The environment plays a crucial role in the formation of fossils by affecting the conditions under which organisms are buried and preserved. Key environmental factors include:

• Rapid burial in sediment, particularly in depositional environments like ocean floors, lake bottoms, river floodplains, and shallow lakes, which protect remains from decay and scavenging and increase fossilization chances.

• Low oxygen (anoxic) conditions slow bacterial decay and deter scavengers, favoring preservation.

• The chemical composition of the sediment, including the presence of minerals like phosphorus, can promote mineralization of remains, as seen in some fossils preserved under rapid climate change conditions.

• Environments with high moisture, acidic soils, and abundant scavengers, such as tropical rainforests, are generally poor for fossil formation due to rapid decay and destruction of remains, while mountainous areas often have poor fossil records for other reasons.

• Extreme environmental conditions like high temperature, acidity, or alkalinity can degrade organic material, reducing fossil formation likelihood.

In summary, rapid burial under low oxygen in sediment-rich environments with favorable chemical conditions generally promotes fossil formation, whereas humid, acidic, or highly exposed environments hinder it.