Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Authigenic minerals play an important role in the preservation of most soft-bodied fossils. The greatest detail is preserved in apatite (calcium phosphate) but its precipitation is usually inhibited by the high concentrations of HCO 3 - in aqueous settings. Nonetheless, investigations of soft-bodied biotas have revealed very early authigenic calcite crystal bundles in close association with phosphatized soft-tissues. This demonstrates that the geochemical controls on soft-tissue mineralization are dynamic and act on a very local scale. Direct comparisons with experimental results permit the conditions of fossilization to be inferred.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Briggs et al. (1996) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 10 related papers. Consider them for comparative context: