Predictability of Silurian Fossil-Konservat-Lagerstatten in North America

A review of the processes required for exceptional preservation of soft-bodied fossils demonstrates that anoxia does not significantly inhibit decay and emphasizes the importance of early diagenetic mineralization. Early diagenesis is the principal factor amongst the complex processes leading to soft-part preservation. The development of a particular preservational mineral is controlled by rate of burial, amount of organic detritus, and salinity. A new causative classification of soft-bodied fossil biotas is presented based upon fossil mineralogy and mineral paragenesis. Show more

A new Silurian (Llandoverian) biota from Wisconsin with a significant soft-bodied and lightly sclerotized component is dominated by arthropods and worms. The fauna includes the earliest well-preserved xiphosure, a possible marine uniramian, three new arthropods of uncertain affinity, and possibly the first Paleozoic leech. This may be only the second locality to yield a conodont animal. Lack of a normal shelly fauna suggests an unusual environment. The discovery adds significantly to the few such exceptionally preserved faunas known from Lower Paleozoic rocks. Show more