taphonomi

Taphonomi is not a widely recognized term in English for a distinct field. The correct and widely used term is taphonomy, the science that studies the processes by which organic remains decay, are preserved, and are introduced into the fossil record. Taphonomy covers the interval from death to discovery, including decay, scavenging, transport, burial, diagenesis, and mineralization, and it seeks to understand the biases these processes introduce into what is preserved.

The term taphonomy derives from Greek taphos, burial, and nomos, law or custom. It was introduced in the mid-20th century by the Russian paleontologist Ivan Efremov and later developed by others such as Adolf Seilacher. The concept serves as a framework for interpreting how and why certain organisms are preserved as fossils and why others are not.

Key topics in taphonomy include the factors that affect preservation potential (environmental conditions, burial rate, and chemical changes), taphonomic pathways (the sequence of events from death to fossilization), and taphonomic biases that influence the fossil record. Subfields encompass bone and tooth taphonomy, microfossil taphonomy, experimental taphonomy, and forensic or archaeological taphonomy, which apply taphonomic principles to human remains and sites.

Taphonomic analysis helps paleontologists and archaeologists reconstruct ancient ecosystems, depositional settings, and time-averaging in assemblages. It provides a cautious context for interpreting behavior, ecology, and evolutionary patterns by clarifying what the preserved record can and cannot reveal.