Burgess Shale - Taphonomy and Diagenesis

Taphonomy and Diagenesis

Please expand this sectionPage, Alex; Gabbott, Sarah; Wilby, Phillip R.; Zalasiewicz, Jan A. (2008). "Ubiquitous Burgess Shale–style "clay templates" in low-grade metamorphic mudrocks". Geology (Geological Society) 36 (11): 855–858. doi:10.1130/G24991A.1. http://geology.gsapubs.org/content/36/11/855.full.

Further information: Burgess Shale type preservation

There are many other comparable Cambrian lagerstätten; indeed such assemblages are far more common in the Cambrian than in any other period. This is mainly due to the limited extent of burrowing activity; as such bioturbation became more prevalent throughout the Cambrian, environments capable of preserving organisms' soft parts became much rarer. (The pre-Cambrian fossil record of animals is sparse and ambiguous.)