Resolving taphonomic and preparation biases in silicified faunas through paired acid residues and X-ray microscopy

Abstract

Paired petrography and acid maceration has shown that preferential silicification of shelly faunas can bias recovery based on taxon and body size. Here, silicified fossils from the Upper Ordovician Edinburg Formation, Strasburg Junction, Virginia, USA, were analyzed using X-ray tomographic microscopy (mCT) in conjunction with recovered residues from acid maceration of the same materials to further examine sources of potential bias. Results reveal that very small (