Status of taphonomical studies in India: A review

Abstract

Taphonomy, a sub-branch of palaeontology, is defined as the study of the sequence of events beginning with the death of an organism and its subsequent deposition and fossilization. The present paper outlines important areas in which the work has been done on this subject and also attempts to review the Indian contributions.

The conditions of the burial and the preservation of nests and eggshell fragments of dinosaurs provide ample for taphonomic analysis. There is a need for experimental study on dispersal, disintegration, preservation and diagenesis of organic fossils. In puts from sedimentology are essential and only an interdisciplinary effort can result in any success to build the postmortem history of plants and animals.