Quoting Patrice BAIL <[log in to unmask]>:

> The term "subfossil" has no scientific existence and is used by
> collector only.

* "subfossil" is widely used for many kinds of buried but not
mineralized material -

"Subfossil refers to any remains of a once living organism in which
the fossilization process is not complete, either for lack of time or
because the conditions in which they were buried were not optimal for
fossilization. Such unfossilized or partially fossilized remains may
include bones, exoskeletons, nests, skin imprints, or fecal deposits.
Subfossils are often found in caves or other shelters where they can
be preserved for thousands of years.

"The main importance of subfossil versus fully fossilized remains is
that the former contain organic material, which can be used for
radiocarbon dating or extraction and sequencing of DNA, protein, or
other biomolecules. Additionally, isotope ratios can provide
information about the ecological conditions under which extinct
animals lived. Subfossils are useful for studying the evolutionary
history of an environment and can be important to studies in
paleoclimatology.

"Subfossils are often found in depositionary environments, such as
lake sediments, oceanic sediments, and soils. Once deposited, physical
and chemical weathering can alter the state of preservation. Small
subfossils can be ingested by living organisms.

"Subfossil remains that date from the Mesozoic are exceptionally rare,
usually in an advanced state of decay and consequently much
disputed.[2] The vast bulk of the material comes from Quaternary
sediments, including many subfossilized chironomid head capsules,
ostracod carapaces, diatoms, and foraminifera." - wikipedia.

fred.
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          Frederick W. Schueler & Aleta Karstad
Bishops Mills Natural History Centre - http://pinicola.ca/bmnhc.htm
Mudpuppy Night in Oxford Mills - http://pinicola.ca/mudpup1.htm
Daily Paintings - http://karstaddailypaintings.blogspot.com/
          South Nation Basin Art & Science Book
          http://pinicola.ca/books/SNR_book.htm
     RR#2 Bishops Mills, Ontario, Canada K0G 1T0
   on the Smiths Falls Limestone Plain 44* 52'N 75* 42'W
    (613)258-3107 <bckcdb at istar.ca> http://pinicola.ca/
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