Bone Diagenesis

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.

 

 

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.