• PhD Title:

Preservation and taphonomy of the fossils of the Herefordshire (Silurian) Konservat-Lagerstätte

• PhD Project Summary:

The exceptionally preserved, fully 3-D fossils of the Herefordshire Konservat-Lagerstätte represent one of the most outstanding palaeobiological resources in the geological record. Study of these soft-bodied fossils has enabled fundamental insights to be made into the palaeobiology and phylogeny of a range of invertebrates.  My PhD research will concentrate on understanding the geochemical and taphonomic pathways leading to the preservation of a range of taxa.  This is crucial in order to gauge possible species-specific modes of fossilization, preservational bias and to inform morphological and palaeoecological reconstructions.

• Project Supervisors

Dr Sarah Gabbott (University of Leicester)

Prof. David Siveter (University of Leicester)

Prof. Derek Siveter (University of Oxford)

Prof. Derek Briggs (Yale)

Dr Mark Sutton (Imperial College, London)

Dr Mike Norry (University of Leicester)

• Research Interests

Taphonomy and palaeobiology of the fossils of the Herefordshire (Silurian) Konservat-Lagerstätte (Below Left Offacolus kingi) 

Taphonomy and palaeobiology of the silicified arthropods of the Barstow (Miocene) Formation, Southern California, USA (Below Right Dasyhelea australis antiqua )

• Professional membership

Fellow of the Geological Society

Member of the Palaeontological Association

• Research Grants

Timothy Jefferson Field Research Fund (£513) from The Geological Society of London (March 2009)

Daniel Pidgeon Fund (£960) from The Geological Society of London (April 2008)

• Abstracts and Publications

Riley, D., Gabbott, S., Norry, M. and Siveter, D. 2010 Taphonomy of the Herefordshire Lagerstatte. Oral presentation given at the 3rd International Palaeontological Congress, London.

Wilkinson, I.P., Wilby, P.R., Williams, M., Siveter, D.J., Page, A.A., Leggitt, L. and Riley, D.A. 2010 Exceptionally preserved ostracods from a Middle Miocene palaeolake, California, USA. Journal of the Geological Society, London, 167, 1-9.

Wilkinson, I.P., Wilby, P.R., Williams, M., Siveter, D.J., Page, A.A., Leggitt, L. and Riley, D.A. 2009 Lacustrine ostracods from the Barstow Konservat Lagerstatte (Middle Miocene) of southern California, USA. Oral Presentation given at 16th International symposium on Ostracoda, Brazil.

Riley, D. "Life after death: how 425 million year old fossils are preserved", University of Leicester Festival of Postgraduate Research 2009 [Press Release Here] [BBC News Here]

Riley, D. 2008 Geochemistry of the Herefordshire (Silurian) Lagerstatte host deposit and its implications for a taphonomic model. Poster given at the 52nd Annual Meeting of the Palaeontological Association held at the University of Glasgow 18 - 21 December.

Riley, D. and Page, A. 2006 Exceptionally preserved insects from the Miocene Barstow Formation, southern California. Poster given at the 50th Annual Meeting of the Palaeontological Association held at the University of Sheffield 18 - 21 December. 

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