Most nonscientists are usually aware of fossils, and it is commonly believed that they are extremely rare. In fact, fossils are exceptionally common in many sedimentary rocks and are used extensively in geology for age dating, interpretation of ancient environments, and the discovery of natural resources. However, there is another type of fossil deposit that is truly rare. These rare fossil deposits, called Lagerstatten, preserve the remains of the soft tissues or the articulated skeletal remains of ancient creatures in truly astonishing fine detail. Some of these deposits are world-famous, such as the Burgess Shale, or Solnhofen but there are others dating from many different geological eras from the Paleozoic, up to the Eocene. Recently, a concerted effort has been made to understand the overall significance of these rare fossil deposits. Whereas in the past these deposits were considered novelties, modern researchers are trying to understand what they can tell us about ancient life and environments. New sophisticated techniques (including image and geochemical analyses) are providing enormous new contributions to our knowledge of Lagerstatten sites and to paleobiology in general. This volume describes many of the most famous Lagerstatten locations worldwide and is complete with over 70 superb halftones showing some of these exotic fossils in all their glory. Paleontologists are beginning to understand why such deposits occur, how they have varied since the advent of marine metazoan life, and how their presence effects our understanding of the evolution of life in the Earth's oceans. In this way, the study of Lagerstatten continues to move towards the mainstream of paleobiological, biological, and geological research, and away from its former status as the examination of mere curiosities. All those interested in these beautiful and sometimes enigmatic deposits will want to own this book.

Table of Contents:
Foreword, by Alfred G. Fischer Fossil-Lagerstatten: Jewels of the Fossil Record, by David J. Bottjer, Walter Etter, James W. Hagadorn, and Carol M. Tang Enigmatic Ediacara Fossils: Ancestors or Aliens?, by David J. Bottjer Chengjiang: Early Record of the Cambrian Explosion, by James W. Hagadorn The Burgess Shale: Cambrian Explosion in Full Bloom, by James W. Hagadorn Burgess Shale-Type Localities: The Global Picture, by James W. Hagadorn Orsten Deposits from Sweden: Miniature Late Cambrian Arthropods, by Carol M. Tang Beecher's Trilobite Bed: Ordovician Pyritization for the Other Half of the Trilobite, by Walter Etter The Hunsruck Slate: Widespread Pyritization of a Devonian Fauna, by Walter Etter Bear Gulch: An Exceptional Upper Carboniferous Plattenkalk, by James W. Hagadorn Mazon Creek: Preservation in Late Paleozoic Deltaic Environments, by Stephen A. Schellenberg Gres a Voltzia: Preservation in Early Mesozoic Deltaic and Marginal Marine Environments, by Walter Etter Monte San Giorgio: Remarkable Triassic Marine Vertebrates, by Walter Etter Berlin-Ichthyosaur: Preserving Some of the Earth's Largest Marine Vertebrates, by David J. Bottjer Osteno: Jurassic Preservation to the Cellular Level, by Carol M. Tang Posidonia Shale: Germany's Jurassic Marine Park, by Walter Etter and Carol M. Tang La Voulte-Sur-Rhone: Exquisite Cephalopod Preservation, by Walter Etter Oxford Clay: England's Jurassic Marine Park, by Carol M. Tang Solnhofen: Plattenkalk Preservation with Archaeopteryx, by Walter Etter Smoky Hill Chalk: Spectacular Cretaceous Marine Fauna, by David J. Bottjer Monte Bolca: An Eocene Fishbowl, by Carol M. Tang Index