Bone Diagenesis
Colorful osteons and different generations of carbonate cements in a dinosaur bone from the Isle of Wight. Thin section photograph
The early diagenesis and mineralization of bones is an important feature in the fossilization of vertebrates. In the past, I have worked on the bone diagenesis of material from English Mesozoic vertebrate deposits. In particular, I studied the mineral composition of cavity infills
of fossil bones from localities such as Isle of Wight, Swanage, Lyme Regis, Aust Cliff,
Westbury Garden Cliff, Tytherington, Lourinhã, Tendaguru, Red Deer River, or the Morrison Formation.
SEM-BSE-image of an Isle of Wight fossil bone thin section showing different authigenic minerals in voids. The white mineral, forming subhedral clusters of prismatic crystals, is Barite
I have compared the distribution of authigenic minerals in bone voids with specific depositional environments. Calcite is not only the most common mineral in fossil bone voids, but also intesting because of its potential as facies indicator. The study of carbonate cements is a widely used method in microfacies analysis. I am currently exploring the potential of carbonate cements in fossil bones for evaluating depositional environments and diagenetic history.