Ammonoid Taphonomy

Taphonomy deals with the differential decay of organismic shapes, tissues, and skeletons under the influence of biological and physical agents and their fixation in the fossil record. This helps us to understand cases of exceptional preservation, sometimes including soft parts (Konservat-Lagerstätten). On the other hand, it provides a measure of the amount of distortion and time averaging that fossil assemblages and shell beds (Konzentrat-Lagerstätten) have undergone compared to the original biocoenosis. In this sense, taphonomy is a geological discipline and an important tool in facies analysis.