smothered bottom

smothered bottom

[′sməth·ərd ′bäd·əm]

(geology)

A sedimentary surface on which complete, well-preserved, and commonly very fragile and delicate fossils were saved by an influx of mud that buried them instantly.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.