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Geological Formation

Maotianshan Shales

Fossil Lagerstatten and Fossil Sites

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.

Facts
Classification
Protected Status
UNESCO World Heritage Site 1
Connections

Associated With

Cambrian, Eras
Source Maotianshan Shales (Wikipedia)
Shale, Materials
Source Maotianshan Shales (Wikipedia)

Caused By

Source Maotianshan Shales (Wikipedia)

In Discipline

Source Maotianshan Shales (Wikipedia)
In the Other Atlases

Found In

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Sources
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.
  • Associated With: Cambrian, Lead paragraph
    The age of the Chengjiang Lagerstätte is locally termed Qiongzhusian, a stage correlated to the late Atdabanian Stage in Siberian sequences of the middle of the Early Cambrian.
  • Associated With: Cambrian, Lead, age Cambrian
    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 organisms or traces.
  • Associated With: Shale, Lead, rock Shale
    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 organisms or traces.
  • 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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