Konservat-Lagerstätte Menat

The Konservat-Lagerstätte Menat (French pronunciation: [məna]) is a Konservat-Lagerstätte located in France dating to the mid-late Paleocene. Though the fossiliferous beds of the sites have been known for a long period of time, with the first large study being published in 1940, Menat has had much less study than other similar deposits. Since the 1980s, a number of excavations have been done by various museums. However, due to the loss of the original sites, most of this is a result of multiple excavations done in the area. The fauna of the lagerstätte is largely made up of insects however, various vertebrates such as mammals, reptiles, and birds have been described from the sites. These fossil were preserved in what was a volcanic maar lake surrounded by a forest with evidence of common forest fires.