Deciphering the pyritization of organisms during diagenesis by probing experimental samples

Understanding the processes leading to fossilization is crucial in palaeontology and laboratory-based experiments are an effective approach to constrain their timing, controls and mechanisms. Experiments of arthropods pyritization, one of the main pathways of replication of organisms in the fossil record, were conducted. The goal of this proposal is to visualize in 3D both the organism decay and its preservation by pyrite precipitation, which has not been possible with laboratory-based X-ray Computed Tomography (CT). Data will (i) bring clues to the debate on whether tissues influence pyrite precipitation, (ii) establish a precise sequence of character decay in Crustacean, and (iii) precise the kinetics and influence of environmental factors onto ongoing destructive and preservation processes.