Taphonomic and diagenetic processes
pp. 417-439
in: Winfried Henke, Ian Tattersall (eds), Handbook of Paleoanthropology, Berlin, Springer, 2015Abstract
The recycling of matter within an ecosystem is a fundamental process and, therefore, fossilization of a body or its parts is always the exception to the rule. The transition of organic remains from the biosphere to the lithosphere (=taphonomy) comprises the successive steps of necrology, biostratinomy, burial, and diagenesis. Focusing on the taphonomy of vertebrate skeletons, fossil types, and the main processes leading to preservation and/or destruction of a dead body and how these are intertwined are introduced. All in all, fossilization is not a random process. Almost all the first-order changes a dead body is subject to prior to fossilization may lead to alterations in size and shape of a skeletal part, which might be mistaken for artificial manipulations (pseudoartifacts). Taphonomic processes without doubt lead to a stepwise loss of information about the formerly living being. Today, methodological progress especially in the field of archaeometry permits the evaluation of a variety of lifetime parameters. However, deep insights into taphonomic, especially diagenetic, processes are the indispensable prerequisites.