Re: discussions regarding taphonomy

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 Neal Evenhuis wrote:

>Obviously, despite the lacustrine environment consistencies of the various
>localities requested, the taphonomy of each area could be widely different
>and might contain useful information to stimulate other discussions as
>well. I am particularly interested in the Oeningen fossil beds in
>Switzerland and how they compare in degree of insect diversity with the
>Florissant beds of Colorado. Though the fossil beds of Oeningen (to my
>knowledge) have not been worked for a very long time, the hypothesis had
>been put forward by T.D.A. Cockerell in the early part of this century
>(and also possibly by others?) that continued research might show the
>Oeningen beds to be as diverse or more than the Florisssant beds. Was the
>taphonomy of the organisms preserved in each of those localities the same?
>or different?

Both are associated with volcanic ash deposits. For Oeningen see:

Wollanke, g. & Zimmerle, W. (1990) Petrographic and geographic aspects of
fossil embrdding in exceptionally well preserved fossil deposits.
Mitteilugen Geologisch-Palaontologischen Institut der Universitat Hamburg,
69: 77-97.

For Florrisant see:

McLeroy, C.A. & Anderson, R.Y. (1966) Laminations in the Oligocene
Florissant Lake deposits. Geological Society of America, Bulletin, 77:
605-618.

Chris

cnedin@geology.adelaide.edu.au                  nedin@ediacara.org
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Many say it was a mistake to come down from the trees, some say
the move out of the oceans was a bad idea. Me, I say the stiffening
of the notochord in the Cambrian was where it all went wrong,
it was all downhill from there.