The
Maotianshan Shales are a series of lower
Cambrian deposits in the Chiungchussu formation, famous for their
Konservat Lagerstätten, deposits known for the exceptional preservation of fossilized organisms or traces. The Maotianshan shales form one of some forty Cambrian fossil locations worldwide exhibiting exquisite preservation of rarely preserved, non-mineralized soft tissue, comparable to the fossils of the
Burgess Shale. They take their name from Maotianshan Hill in
Chengjiang County,
Yunnan Province,
China.