TAPHONOMY AND DIAGENESIS IN DIATOM ASSEMBLAGES - A LATE PLEISTOCENE PALEOECOLOGICAL STUDY FROM LAKE MAGADI, KENYA

Many fossil diatom assemblages do not possess a direct modern analogue as a result of taphonomic processes and diagenesis within the assemblage. Some of these problems are illustrated with reference to core material collected from hypersaline Lake Magadi, Kenya, which during the Late Pleistocene experienced major fluctuations in water chemistry and depth. Competing multiple hypotheses are proposed for no analogue assemblages, with selection between these hypotheses being based on the results of interdisciplinary research.