Oxidative conditions can lead to exceptional preservation through phosphatization

Gueriau, Pierre; Bernard, Sylvain; Farges, François; Mocuta, Cristian; Dutheil, Didier B.; Adatte, Thierry; Bomou, Brahimsamba; Godet, Marie; Thiaudière, Dominique; Charbonnier, Sylvain; Bertrand, Loïc

doi:10.1130/g45924.1

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Journal article

Oxidative conditions can lead to exceptional preservation through phosphatization

Gueriau, Pierre Institute of Earth Sciences, University of Lausanne, Géopolis, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
Bernard, Sylvain Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle (MNHN), Sorbonne Université, CNRS UMR 7590, Institut de Minéralogie, de Physique des Matériaux et de Cosmochimie (IMPMC), 75005 Paris, France
Farges, François Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle (MNHN), Sorbonne Université, CNRS UMR 7590, Institut de Minéralogie, de Physique des Matériaux et de Cosmochimie (IMPMC), 75005 Paris, France
Mocuta, Cristian Synchrotron SOLEIL, l’Orme des Merisiers, BP 48 Saint-Aubin, 91192 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
Dutheil, Didier B. Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle (MNHN), Sorbonne Université, CNRS UMR 7207, Centre de Recherche en Paléontologie–Paris (CR2P), 8 rue Buffon, 75005 Paris, France
Adatte, Thierry Institute of Earth Sciences, University of Lausanne, Géopolis, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
Bomou, Brahimsamba Institute of Earth Sciences, University of Lausanne, Géopolis, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
Godet, Marie Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Ministère de la culture, UVSQ, MNHN, Institut photonique d’analyse non-destructive européen des matériaux anciens (IPANEMA), 91192, Saint-Aubin, France
Thiaudière, Dominique Synchrotron SOLEIL, l’Orme des Merisiers, BP 48 Saint-Aubin, 91192 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
Charbonnier, Sylvain Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle (MNHN), Sorbonne Université, CNRS UMR 7207, Centre de Recherche en Paléontologie–Paris (CR2P), 8 rue Buffon, 75005 Paris, France
Bertrand, Loïc Université Paris-Saclay, ENS Paris-Saclay, CNRS, PPSM, 91190, Gif-sur-Yvette, France

2020-7-31

Published in:

Geology. - Geological Society of America. - 2020, vol. 48, no. 12, p. 1164-1168

Geology

English Abstract
Exceptional preservation through phosphatization is primarily controlled by a reduction in pH, favoring the precipitation of apatite over that of calcite. Laboratory experiments have suggested that phosphatization results from anoxic decay. Here we report results of the fine-scale mineralogical characterization of Cretaceous phosphatized fossils of teleost fishes and crustaceans from the Jebel oum Tkout Lagerstätte (Morocco). Data collected using complementary laboratory and synchrotron-based X-ray techniques reveal that oxidative conditions were established at a certain step of decay. Supporting these conclusions are the presence, covering and embedded in the phosphatized tissues, of Fe(III)-rich mineral phases, the precipitation of which was likely biologically induced during decay. The present study highlights that the establishment of oxidative conditions during decay can be compatible with exceptional preservation of fossils through phosphatization.

Language

English

Open access status

closed

Identifiers

DOI 10.1130/g45924.1
ISSN 0091-7613

Persistent URL

https://folia.unifr.ch/global/documents/149159

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