Taphonomy is the study of decaying
organisms over time and how they may become
fossilized. The term
taphonomy (from the Greek
taphos, τάφος meaning "burial", and
nomos, νόμος meaning "law") was introduced to
paleontology in 1940 by Russian scientist
Ivan Efremov to describe the study of the transition of remains, parts, or products of
organisms, from the
biosphere, to the
lithosphere,
i.e. the creation of fossil assemblages.