The Relationship between Sediment Fabric and Planktonic Microfossil Taphonomy: How Do Plankton Skeletons Become Pelagic Ooze?

Taphonomic studies have provided valuable information on depositional and post-burial conditions of sediments. Deep sea oozes, by definition, are predominantly composed of the skeletal remains of pelagic organisms. These skeletal accumulations are similar in many ways to those of shallow-marine invertebrates, which have been the typical subjects of taphonomic analysis. We consider the problem of obtaining meaningful information from taphonomic analysis of pelagic microfossils, and the relationship between microfossil taphonomy and sediment fabric. Using examples from the biosiliceous oozes of Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Site 751, we evaluate taphonomic concepts developed by previous workers for analysis of macrofossil skeletal accumulations and relate these to out observations of sediment fabric