taphonomic

Taphonomic is an adjective related to taphonomy, the study of the processes that affect an organism from death to its discovery as a fossil. The term derives from Greek roots meaning burial and law, and it covers how decay, preservation, transport, burial, and later chemical and physical changes shape what is preserved in the geological record.

Taphonomy distinguishes biostratinomy, the events occurring from death to burial (death, decay, disarticulation, and transport), from diagenesis, the post-burial chemical, physical, and mineralogical changes that transform remains into fossils. The field considers a range of processes, including decomposition, scavenging, sedimentation, water or wind transport, burial conditions, anoxia, mineral replacement, and pressure and temperature changes over time.

Taphonomic analysis identifies observable signatures and biases in the fossil record. Agents such as microbes, scavengers, water flow, and sediment chemistry can differentially preserve or destroy remains. Taphonomic markers include weathering stages, cut or gnaw marks, abrasion, breakage patterns, and evidence of transport. Preservation potential varies with environment, leading to over- or under-representation of certain taxa or tissues. Exceptional preservation, or Lagerstätten, often results from unique taphonomic conditions that slow decay or promote mineralization.

Applications span archaeology and paleontology. In archaeology, taphonomy helps distinguish human activity from natural accumulation and clarifies site formation processes. In paleontology, it informs reconstructions of ancient ecosystems, life histories, and time-averaging. Overall, taphonomy provides a framework for interpreting how past remains reach us and what their biases reveal about past environments.