Abstract
BackgroundTaphonomic and palaeoecologic studies of obrution beds often employ conventional methods of investigation such as physical removal and extraction of fossils from their host rock (matrix) by mechanical preparation. This often-destructive method is not suitable for studying mold fossils, which are voids left in host rocks due to dissolution of the original organism in post-depositional processes.FindingsMicrocomputed tomography (µCT) scan data of 24 fossiliferous rock samples revealed thousands of Paleozoic echinoderms. Digitally "stitching" together individually µCT scanned rock samples within three-dimensional (3D) space allows for quantifiable taphonomic data on a fossil echinoderm-rich obrution deposit from the Devonian (Emsian) of South Africa. Here, we provide a brief step-by-step guide on creating, segmenting, and ultimately combining sections of richly fossiliferous beds to create virtual models suited for the quantitative and qualitative taphonomic analyses of fossil invertebrate assemblages.ConclusionsVisualizing the internal features of fossiliferous beds in 3D is an invaluable taphonomic tool for analyzing delicate fossils, accounting for all specimens irrespective of their preservation stages and with minimal damage. This technique is particularly useful for analyzing fossiliferous deposits with mold fossils that prove to be difficult to study with traditional methods, because the method relies on the large density contrast between the mold and host rock.
Highlights
Taphonomic and palaeoecologic studies of obrution beds often employ conventional methods of investigation such as physical removal and extraction of fossils from their host rock by mechanical preparation
”stitching” together individually microcomputed tomography (μCT) scanned rock samples within three-dimensional (3D) space allows for quantifiable taphonomic data on a fossil echinoderm-rich obrution deposit from the Devonian (Emsian) of South Africa
Visualizing the internal features of fossiliferous beds in three dimensional (3D) is an invaluable taphonomic tool for analyzing delicate fossils, accounting for all specimens irrespective of their preservation stages and with minimal damage. This technique is useful for analyzing fossiliferous deposits with mold fossils that prove to be difficult to study with traditional methods, because the method relies on the large density contrast between the mold and host rock
Summary
Microcomputed tomography (micro-CT or μCT) and threedimensional (3D) visualization techniques have become an increasingly popular tool used in many fields of paleontological research [1,2,3,4], especially in anatomy and functional morphology of vertebrates [5,6,7,8,9] and invertebrates [10,11,12] and even in micropaleontology [13] The advantage of this imaging technique lies in its power to construct high-resolution, cross-sectional views of fossils without causing damage during extraction from the rock matrix [13, 14].
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