Imaging of Jurassic fossils from the Talbragar Fish Bed using fluorescence, photoluminescence, and elemental and mineralogical mapping

The Talbragar Fish Bed is one of Australia's most important Jurassic deposits for freshwater fishes, land plants and aquatic and terrestrial insects. The site has yielded many well preserved fossils, which has led to the formal description of numerous new species and higher taxa. The excellent...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one 2017-06, Vol.12 (6), p.e0179029-e0179029
Main Authors: Frese, Michael, Gloy, Gerda, Oberprieler, Rolf G, Gore, Damian B
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Analysis
Animals
Aquatic plants
Australia
Biodiversity
Biological Evolution
Biology and Life Sciences
Cavenderichthys talbragarensis
Deposits
Earth Sciences
Ecosystems
Fish
Fishes - anatomy & histology
Fluorescence
Fossils
Freshwater fish
Goethite
History, Ancient
Imaging
Insecta - anatomy & histology
Insecta - chemistry
Insects
Inspection
Iron Compounds - analysis
Iron Compounds - chemistry
Iron Compounds - history
Jurassic
Kaolin - analysis
Kaolin - chemistry
Kaolin - history
Kaolinite
Light
Light effects
Luminescence
Luminescent Measurements
Mapping
Matrices (mathematics)
Metals, Heavy - analysis
Metals, Heavy - chemistry
Metals, Heavy - history
Mineral composition
Minerals
Minerals - analysis
Minerals - chemistry
Minerals - history
Museums
New species
Pentoxylon australicum
Photoluminescence
Physical Sciences
Plant Leaves - anatomy & histology
Plant Leaves - chemistry
Plants - anatomy & histology
Plants - chemistry
Preservation
Quartz
Quartz - analysis
Quartz - chemistry
Quartz - history
Research and Analysis Methods
Rocks
Science
Silicon dioxide
Spectrometry, Fluorescence
Spectrum analysis
Studies
Taxa
Terrestrial environments
Ultraviolet
Visualization
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Description
Summary:The Talbragar Fish Bed is one of Australia's most important Jurassic deposits for freshwater fishes, land plants and aquatic and terrestrial insects. The site has yielded many well preserved fossils, which has led to the formal description of numerous new species and higher taxa. The excellent preservation of many fossils has allowed detailed anatomical studies, e.g. of the early teleost fish Cavenderichthys talbragarensis (Woodward, 1895). Here we report on the fluorescent characteristics and mineral composition of a range of Talbragar fossils. Most specimens fluoresce under ultraviolet, blue and green light. Elemental and mineralogical analyses revealed that the Talbragar fossils consist predominantly of quartz (SiO2), a mineral that is likely to account for the observed fluorescence, with trace kaolinite (Al2Si2O5(OH)4) in some of the fish fossils. Rock matrices are predominantly composed of quartz and goethite (FeO(OH)). Closer inspection of a plant leaf (Pentoxylon australicum White, 1981) establishes fluorescence as a useful tool for the visualisation of anatomical details that are difficult to see under normal light conditions.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0179029