The list of Lagerstätten is a documentation of Lagerstätte fossils sites around the world, arranged by geologic age. These are characterized by exceptional preservation of fossil organisms, regularly including many well-preserved animals and their soft tissue remains. The extent of Lagerstätten deposits can range from a select site or stratigraphic layer to a whole formation or group. Some sites that one author calls a single Lagerstätte may be called multiple by another (such as the Jehol Biota and the Yixian/Jiufotang Formations). This list attempts to note this in the text and provide the formation or stratigraphic unit from which a site came.
Criteria
Sites on the list must either:
Be referred to as a Lagerstätte within the main text of at least one scientific publication. Similar terms, such as 'exceptional preservation', do not qualify. Have fossils that fulfill the criteria of Konservat-Lagerstätte as set within Kimmig & Schiffbauer (2024): Konservat-Lagerstätten are characterized by exceptional preservation, and at least 5% of the fossils recovered from a site must preserve either soft tissue remains or nearly complete individuals, preferably both.
+ Color key Konservat Konzentrat "Liberation" Controversial
List
Precambrian Site(s)AgeLocation Significance Notable fossils/organismsFrancevillian B Formation2140-2080 MaFranceville, Possibly preserves the earliest macroscopic eukaryotes. However, these may instead be pseudofossils.Chuanlinggou Formation1630 MaYan Mountains, North Preserves the first definitive multicellular eukaryotes in the form of Qingshania, Tawuia and Changchengia.Chitrakoot Formation1600 MaVindhya Range, Preserves the earliest red algae, Rafatazmia and RamathallusGaoyuzhuang Formation1588.8±6.5 MaYan Mountains, North Preserves some of the first algae such as Tuanshanzia and Grandilingulata, alongside a diverse microbiota including possible fungi.Volyn biota1500 MaZhytomyr Oblast, Possibly one of the first fossil sites of the deep biosphere.Hunting Formation1200 MaSomerset Island, Shallow-water Mesoproterozoic deposits, containing multiple genera of algae including Bangiomorpha. Nonesuch Formation1083-1070 Ma Michigan, An oxygenated Mesoproterozoic lake containing exceptionally preserved limnic microbes.Lakhanda Group1030-1000 Ma Uchur-Maya Depression, A site preserving a Mesoproterozoic community dominated by anaerobic bacteria. The Lagerstätte contains evidence of trophic interactions from the Boring Billion.Bitter Springs1000–850 MaSouth Preserved fossils include cyanobacteria microfossils. Diabaig Formation994 ± 48 MaScotland, A freshwater environment preserving phosphatic microfossils, which represent some of the oldest known non-marine eukaryotes. Dolores Creek Formation950 Ma Yukon, An Early Tonian site containing pyritised macroalgal fossils.Wynniatt Formation848 ± 49–761 ± 41Nunavut, A middle to late Tonian site, which preserves some microscopic to multiceullar algae-forms, such as Tawuia, and enigmatic forms such as Osculosphaera, in a Burgess Shale-type preservation. It also sets a soft maximum age for the appearance of metazoan organisms to around , which notably do not appear in any capacity within the Wynniatt Formation.Svanbergfjellet Formation791.1±4.9 MaSvalbard, A site preserving some of the earliest green algae, such as Proterocladus, alongside various enigmatic eukaryotes like Pseudotawuia.Chichkan Lagerstätte775 Ma A site from the transition between the prokaryote-dominated biota of the Early Neoproterozoic and the eukaryote-dominated biota of the Late Neoproterozoic and Phanerozoic.Portfjeld Formation570 Ma North Greenland, A Middle Ediacaran biota from the continent of Laurentia exhibiting Doushantuo-type preservation.Shuurgat FormationEarly EdiacaranSouthwestern A site that preserves microfossil bacterial remains within cherts.Khesen FormationEdiacaranLake Khuvsgul, A Doushantuo-type microfossil assemblage that preserves bacterial remains.Wulingshan Lagerstätte545-538.8 MaTaoyuan County, Hunan, A site from the middle of the larger Liuchapo Formation. The formation mainly preserves macroalgae, but lacks metazoan remains, making correlation with other sites difficult.Weng'an biota609-570 Ma Guizhou Province, A deposit that preserves three-dimensional remains of embryo-like animals within calcium phosphate, as well as algal and acritarch remains.Wenghui Biota586-557 MaNortheastern, Guizhou, A site in the upper part of the Doushantuo Formation that primarily preserves remains of macroalgae.Miaohe Lagerstätte551 MaYangtze Gorges Area, Hubei, The Miaohe Lagerstätte is within the Miaohe Member, which has historically been placed within either the Doushantuo or Dengying formations. The biota mainly preserves macroalgae and metazoans.Mistaken Point Ecological Reserve
(including the Drook, Briscal, Mistaken Point, Trepassey, and Fermeuse Formations.)565 MaNewfoundland, This site contains one of the most diverse and well-preserved collections of Precambrian fossils.Inner Meadow Lagerstätte550.78 MaNewfoundland, The site, which is near or within the larger Fermeuse Formation, contains biota primarily known from the Avalon assemblage within White Sea assemblage aged rocks, which were also deposited during the Kotlin Crisis, the first major extinction event of the Ediacaran period.Itajai Biota563 MaAn Ediacaran Lagerstätte preserved by volcanism.Ediacara Hills555 Ma South The type location of the Ediacaran period has preserved a significant amount of fossils from that time.Shibantan Lagerstätte551-543 Ma Hubei, A terminal Ediacaran fossil assemblage preserving life forms living just before the Proterozoic-Phanerozoic transition. A part of the Dengying Formation.Gaojiashan Lagerstätte551-541 Ma Shaanxi, A pyrite-dominated Lagerstätte documenting tube growth patterns of Cloudina. A part of the Dengying Formation.Jiangchuan Biota551-543 MaYunnan, A latest Ediacaran macrofossil biota dominated by giant, unbranching thallophytes. Contains fauna similar to later Cambrian sites, making it an important transitional fauna. It is part of the Dengying Formation.Tongshan Lagerstätte551-543 MaHubei, A site from the terminal Ediacaran that preserves metazoans, rangeomorphs, and algal remains in Burgess-type preservation. Belongs to the larger Dengying Formation.Khatyspyt Lagerstätte544 Ma Yakutia, A Late Ediacaran Lagerstätte preserving an Avalon-type biota.Bernashivka open pit?(Upper Vendian)Vinnytsia Oblast, A Late Ediacaran Lagerstätte with numerous soft-bodied animals, algae, microfossils, bacteria, and fungi, comprising some different geological formations.Nama Group Lagerstätten~524-539 MaSouthern A sequence of several Konzervat-Lagerstätten. Most of the fossils found are of Rangea, erniettomorphs, and eumetazoans. The group was probably deposited in a shallow marine environment with tidal, storm, and deltaic influence.Dunfee MemberLatest EdiacaranNevada, It, alongside the Esmeralda Member of The Deep Springs Formation, showcases the faunal turnover between the Ediacaran and earliest Cambrian within the same unit. Fossils found at the site include Wutubus, worms, algae, and trace fossils.
Cambrian Site(s)AgeLocation Significance Notable fossils/organismsEsmeralda MemberFortunianNevada, It, alongside the Dunfee Member of The Deep Springs Formation, showcases the faunal turnover between the Ediacaran and earliest Cambrian within the same unit. Fossils found include Conotubus, Cloudina, and algae.ZhangjiagouFortunianShaanxi, A Lagerstätte from the earliest Cambrian, notable for its fossils of cnidarians, cycloneuralians, and the basal ecdysozoan Saccorhytus coronarius.Paseky ShaleCambrian Stage 2Western A site that preserves arthropods including Kodymirus and Vladicaris.Hetang FormationCambrian Stage 2-Stage 3Anhui, A site that preserves articulated sponge fossils and hyoliths.Niutitang FormationCambrian Stage 2-Stage 3Guizhou and Hunan, A formation that preserves brachiopods, sponges, and the arthropods Isoxys and Tsunyidiscus.Pardailhan FormationLower Cambrian Stage 3Montagne Noire, Occitania, A site that preserves trilobites, brachiopods, sponges, and ichnofossils.Maotianshan Shales (Chengjiang) 518 Ma Yunnan, The preservation of an extremely diverse faunal assemblage renders the Maotianshan Shales the world's most important formation for understanding the evolution of early multi-cellular life. Microscopic animals such as Yicaris are preserved here, indicating the presence of an Orsten-type deposit within the formation. This site also includes the Xiazhuang biota.Xiaoshiba LagerstätteCambrian Stage 3Yunnan, A site known for its detailed preservation of Early Cambrian macroalgae, alongside fossils of Omnidens. Belongs to the larger Hongjingshao Formation.Malong biotaCambrian Stage 3Yunnan, Fossils found at this site include trilobites, radiodonts, vetulicolians, and hyoliths. The Lagerstätte belongs to the larger Hongjingshao Formation.Shuijingtuo Biota (Shuijingtuo Formation)531-521 Ma Hubei, Isoxys, trilobites, algae, radiolarians, hyoliths, and others from the approximately 45 species that have been found at the site.Qingjiang biota
(Shuijingtuo Formation)518 MaHubei, This site is particularly notable for both the large proportion of new taxa represented (~53% of the specimens) and the high volume of soft-body tissue preservation.Sirius Passet523-518 MaGreenland, A site known for its fauna and its most likely preservation by a death mask. It is part of the larger Buen Formation and has a fauna similar to that of the Maotianshan Shales.Fandian biotaCambrian Stage 3Sichuan, Fossils come from both the Yuxiansi and Jiuladong Formations. Overall, the faunal composition is similar to the Chengjiang fossils. Trilobites, Tuzoia, sponges, worms, and other arthropods have been found at the site.Souss Lagerstätte