Exceptional preservation through phosphatization is primarily controlled by a reduction in pH, favoring the precipitation of apatite over that of calcite. Laboratory experiments have suggested that phosphatization results from anoxic decay. Here we report results of the fine-scale mineralogical characterization of Cretaceous phosphatized fossils of teleost fishes and crustaceans from the Jebel oum Tkout Lagerstatte (Morocco). Data collected using complementary laboratory and synchrotron-based X-ray techniques reveal that oxidative conditions were established at a certain step of decay. Supporting these conclusions are the presence, covering and embedded in the phosphatized tissues, of Fe(III)-rich mineral phases, the precipitation of which was likely biologically induced during decay. The present study highlights that the establishment of oxidative conditions during decay can be compatible with exceptional preservation of fossils through phosphatization.

中文翻译：

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氧化条件可通过磷酸化实现特殊的保存

通过磷酸盐化的特殊保存主要通过降低 pH 值来控制，有利于磷灰石的沉淀而不是方解石的沉淀。实验室实验表明，磷酸盐化是由缺氧腐烂引起的。在这里，我们报告了来自 Jebel oum Tkout Lagerstatte（摩洛哥）的硬骨鱼类和甲壳类动物的白垩纪磷酸盐化化石的精细矿物学表征结果。使用互补实验室和基于同步加速器的 X 射线技术收集的数据表明，在衰变的某个阶段建立了氧化条件。支持这些结论的是磷化组织中存在、覆盖和嵌入富含 Fe(III) 的矿物相，其沉淀可能是在腐烂过程中生物诱导的。