A preliminary study of the weathering mechanism of fossilized Cretaceous Hamipterus bones

doi:10.1007/s11430-020-9702-8

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	A preliminary study of the weathering mechanism of fossilized Cretaceous Hamipterus bones
	Li, Ying 3,4; Luo, Wugan 3,4; Yang, Yimin 3,4; Jiang, Shunxing 2,4; Wang, Xiaolin 1,2,4
刊名	SCIENCE CHINA-EARTH SCIENCES
	2021-01-20
页码	12
关键词	Hamipterus fossil weathering hydroxyapatite coefficient of thermal expansion Xinjiang
ISSN号	1674-7313
DOI	10.1007/s11430-020-9702-8
通讯作者	Wang, Xiaolin(wangxiaolin@ivpp.ac.cn)
英文摘要	The discovery of Hamipterus tianshanensis had important scientific significance because three-dimensional preserved fossils can provide unique information about the reproduction, development, and evolution of pterosaurs. However, the pterosaur fossils exhibited violent weathering, including noticeable cracking and spalling, since the preservation environment changed dramatically after excavation, which severely influenced the preservation of these fossils and the scientific research conducted on them. To determine the weathering mechanism of these fossil bones, the samples were analyzed using X-ray fluorescence (XRF), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectrometry (SEM-EDS). The results indicate that calcite is the main mineral in the hollow bones, but it is mixed with a small amount of other minerals, such as quartz, feldspar, and other debris particles. Moreover, the main component of the pterosaur bones is hydroxyapatite, and carbonate has substituted for some of the phosphate (B-type carbonated apatite) in the fossil bones. A small amount of calcite and manganese oxides has precipitated in the vascular canals. The phosphate crystallinity index (PCI) is 4.17. These results indicate that the fossils have undergone severe diagenesis. Apart from these alterations, the fossil bones have high contents of anions and cations such as Cl-, NO3-, SO42-, Na+, and Ca2+, and the total content of soluble salts is 35584.41 mu g g(-1). Based on these results, it is inferred that the weathering mechanism of the fossil bones is as follows. First, the fragile hollow bones cracked easily because of the enormous thermal stress caused by the dramatic temperature changes in the Gobi Desert and the differences in the thermal expansion coefficients (TEC) of the surrounding rocks, the fossil bones, and the different fillers. Second, a large amount of stress is generated by salt crystallization when the temperature and humidity change, and the pterosaur fossils will be damaged when the crystallization pressure exceeds the tensile strength of the fossils. These results suggest that the preservation of pterosaur fossils requires suitable desalination and consolidation conditions. Moreover, they should be preserved in a constant temperature and humidity environment.
资助项目	National Natural Science Foundation of China[41572020] ; National Natural Science Foundation of China[41688103] ; Youth Innovation Promotion Association of CAS[2019075] ; Foundation of Excavation and Protection from the Hami Government
WOS关键词	SITES ; PALEONTOLOGY ; CONSERVATION ; PTEROSAURS
WOS研究方向	Geology
语种	英语
出版者	SCIENCE PRESS
WOS记录号	WOS:000609992700001
资助机构	National Natural Science Foundation of China ; Youth Innovation Promotion Association of CAS ; Foundation of Excavation and Protection from the Hami Government
内容类型	期刊论文
源URL	[http://119.78.100.205/handle/311034/18765]
专题	古脊椎动物与古人类研究所_图书馆1
通讯作者	Wang, Xiaolin
作者单位	1.Univ Chinese Acad Sci, Coll Earth & Planetary Sci, Beijing 100049, Peoples R China 2.CAS Ctr Excellence Life & Paleoenvironm, Beijing 100044, Peoples R China 3.Univ Chinese Acad Sci, Dept Archaeol & Anthropol, Beijing 100049, Peoples R China 4.Chinese Acad Sci, Inst Vertebrate Paleontol & Paleoanthropol, Key Lab Vertebrate Evolut & Human Origins, Beijing 100044, Peoples R China
推荐引用方式 GB/T 7714	Li, Ying,Luo, Wugan,Yang, Yimin,et al. A preliminary study of the weathering mechanism of fossilized Cretaceous Hamipterus bones[J]. SCIENCE CHINA-EARTH SCIENCES,2021:12.
APA	Li, Ying,Luo, Wugan,Yang, Yimin,Jiang, Shunxing,&Wang, Xiaolin.(2021).A preliminary study of the weathering mechanism of fossilized Cretaceous Hamipterus bones.SCIENCE CHINA-EARTH SCIENCES,12.
MLA	Li, Ying,et al."A preliminary study of the weathering mechanism of fossilized Cretaceous Hamipterus bones".SCIENCE CHINA-EARTH SCIENCES (2021):12.