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Anggrainin0511.Pdf (8.943Mb) CARBONATE PRESERVATION OF DINOSAUR EGGS IN THE UPPER CRETACEOUS ANACLETO FORMATION AT AUCA MAHUEVO, NEUQUÈN BASIN, ARGENTINA by Niswatin Wahida Anggraini A thesis submitted in partial of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Earth Sciences MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY Bozeman, Montana January 2011 ©COPYRIGHT by Niswatin Wahida Anggraini 2011 All Rights Reserved ii APPROVAL of a thesis submitted by Niswatin Wahida Anggraini This thesis has been read by each member of the thesis committee and has been found to be satisfactory regarding content, English usage, format, citation, bibliographic style, and consistency and is ready for submission to the Division of Graduate Education. Dr. James G. Schmitt Approved for the Department of Earth Sciences Dr. Stephen G. Custer Approved for the Division of Graduate Education Dr. Carl A. Fox iii STATEMENT OF PERMISSION TO USE In presenting this thesis in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a master’s degree at Montana State University, I agree that the Library shall make it available to borrowers under rules of the Library. If I have indicated my intention to copyright this thesis by including a copyright notice page, copying is allowable only for scholarly purposes, consistent with “fair use” as prescribed in the U.S. Copyright Law. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this thesis in whole or in parts may be granted only by the copyright holder. Niswatin Wahida Anggraini January 2011 iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank to my advisor Jim Schmitt, and my committee members Dave Mogk and Frankie Jackson, for all of their guidance. To Jim, thank you so much for your encouragement and assistance to solve any difficulties in my work. To Dave Mogk, thanks for training me to do the treatment of thin sections and sample preparation of XRD. To Frankie, thanks for sharing articles and the detailed corrections of this thesis. I would like to thank for ExxonMobil Exploration Indonesia Inc. and ExxonMobil Houston for their grant under ExxonMobil scholarship program. Enam, thanks for your support and control about the progress of my study. Thanks to Imaging and Chemical Analysis Laboratory (ICAL) at Montana State University for providing the analytical instruments that I used in my thesis research. For my husband, Ely Setiawan and my daughter, Nafisa Setiawan for their never ending support and motivation. v TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................... 1 2. GEOLOGIC SETTING ............................................................................................. 4 Lithostratigraphy of the Upper Cretaceous Anacleto Formation............................... 5 3. METHODS ............................................................................................................... 8 4. OBSERVATION ....................................................................................................... 11 Eggshells.................................................................................................................... 11 Hand Sample......................................................................................................... 11 Thin Section.......................................................................................................... 11 Membrane .................................................................................................................. 13 Embryonic Skin ......................................................................................................... 14 Spherulites ................................................................................................................. 15 Ooids.......................................................................................................................... 16 Pellets and Peloids ..................................................................................................... 17 Microcodium.............................................................................................................. 18 Filaments.................................................................................................................... 20 Micrite and Sparite..................................................................................................... 21 Carbonate Component ............................................................................................... 21 Siliciclastic Components............................................................................................ 22 Quartz.................................................................................................................... 22 Gypsum................................................................................................................. 23 Feldspar................................................................................................................. 24 Non-Carbonate Authigenic Mineral .......................................................................... 25 5. DISCUSSION............................................................................................................ 28 Evidence of Microbial Activity ................................................................................. 28 Spherulites ........................................................................................................... 28 Microcodium........................................................................................................ 30 Ooids.................................................................................................................... 31 Precipitation of Calcium Carbonate........................................................................... 32 Microbial Mineral Precipitation................................................................................. 34 6. CONCLUSION.......................................................................................................... 42 REFERENCES CITED.................................................................................................. 44 vi LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 2.1: Regional map and stratigraphic sections ..................................................... 7 4.1: Photo of a carbonate egg in hand sample .................................................... 11 4.2: Photomicrograph of eggshells and FEM images......................................... 12 4.3: CL photomicrograph of carbonate eggs ...................................................... 13 4.4: Photomicrograph of membrane ................................................................... 14 4.5: Photomicrograph of embryonic skin ........................................................... 15 4.6: Photomicrograph of spherulites................................................................... 16 4.7: Photomicrograph of ooids............................................................................ 17 4.8: Photomicrograph of pellets and peloids ...................................................... 18 4.9: Two different morphologies of Microcodium ............................................. 19 4.10: Photomicrograph of Microcodium............................................................. 19 4.11: FEM images of filaments........................................................................... 20 4.12: Photomicrograph of micrite and sparite .................................................... 21 4.13: XRD diagram of bulk carbonate egg samples ........................................... 22 4.14: Photomicrograph of detrital quartz............................................................ 23 4.15: EDX patterns and FEM image of gypsum................................................. 24 4.16: EDX patterns and FEM image of feldspar ................................................ 25 4.17: EDX patterns and FEM image of analcime............................................... 26 5.1: FEM image of abiotic origin of calcite crystals........................................... 30 5.2: Autotrophic pathways of carbonate bacterial .............................................. 37 vii ABSTRACT Preservation of dinosaur eggs and footprints by precipitation of calcium carbonate in the Upper Cretaceous Anacleto Formation at Auca Mahuevo, Argentina represents a relatively unusual occcurence in the fossil record. Under normal condition, eggs are readily destroyed in sediments shortly after burial by physical, chemical, and biological processes. This study attempts to determine a preservational model for carbonate eggs by characterizing their mineralogical composition and microstructures using a variety of analytical instruments including petrographic microscope, cathodoluminesce (CL) microscope, X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and field-emission scanning electron microscope (FEM) to characterize the composition and fabric of the fossilized eggs. Several textutal features have been observed in the carbonate eggs, including membrane, embryonic skin, spherulites, ooids, peloids, Microcodium, calcified filaments, and micrite. Microbial actvity is likely responsible for the formation of these microfabric features, facilitating calcium carbonate precipitation leading to exceptional preservation of eggs. Although microbial influence in the carbonate egg preservation has not been clearly elucidated, laboratory experiments by other workers provide an argument for the role of microbes in the precipitation of calcium carbonate.
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