The
Bear Gulch Limestone in Montana is fossiliferous strata dating
to the Mississippian epoch of the Carboniferous period, at
some 318 million years ago. The site meets the stringent criteria
for a Lagerstatt.
Sediment studies suggest that fossil formation occurred in
mudflats and lagoons having fresh to brackish waters. The
fossils comprise diverse fishes and less abundant invertebrates,
sometimes preserved in exquisite detail consistent with inhibited
decay in a silty and oxygen-starved bottom. The limestone
is some 30 meters thick, and was likely deposited during periodic
episodes of heavy siltation that buried deceased members of
the diverse ecosystem.