Abstract
The preservation potential of a brachiopod shell is in part determined by the post-mortem loss in its mechanical resilience to physical destruction. The loss of mechanical resistance, whether due to the decay of the shell's organic matrix or other processes, can be observed using engineering testing technigues. Tests at various post-mortem intervals on evacuated shells of a population of the extant eastern Pacific terebratulid brachiopod from the San Juan Islands, Terebratalia transversa, revealed that a measurable decrease in preservation potential had occurred. This decrease is demonstrated by the loss of structural integrity of both the hinging mechanism in articulated specimens, and of the shell walls of the individual valves
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