Diagenesis
Definition
Postmortem physical, chemical and biological alteration of material. Those processes can affect appearance, composition and preserved biological information. Alteration does not follow one universal calendar. Its consequences depend on material, environment and the analytical question.
- Context
- Postmortem alteration
For example, environmental alteration can change the measured properties of buried material without providing one universal burial-age estimate.
Related terms
- Demineralisation
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- Osteon
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