Titel
Freshwater Fossil Pearls from the Nihewan Basin, Early Early Pleistocene
Autor*in
Su-Ping Li
Institute of Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences
Autor*in
Pei-Yi Yao
Institute of Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences
Autor*in
Jin-Feng Li
State Key Laboratory of Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences
... show all
Abstract
Fossil blister pearls attached to the shells of an Anodonta mollusk from China, early Early Pleistocene, are reported here for the first time. The pearls were investigated in detail using a variety of methods. Micro-CT scanning of the fossil pearls was carried out to discover the inner structure and the pearl nucleus. Using CTAn software, changes in the gray levels of the biggest pearl, which reflect the changing density of the material, were investigated. The results provide us with some clues on how these pearls were formed. Sand grains, shell debris or material with a similar density could have stimulated the development of these pearls. X-ray diffraction analysis of one fossil pearl and the shell to which it was attached reveals that only aragonite exists in both samples. The internal structures of our fossil shells and pearls were investigated using a Scanning Electron Microscope. These investigations throw some light on pearl development in the past.
Stichwort
PearlsFossilsAragonitePleistocene epochPrismsCrystal structureCalciteX-ray diffraction
Objekt-Typ
Sprache
Englisch [eng]
Persistent identifier
https://phaidra.univie.ac.at/o:546795
Erschienen in
Titel
PLOS ONE
Band
11
Ausgabe
10
Verlag
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Erscheinungsdatum
2016
Zugänglichkeit

Herunterladen

Universität Wien | Universitätsring 1 | 1010 Wien | T +43-1-4277-0