Preservation of successive diagenetic stages in Middle Triassic bonebeds: Evidence from in situ trace element and strontium isotope analysis of vertebrate fossils

McCormack, Jeremy; Bahr, André; Gerdes, Axel; Tütken, Thomas; Prinz-Grimm, Peter

doi:10.1016/j.chemgeo.2015.06.003

Cited by 16 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 132 publications

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“…It thus constitutes a slow, relatively inconsequential process rather than a rapid, strong geochemical shift that would be more apt to degrade bone organics. Moreover, even if leaching, late-diagenetic uptake, or other processes alter initial REE depth profiles to the degree that they no longer accurately record chemical signals from the original environment of burial (e.g., 27 , 64 ), the spatial distribution of REE within the specimen will still characterize the complexity of interactions the fossil had with pore fluids over the duration of burial because these interactions leave identifiable chemical signatures (e.g., 12 , 64 – 66 ). Thus, no matter the duration or mechanism(s) of uptake, REE profiles constitute a valuable record of the history of diagenetic regime(s) controlling initial bone alteration and long-term stability.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“… 61 , 65 , 67 ), and/or; (4) were buried in dry/semi-dry depositional environments 68 . "Moderate diffusion" profiles (and the diagenetic histories that produce them) are most likely to occur in bones that: (1) have a thinner cortex or high porosity 12 , 26 , 30 , 65 , 69 ; (2) were exposed for an extended time (> 10 year, based on weathering) before burial 8 ; (3) were preserved in high-permeability sediments (e.g., coarse-grained sandstone, unconsolidated sediments 65 ), or; (4) were buried in wet/moist environments 60 , 64 , 66 , 68 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Molecular tests support the viability of rare earth elements as proxies for fossil biomolecule preservation

Ullmann

Voegele

Grandstaff

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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The rare earth element (REE) composition of a fossil bone reflects its chemical alteration during diagenesis. Consequently, fossils presenting low REE concentrations and/or REE profiles indicative of simple diffusion, signifying minimal alteration, have been proposed as ideal candidates for paleomolecular investigation. We directly tested this prediction by conducting multiple biomolecular assays on a well-preserved fibula of the dinosaur Edmontosaurus from the Cretaceous Hell Creek Formation previously found to exhibit low REE concentrations and steeply-declining REE profiles. Gel electrophoresis identified the presence of organic material in this specimen, and subsequent immunofluorescence and enzyme-linked immunosorbant assays identified preservation of epitopes of the structural protein collagen I. Our results thereby support the utility of REE profiles as proxies for soft tissue and biomolecular preservation in fossil bones. Based on considerations of trace element taphonomy, we also draw predictions as to the biomolecular recovery potential of additional REE profile types exhibited by fossil bones.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Molecular tests support the viability of rare earth elements as proxies for fossil biomolecule preservation

Ullmann

Voegele

Grandstaff

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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“…Such fractionation patterns are commonly seen in fossil non-avian dinosaur bones possessing a thick cortex [40,43,65,116] due to a 'filtering' effect created by the thick rim of dense bone tissue, which can cause pore fluids to become relatively depleted in LREE by the time they reach the internal cortex [101]. Observation of such patterns in fossil bones is important, because they signify retention of early-diagenetic trace element signatures, which in turn demonstrates that late-diagenetic overprinting (which is nearly universal to some degree) [42,104] has neither completely obfuscated signatures imparted from the initial burial environment nor drastically altered the chemistry of the fossil specimen [36,48,80,[117][118][119][120]. In other words, the marked fractionation trends seen in the femur of MOR 1125 and bones at SRHS demonstrate that the bulk of the REE inventory in each respective specimen derives from early-diagenetic uptake from a single pore fluid (rather than late-diagenetic overprinting), and that these bones avoided any significant interactions with other pore fluids during late diagenesis.…”

Section: Emerging Taphonomic and Diagenetic Themesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Taphonomic and Diagenetic Pathways to Protein Preservation, Part I: The Case of Tyrannosaurus rex Specimen MOR 1125

Ullmann

Macauley

Ash

et al. 2021

Biology

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Many recent reports have demonstrated remarkable preservation of proteins in fossil bones dating back to the Permian. However, preservation mechanisms that foster the long-term stability of biomolecules and the taphonomic circumstances facilitating them remain largely unexplored. To address this, we examined the taphonomic and geochemical history of Tyrannosaurus rex specimen Museum of the Rockies (MOR) 1125, whose right femur and tibiae were previously shown to retain still-soft tissues and endogenous proteins. By combining taphonomic insights with trace element compositional data, we reconstruct the postmortem history of this famous specimen. Our data show that following prolonged, subaqueous decay in an estuarine channel, MOR 1125 was buried in a coarse sandstone wherein its bones fossilized while interacting with oxic and potentially brackish early-diagenetic groundwaters. Once its bones became stable fossils, they experienced minimal further chemical alteration. Comparisons with other recent studies reveal that oxidizing early-diagenetic microenvironments and diagenetic circumstances which restrict exposure to percolating pore fluids elevate biomolecular preservation potential by promoting molecular condensation reactions and hindering chemical alteration, respectively. Avoiding protracted interactions with late-diagenetic pore fluids is also likely crucial. Similar studies must be conducted on fossil bones preserved under diverse paleoenvironmental and diagenetic contexts to fully elucidate molecular preservation pathways.

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“…whereas carbonates with high Sr concentrations are considered to be less impacted by radioactive decay of 87 Rb from detrital components (Elderfield, 1986;McCormack et al, 2015).…”

Section: End Member Mixing In the Geshan Section Carbonatesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Resetting of Mg isotopes between calcite and dolomite during burial metamorphism: Outlook of Mg isotopes as geothermometer and seawater proxy

Wang

et al. 2017

Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta

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Magnesium isotopes are an emerging tool to study the geological processes recorded in carbonates. Calcite, due to its ubiquitous occurrence and the large Mg isotope fractionation associated with the mineral, has attracted great interests in applications of Mg isotope geochemistry. However, the fidelity of Mg isotopes in geological records of carbonate minerals (e.g., calcite and dolomite) against burial metamorphism remains poorly constrained. Here we report our investigation on the Mg isotope systematics of a dolomitized Middle Triassic Geshan carbonate section in eastern China. Magnesium isotope analysis was complemented by analyses of Sr-CO isotopic compositions, major and trace element concentrations, and petrographic and mineralogical features. Multiple lines of evidence consistently indicated that post-depositional diagenesis of carbonate minerals occurred to the carbonate rocks. Magnesium isotope compositions of the carbonate rocks closely follow a mixing trend between a high δ 26 Mg dolomite end member and a low δ 26 Mg calcite end member, irrespective of sample positions in the section and calcite/dolomite ratio in the samples. By fitting the measured Mg isotope data using a two-end member mixing model, an inter-mineral Δ 26 Mg dolomite-calcite fractionation of 0.72‰ was obtained. Based on the experimentally derived Mg isotope fractionation factors for dolomite and calcite, a temperature of 150-190ºC was calculated to correspond to the 0.72‰ Δ 26 Mg dolomite-calcite fractionation. Such temperature range matches with the burial-thermal history of the local strata, making a successful case of Mg isotope geothermometry. Our results indicate that both calcite and dolomite had been re-equilibrated during burial metamorphism, and based on isotope mass

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Preservation of successive diagenetic stages in Middle Triassic bonebeds: Evidence from in situ trace element and strontium isotope analysis of vertebrate fossils

Cited by 16 publications

References 132 publications

Molecular tests support the viability of rare earth elements as proxies for fossil biomolecule preservation

Molecular tests support the viability of rare earth elements as proxies for fossil biomolecule preservation

Taphonomic and Diagenetic Pathways to Protein Preservation, Part I: The Case of Tyrannosaurus rex Specimen MOR 1125

Resetting of Mg isotopes between calcite and dolomite during burial metamorphism: Outlook of Mg isotopes as geothermometer and seawater proxy

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