Why is Lagerstätten unusual?
They are unusual and often characterised by stunning fossils with preserved soft parts or by a great volume and diversity of fauna/flora. Lagerstätten can provide evidence of soft body morphology that is very rarely preserved within the fossil record, and give an insight into how organisms become fossilised.
Why is Lagerstätten important in paleontology?
Konservat-Lagerstätten (conservation Lagerstätten) are deposits known for the exceptional preservation of fossilized organisms or traces. The individual taphonomy of the fossils varies with the sites. Conservation Lagerstätten are crucial in providing answers to important moments in the history and evolution of life.
Which is the most famous Cambrian Lagerstätten?
The most important of these lagerstätten include the Burgess Shale of western Canada5 and later discovered assemblages from Chengjiang, South China6; Sirius Passet, North Greenland7; Emu Bay, South Australia8; and the Orsten localities of Sweden9.
What is a Laggerstaten?
Lagerstatten. A Lagerstätte (also spelled Lagerstatte and Lagerstaette) is a fossil site exhibiting extraordinary preservation and often faunal or floral diversity. The word translates from the German as Lager and Stätte; literally meaning “place of storage”; the plural form is Lagerstätten).
How many Lagerstätten are there?
There are about 50 sites which have been described as Lagerstätten.
How many Lagerstatten are there?
Why is taphonomy important in paleontology?
Taphonomy is essential to understanding what the limited samples of past life mean—including biases caused by the types of organisms and habitats that are and are not represented in the fossil record.
How are Lagerstätten formed?
Rapid burial of transported live organisms (e.g., obrution) is another way to generate Lagerstätten, a classic example being the Cambrian Burgess Shale (Caron and Jackson, 2006). Assemblages of insects and other fossils in amber are also considered to be Lagerstätten.