What is "catagenesis"

Catagenesis is a term used in petroleum geology to describe the cracking process which results in the conversion of organic kerogens into hydrocarbons.

Catagenesis may refer to:

• Catagenesis (geology), the cracking process in which organic kerogens are broken down into hydrocarbons
• Catagenesis (biology), archaic term from evolutionary biology meaning retrogressive evolution, as contrasted with anagenesis

Catagenesis is an archaic term from evolutionary biology referring to evolutionary directions that were considered "retrogressive." It was a term used in contrast to anagenesis, which in present usage denotes the evolution of a single population into a new form without branching lines of descent.