Exceptional X-Ray contrast: Radiography imaging of a Middle Triassic mixosaurid from Svalbard
The black shales of the Middle Triassic Botneheia Formation in Svalbard are known for their fossil richness with abundant ichthyosaur remains and beds of the bivalve Daonella . Vertebrate remains from the Muen Mountain on Edgeøya are shown to have exceptional X-ray contrast due to a combination of s...
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crplos:10.1371/journal.pone.0285939 2024-05-19T07:39:38+00:00 Exceptional X-Ray contrast: Radiography imaging of a Middle Triassic mixosaurid from Svalbard Engelschiøn, Victoria S. Roberts, Aubrey J. With, Ruben Hammer, Øyvind Liu, Jun Norges Forskningsråd Lundin Energy Norway Oljedirektoratet The Research Centre for Arctic Petroleum Exploration, ARCEx 2023 http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0285939 https://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0285939 en eng Public Library of Science (PLoS) http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ PLOS ONE volume 18, issue 5, page e0285939 ISSN 1932-6203 journal-article 2023 crplos https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0285939 2024-05-01T06:55:54Z The black shales of the Middle Triassic Botneheia Formation in Svalbard are known for their fossil richness with abundant ichthyosaur remains and beds of the bivalve Daonella . Vertebrate remains from the Muen Mountain on Edgeøya are shown to have exceptional X-ray contrast due to a combination of sulphide and sulphate permineralisation and pseudomorphing. Radiography imaging of a previously described specimen, PMO 219.250, revealed new and spectacular details such as more carpals, teeth, and skull sutures. Teeth and skull characters are taxonomically significant. supporting the referral of PMO 219.250 to Phalarodon and further suggesting an affinity to P . atavus . Three sulphur phases were identified, with the sulphide sphalerite (ZnS) being the highest temperature phase, followed by the sulphate baryte (BaSO 4 ), and the sulphide pyrite (FeS 2 ). Sulphate permineralisation is also seen in specimens from the Upper Jurassic on Svalbard. We suggest that sulphur-rich fluids have flowed and dissolved barium from the shales and deposited the sphalerite and baryte, and that this could be linked to the Cretaceous HALIP. The Jurassic specimens are only permineralised by baryte, while the Triassic specimens have also been permineralised, but mainly pseudomorphed by baryte with crystals of sphalerite. Lithology differences appear to have controlled the compaction of the Triassic specimens, while the Jurassic specimens have retained their three-dimensional shape due to the baryte emplacement relatively earlier in their depositional history. Although soft tissues are not preserved, the excellent X-ray contrast in the Middle Triassic specimens is reminiscent of pyritised fossil sites such as the Hunsrück Slate (Devonian), Beecher’s Trilobite Bed (Ordovician), and the La Voulte-sur-Rhône marls (Jurassic). Article in Journal/Newspaper Edgeøya Svalbard PLOS PLOS ONE 18 5 e0285939 |
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English |
description |
The black shales of the Middle Triassic Botneheia Formation in Svalbard are known for their fossil richness with abundant ichthyosaur remains and beds of the bivalve Daonella . Vertebrate remains from the Muen Mountain on Edgeøya are shown to have exceptional X-ray contrast due to a combination of sulphide and sulphate permineralisation and pseudomorphing. Radiography imaging of a previously described specimen, PMO 219.250, revealed new and spectacular details such as more carpals, teeth, and skull sutures. Teeth and skull characters are taxonomically significant. supporting the referral of PMO 219.250 to Phalarodon and further suggesting an affinity to P . atavus . Three sulphur phases were identified, with the sulphide sphalerite (ZnS) being the highest temperature phase, followed by the sulphate baryte (BaSO 4 ), and the sulphide pyrite (FeS 2 ). Sulphate permineralisation is also seen in specimens from the Upper Jurassic on Svalbard. We suggest that sulphur-rich fluids have flowed and dissolved barium from the shales and deposited the sphalerite and baryte, and that this could be linked to the Cretaceous HALIP. The Jurassic specimens are only permineralised by baryte, while the Triassic specimens have also been permineralised, but mainly pseudomorphed by baryte with crystals of sphalerite. Lithology differences appear to have controlled the compaction of the Triassic specimens, while the Jurassic specimens have retained their three-dimensional shape due to the baryte emplacement relatively earlier in their depositional history. Although soft tissues are not preserved, the excellent X-ray contrast in the Middle Triassic specimens is reminiscent of pyritised fossil sites such as the Hunsrück Slate (Devonian), Beecher’s Trilobite Bed (Ordovician), and the La Voulte-sur-Rhône marls (Jurassic). |
author2 |
Liu, Jun Norges Forskningsråd Lundin Energy Norway Oljedirektoratet The Research Centre for Arctic Petroleum Exploration, ARCEx |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Engelschiøn, Victoria S. Roberts, Aubrey J. With, Ruben Hammer, Øyvind |
spellingShingle |
Engelschiøn, Victoria S. Roberts, Aubrey J. With, Ruben Hammer, Øyvind Exceptional X-Ray contrast: Radiography imaging of a Middle Triassic mixosaurid from Svalbard |
author_facet |
Engelschiøn, Victoria S. Roberts, Aubrey J. With, Ruben Hammer, Øyvind |
author_sort |
Engelschiøn, Victoria S. |
title |
Exceptional X-Ray contrast: Radiography imaging of a Middle Triassic mixosaurid from Svalbard |
title_short |
Exceptional X-Ray contrast: Radiography imaging of a Middle Triassic mixosaurid from Svalbard |
title_full |
Exceptional X-Ray contrast: Radiography imaging of a Middle Triassic mixosaurid from Svalbard |
title_fullStr |
Exceptional X-Ray contrast: Radiography imaging of a Middle Triassic mixosaurid from Svalbard |
title_full_unstemmed |
Exceptional X-Ray contrast: Radiography imaging of a Middle Triassic mixosaurid from Svalbard |
title_sort |
exceptional x-ray contrast: radiography imaging of a middle triassic mixosaurid from svalbard |
publisher |
Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
publishDate |
2023 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0285939 https://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0285939 |
genre |
Edgeøya Svalbard |
genre_facet |
Edgeøya Svalbard |
op_source |
PLOS ONE volume 18, issue 5, page e0285939 ISSN 1932-6203 |
op_rights |
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0285939 |
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PLOS ONE |
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18 |
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5 |
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