The Maotianshan Shales are a series of Early Cambrian sedimentary deposits in the Chiungchussu, or Heilinpu, Formation in Chengjiang County, Yunnan province, China, named for Maotianshan Hill. Dating to the early Cambrian period, roughly 518 million years ago or older, about ten million years older than the comparable Burgess Shale, the deposits consist of mudstone and shale around 50 meters thick, laid down on the muddy bottom of a shallow sea, likely in a delta front environment with high oxygen levels and rapid sedimentation. Periodic turbidity currents buried organisms quickly, and the resulting anaerobic, mineral-rich conditions preserved even non-mineralized soft body parts as thin aluminosilicate films, making the Maotianshan Shales a Konservat-Lagerstatte renowned for exceptionally preserved fossils comparable to the Burgess Shale.
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Protected StatusUNESCO World Heritage Site 1 Connections
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Source Maotianshan Shales (Wikipedia)
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1. Maotianshan Shales (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia article lead, protection designation
ite within this formation, known as the Chengjiang Fossil Site, was listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2012.
In Discipline: Stratigraphy, Lead section (in-discipline Stratigraphy)
The Maotianshan Shales (simplified Chinese: 帽天山页岩; traditional Chinese: 帽天山頁岩; pinyin: Màotiānshān yèyán) are a series of Early Cambrian sedimentary deposits in the Chiungchussu Formation or Heilinpu Formation, famous for their Konservat Lagerstätten, deposits known for the exceptional preservation of fossilized organi
Caused By: Sedimentation, Lead section (caused-by Sedimentation)
The Maotianshan Shales (simplified Chinese: 帽天山页岩; traditional Chinese: 帽天山頁岩; pinyin: Màotiānshān yèyán) are a series of Early Cambrian sedimentary deposits in the Chiungchussu Formation or Heilinpu Formation, famous for their Konservat Lagerstätten, deposits known for the exceptional preservation of fossilized organi
In Group: Paleozoic Fossil Sites, Lead sentence
The Maotianshan Shales (simplified Chinese: 帽天山页岩; traditional Chinese: 帽天山頁岩; pinyin: Màotiānshān yèyán) are a series of Early Cambrian sedimentary deposits in the Chiungchussu Formation or Heilinpu Formation, famous for their Konservat Lagerstätten, deposits known for the exceptional preservation of fossilized
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