Lagerstätte

A sedimentary deposit containing either an unusually abundant concentration of fossils or fossils preserved with exceptional completeness, including soft tissues.

Fossilization: The processes by which an organism’s remains or traces become preserved in geological materials. Ordinary fossilization filters which remains survive; Lagerstätten preserve unusually abundant or complete evidence.
Burgess Shale: A Middle Cambrian fossil deposit in British Columbia known for preserving soft-bodied marine animals. Its diverse soft-bodied fossils exemplify exceptional preservation in a marine setting.
Konservat-Lagerstätte: A fossil deposit distinguished by exceptional preservation of organisms, including delicate or soft-bodied structures. This type accounts for Lagerstätten prized for anatomical detail beyond durable hard parts.
Cambrian explosion: A geologically rapid diversification of animal life during the early Cambrian, beginning about 539 million years ago. Cambrian Lagerstätten reveal soft-bodied animals that substantially expand the known record of this diversification.
Sediment: Loose mineral particles, organic material, or other matter that settles and accumulates in layers. Rapid burial in sediment can protect remains before scavenging and decay destroy them.
Solnhofen Limestone: A Late Jurassic limestone deposit in Bavaria that preserves delicate fossils, including Archaeopteryx. Its fine-grained sediments preserve organisms and structures rarely found in ordinary deposits.
Konzentrat-Lagerstätte: A fossil deposit containing an unusually high concentration of fossil remains, often accumulated or reworked over time. This type is defined by fossil abundance, not necessarily exceptional preservation.
Burgess Shale-type preservation: A mode of fossil preservation that retains carbonaceous films of soft-bodied organisms in fine-grained marine sediments. This preservation mode helps explain why some deposits record entire marine communities.
Taphonomy: The study of how organisms decay, become buried, and are preserved in the fossil record. Taphonomy explains the preservation pathways that distinguish different Lagerstätten.
Mazon Creek fossil beds: Pennsylvanian fossil beds in Illinois famous for fossils preserved inside ironstone concretions. Its abundant concretions preserve soft-bodied organisms from a Carboniferous ecosystem.

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