Mineralogy and Geochemistry of Fossils

A special issue of Minerals (ISSN 2075-163X). This special issue belongs to the section "Biomineralization and Biominerals".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2025) | Viewed by 880

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Earth Sciences, University of Huelva, 21071 Huelva, Spain
Interests: mineralogy; clay minerals; geochemistry; environmental evaluation; paleoenvironmental evolution; anthropic wastes; tsunami deposits

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Fossils constitute the material evidence of past life, although they comprise only a small part of the paleobiodiversity of our planet. The current possibilities for their description and interpretation are largely due to the mineralogy and geochemistry of the organisms from which they originate. In this Special Issue, we intend to emphasize the importance of these two disciplines in their conservation, their practical application in environmental reconstructions, or their potential within industrial rocks, among other possibilities. Papers on the following topics are welcome, although those addressing other approaches are not excluded:

  1. Mineralogical, microstructural and biogeochemical composition of fossils.
  2. Mineralogical, microstructural and biogeochemical changes during the fossilization process.
  3. Applications of mineralogy, microstructure and biogeochemistry in paleontology.
  4. Use and applications of isotopes in fossils.
  5. Mineralogy and geochemistry of industrial rocks of biogenic origin (diatomites, chalk, etc.).
  6. The conservation of fossils in museums and collections: mineralogical and geochemical aspects.
  7. Experimental designs for the longevity of fossils subjected to weathering processes.

Dr. Francisco Ruiz
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • fossils
  • mineralogy
  • geochemistry
  • microstructure
  • paleontology

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

37 pages, 37822 KiB  
Article
Mineralization of Fossil Wood with Macrocrystalline Quartz: A Microscopic Investigation
by George E. Mustoe
Minerals 2025, 15(3), 225; https://doi.org/10.3390/min15030225 - 25 Feb 2025
Viewed by 426
Abstract
Optical microscopy and SEM imaging are powerful tools for evaluating the origins of quartz in fossil wood. Silicification is the most common mechanism for wood petrifaction, but this silica is commonly in cryptocrystalline or microcrystalline form (e.g., chalcedony or agate). Two essential requirements [...] Read more.
Optical microscopy and SEM imaging are powerful tools for evaluating the origins of quartz in fossil wood. Silicification is the most common mechanism for wood petrifaction, but this silica is commonly in cryptocrystalline or microcrystalline form (e.g., chalcedony or agate). Two essential requirements for the formation of macrocrystalline quartz is a concentration of dissolved silica low enough to allow the development of well-ordered lattices, and sufficient open space to allow euhedral or subhedral crystals to grow. Macrocrystalline quartz commonly occurs as a late-stage precipitate in open spaces that remained after initial mineralization had occurred. These spaces include vessels in angiosperm wood, and vugs and fractures in all types of wood. Exterior surfaces may also be suitable sites for quartz crystal growth. In some occurrences, crystalline quartz has directly encrusted or replaced wood cells. Diagenetic transformation of opal can produce cryptocrystalline or microcrystalline forms of quartz, but this process is not likely to produce macrocrystals. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mineralogy and Geochemistry of Fossils)
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