GEOCHEMICAL APPROACHES TO THE STUDY OF LIFE AND DEATH OF DINOSAURS FROM THE EARLY CRETACEOUS CEDAR MOUNTAIN FORMATION, UTAH
Issue Date
2010-04-22Author
Suarez, Celina Angelica
Publisher
University of Kansas
Format
215 pages
Type
Dissertation
Degree Level
Ph.D.
Discipline
Geology
Rights
This item is protected by copyright and unless otherwise specified the copyright of this thesis/dissertation is held by the author.
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Show full item recordAbstract
In this dissertation, geochemical analysis of fossil vertebrate remains are carried out to elucidate fossil diagenesis and for paleoenvironmental reconstructions. Rare earth elements (REE) are analyzed via laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) in order to determine REE distribution within a bone. Analysis indicates REE can vary significantly within a single bone and that thin-walled bones fossilized in vadose settings should not be analyzed via solution ICP-MS. Stable isotopic analysis of oxygen preserved in tooth enamel and scale ganoine is used to discriminate water reservoirs used by the taxa making up several faunal assemblages from the Cedar Mountain Formation. Based on the isotopic composition of calculated ingested/living water of theses taxa, it can be determined that the proximity of the Western Interior Seaway and the rise of the Sevier Mountains were the cause of isotopic variability and dominant control on regional climate during the Cedar Mountain Formation time.
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- Dissertations [4701]
- Geology Dissertations and Theses [232]
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