This stage of the paleontological process is listed here in recognition of the fact that almost no interpretation of fossils is made without taking into consideration factors indicated by the circumstances of occurrence of the assemblage - the sedimentological and lithostratigraphic context, diagenesis of the rock, and so on.
In this connection, the Ocean Drilling Program is in the process of a major revision of its data collection and management system, part of which involves the integration of paleontological and sedimentological data with physical properties measured on the cores and logged in the drill-hole. A window on this very significant development is provided by a Web page devoted to it.