Taphonomy

Question 1

Taphonomy

Answer 1

Whole process of fossilisation (diagenesis and what happens when it becomes part of the sediment)

Question 2

Physical properties of taphonomy: life assemblage and Paleoecology

Answer 2

Limiting factors: light, energy, sediment rate, nutrients, temperature. Energy and sedimentation rate becomes important in fossilisation (mode of deposition)

Question 3

Life assemblages:

Answer 3

Retain life positions

Question 4

Death Assemblage:

Answer 4

• Neighbourhood assemblages: not in life position but deposited in area where they lived
• transported assemblages: out of place (moved by storms, density flow, turbidity currents - transported a long way)

Question 5

Physical Processes of taphonomy: death assemblages

Answer 5

• Mode of deposition: energy, sedimentation rate, nutrients, temperature. Energy and sedimentation rate, accumulation and abrasion (physically breaks them up)
• total fossil assemblage
• diagenesis
• collection

Question 6

Higher energy assemblages:

Answer 6

• Flexible or more encrusting well cemented organisms. Barnacles (abraded as physically moved around), oysters (physically cemented), mussel (attached in life) -> more robust so more likely to be preserved.
• loss of delicate flexible things, and abrasion of more robust remains

Question 7

Shelf assemblages

Answer 7

• lower energy
• no particular need to be flexible but much higher variety of morphology - rigid and branching and not worry about being broken on regular basis
• physical preservation is higher and less abrasion (as below wave base outside of storms)
• potentially preserve delicate and robust remains

Question 8

Chemical processes of life assemblage and Paleoecology

Answer 8

• Limiting factors (physical)

Question 9

Death assemblage chemical processes

Answer 9

• mode of deposition: energy, sedimentation rate, accumulation, abrasion (chemical)

Question 10

Total fossil assemblage and diagenesis

Answer 10

• Burial processes: shell dissolution, replacement