empirical limits on cell size identified by observation on Earth applicable to life wherever it may occur, or is minimum size a function of the particular chemistry of an individual planetary surface? These questions formed the focus of a workshop on the size limits of very small organisms, organized by the Steering .Group for the Workshop on Size Limits of Very Small Microorganisms and held on October 22 and 23, 1998. Eighteen invited panelists, representing fields ranging from cell biology and molecular genetics to paleontology and mineralogy, joined with an almost equal number of other participants in a wide-ranging exploration of minimum cell size and the challenge of interpreting micro- and nano-scale features of sedimentary rocks found on Earth or elsewhere in the solar system. This document contains the proceedings of that workshop. It includes position papers presented by the individual panelists, arranged by panel, along with a summary, for each of the four sessions, of extensive roundtable discussions that involved the panelists as well as other workshop participants.
Download or read book Window Into the Jurassic World written by Nicholas G. McDonald and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 105 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Understanding Fossils written by Peter Doyle and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2014-08-15 with total page 424 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first introductory palaeontology text which demonstrates the importance of selected fossil groups in geological and biological studies, particularly in understanding evolutionary patterns, palaeoenvironmental analysis, and stratigraphy. Part one explores several key concepts, such as the processes of fossil preservation, the determination of evolutionary patterns, and use of fossils and statigraphical tools. Part two introduces the main fossil groups of value in these applied fields. Part three concentrates on the examination of important case histories which demonstrate the use of fossils in diverse practical examples. Evolutionary studies, palaeoenvironmental analysis, and stratigraphical applications are documented using up-to-date examples supported by overviews of the principles.
Download or read book Taphonomy written by Ronald E. Martin and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 1999-10-28 with total page 526 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Taphonomy: A Process Approach is the first book to review the entire field of taphonomy, or the science of fossil preservation. It describes the formation of animal and plant fossils in marine and terrestrial settings and how this affects deciphering the ecology and extinction of past lifeforms and the environments in which they lived. The volume emphasises a process approach to taphonomy and reviews the taphonomic behaviour of all important taxa, plant and animal. It will be useful to anyone interested in the preservation of fossils and the formation of fossil assemblages, but it is aimed primarily at advanced students and professionals working in paleontology, stratigraphy, sedimentology, climate modeling and biogeochemistry.
Download or read book The Burgess Shale written by Harry Blackmore Whittington and published by . This book was released on 1985 with total page 151 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Introduction to Paleobiology and the Fossil Record written by Michael J. Benton and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2013-04-25 with total page 1001 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book presents a comprehensive overview of the science of the history of life. Paleobiologists bring many analytical tools to bear in interpreting the fossil record and the book introduces the latest techniques, from multivariate investigations of biogeography and biostratigraphy to engineering analysis of dinosaur skulls, and from homeobox genes to cladistics. All the well-known fossil groups are included, including microfossils and invertebrates, but an important feature is the thorough coverage of plants, vertebrates and trace fossils together with discussion of the origins of both life and the metazoans. All key related subjects are introduced, such as systematics, ecology, evolution and development, stratigraphy and their roles in understanding where life came from and how it evolved and diversified. Unique features of the book are the numerous case studies from current research that lead students to the primary literature, analytical and mathematical explanations and tools, together with associated problem sets and practical schedules for instructors and students. “..any serious student of geology who does not pick this book off the shelf will be putting themselves at a huge disadvantage. The material may be complex, but the text is extremely accessible and well organized, and the book ought to be essential reading for palaeontologists at undergraduate, postgraduate and more advanced levels—both in Britain as well as in North America.” Falcon-Lang, H., Proc. Geol. Assoc. 2010 “...this is an excellent introduction to palaeontology in general. It is well structured, accessibly written and pleasantly informative .....I would recommend this as a standard reference text to all my students without hesitation.” David Norman Geol Mag 2010 Companion website This book includes a companion website at: www.blackwellpublishing.com/paleobiology The website includes: · An ongoing database of additional Practical’s prepared by the authors · Figures from the text for downloading · Useful links for each chapter · Updates from the authors
Download or read book Taphonomic Studies of Fossil Preservation in Coarse grained Siliciclastic Environments written by Sharon Audrey Newman and published by . This book was released on 2018 with total page 164 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ediacaran and early Cambrian sandy and silty sediments commonly preserve microbial fossils and textures as well as the fossils of soft-bodied organisms. The rarity of similar fossils and textures in coarse-grained siliciclastic strata of the later Phanerozoic suggests that a taphonomic window facilitated this mode of fossil preservation. However, environmental and biological factors that promoted fossilization remain unclear. To experimentally identify mechanisms of preservation in siliciclastic sediments, cyanobacteria and soft tissues (scallop adductor muscles) were incubated in silica sand or clay minerals for up to two months. Clay mineral veneers coated both cyanobacterial filaments and the surfaces of soft tissues and were formed by two main processes: 1) the adhesion of fine particles from the sediment and 2) the precipitation of authigenic minerals. Photosynthetic, sheathed microorganisms were best preserved in the presence of high concentrations of dissolved silica (>0. 1 mM) and suspended fine particles (>5.6 mg/L) in solution. We showed that these organisms could be preserved in oxic environments and that the degradation of cyanobacteria by heterotrophic microorganisms was not necessary for fossilization. In contrast, soft tissues buried in sand/clay were preserved under anaerobic conditions and mineral veneers around them contained reduced iron. All scallops decayed in the presence of endogenous bacteria and the redox cycling of iron that included the microbial reduction of iron(III). We showed that the early precipitation of silica and the formation of microbial death masks is not critical for preservation. Additionally, when the degradation of soft tissues advanced within the first 15 to 30 days, all soft tissues decayed completely and left no morphological imprint. Taken together, these results show that the early microbial reduction of iron(III) present in sedimentary minerals and the formation of mineral veneers are critical for the preservation of organic material. The same processes may have facilitated the formation of exceptionally preserved fossils and textures throughout the Ediacaran and early Cambrian. Future studies should focus on the roles of iron redox cycling, sediment composition and microbial metabolisms in the preservation of soft tissues to better understand mechanisms for Ediacaran-style preservation in siliciclastic environments.
Download or read book Paleoecology written by David J. Bottjer and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2016-02-09 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Paleoecology is a discipline that uses evidence from fossils to provide an understanding of ancient environments and the ecological history of life through geological time. This text covers the fundamental approaches that have provided the foundation for present paleoecological understanding, and outlines new research areas in paleoecology for managing future environmental and ecological change. Topics include the use of actualism in paleoecology, development of paleoecological models for paleoenvironmental reconstruction, taphonomy and exceptional fossil preservation, evolutionary paleoecology and ecological change through time, and conservation paleoecology. Data from studies of invertebrates, vertebrates, plants and microfossils, with added emphasis on bioturbation and microbial sedimentary structures, are discussed. Examples from marine and terrestrial environments are covered, with a particular focus on periods of great ecological change, such as the Precambrian-Cambrian transition and intervals of mass extinction. Readership: This book is designed for advanced undergraduates and beginning graduate students in the earth and biological sciences, as well as researchers and applied scientists in a range of related disciplines.
Download or read book Fossil Preservation written by D. Martill and published by . This book was released on 1998-06-01 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
