EXPLORATION OF CAMBRIAN FOSSILS BY MICRO X-RAY FLUORESCENCE SPECTROMETER

With the increasing emphasis on basic research in China,great achievements have been made in paleontology,especially in the study of early life and the Cambrian explosion.Research facilities have been improved,such as Scanning Electron Microscopy(SEM)and X-ray microtomography Scanner(Micro-CT)have been used extensively in researches. Micro X-ray Fluorescence(μ-XRF) is a non-destructive technique used to study those exceptionally preserved brachiopod fossils from the lower Cambrian lagerst?tten in South China.Here we present the first μ-XRF mapping of exquisite fossils with soft-part preservation recovered from the Wulongqing Formation of two important localities,the Jianshan section and the Gaoloufang section in eastern Yunnan.Due to the Penetrative capabilities of this technique,some fine details,such as lophophore, which is invisible under optical microscope, can be observed. Semiquantitative analysis of chemical elements(Na-U)and compounds in the matrix also reveals subtle differences in sedimentary mineral characteristics between the Chengjiang and the Guanshan deposits.μ-XRF does not require any sample preparation before testing and scanning,which is a useful and non-destructive technique for surface scanning of specimens,and micro-area analysis at different scales.μ-XRF is providing critical new information for comparative studies of the preservation and sedimentary environment of fauna in critical deposits such as the Chengjiang and the Guanshan deposits.

Project Supported:

Clc Number: