The mid-Pliocene was a global warm period, preceding the onset of Quaternary glaciations. Here we use cosmogenic nuclide dating to show that a fossiliferous terrestrial deposit that includes subfossil trees and the northern-most evidence of Pliocene ice wedge casts in Canada’s High Arctic (Ellesmere Island, Nunavut) was deposited during the mid-Pliocene warm period. The age estimates correspond to a general maximum in high latitude mean winter season insolation, consistent with the presence of a rich, boreal-type forest. Moreover, we report that these deposits have yielded the first evidence of a High Arctic camel, identified using collagen fingerprinting of a fragmentary fossil limb bone. Camels originated in North America and dispersed to Eurasia via the Bering Isthmus, an ephemeral land bridge linking Alaska and Russia. The results suggest that the evolutionary history of modern camels can be traced back to a lineage of giant camels that was well established in a forested Arctic.

Well-preserved fossils of pivotal early bird and nonavian theropod species have provided unequivocal evidence for feathers and/or downlike integuments. Recent studies have reconstructed color on the basis of melanosome structure; however, the chemistry of these proposed melanosomes has remained unknown. We applied synchrotron x-ray techniques to several fossil and extant organisms, including Confuciusornis sanctus, in order to map and characterize possible chemical residues of melanin pigments. Results show that trace metals, such as copper, are present in fossils as organometallic compounds most likely derived from original eumelanin. The distribution of these compounds provides a long-lived biomarker of melanin presence and density within a range of fossilized organisms. Metal zoning patterns may be preserved long after melanosome structures have been destroyed.

No abstract

The observed reactivity of MgO with water is in apparent conflict with theoretical calculations which show that molecular dissociation does not occur on a perfect (001) surface. We have performed ab-initio total energy calculations which show that a chemisorption reaction involving a reconstruction to form a (111) hydroxyl surface is strongly preferred with ∆E = −90.2 kJ mol −1 . We conclude that protonation stabilizes the otherwise unstable (111) Magnesium oxide has long provided a prototype for the study of surface structure and chemical reactions of oxides. Naturally occurring MgO, known by its mineral name of periclase, is not a common crustal mineral, but its simple structure makes it an excellent example for the investigation of mineral surface chemistry.Reactions at mineral surfaces are responsible for much of the chemical change which occurs in the Earth's crust. Weathering reactions control the erosion of rocks and the consequent evolution of surface topography thus providing an opposing mechanism to the more dramatic process of mountain building. Aqueous reactions in sedimentary basins are responsible for the diagenetic processes which transform unconsolidated sediments into rocks. In this work we study the nature of a simple mineral surface when exposed to an aqueous environment and the chemical interaction of water with that surface. This is both a prerequisite to studying the interaction with aqueous solutions and a tractable first step towards ligand-exchange reactions in more complex silicate minerals.We have performed experiments on single-crystals of MgO prepared with high-quality (001) faces which were reacted with acidic solutions. The experiments and results are reported in detail elsewhere 1 , the main feature being the development of an altered surface layer. Elastic Recoil Detection Analysis (ERDA)2 shows protonation to a depth of 900Å with a H/Mg ratio close to 2 giving a probable chemical composition of magnesium hydroxide. Indeed brucite (the mineralogical name for Mg(OH) 2 ) is the most common alteration product of periclase in the natural environment 4 and well-crystallized intergrowths of brucite on periclase have been reported 5 . The initial stage in the reaction is hydroxylation of the surface. MgO has the cubic rocksalt structure with (001) cleavage planes. This is the most stable surface and is the only one seen experimentally 6 . The simplest possibility for a hydroxylated surface is obtained by dissociating a water molecule and placing the OH group above each magnesium ion and the H above each oxygen of the (001) surface (see Fig. 1a) as postulated by Coluccia et al.7 . Some striking hydroxylation experiments were reported by Jones et al. who studied surface roughening on (001) faces of nanocrystalline MgO in a transmission electron microscope 8 . The remarkable affinity of MgO for water is demonstrated by their in situ observation of hydration-induced surface roughening over 10 minutes under vacuum with P H 2 O < 10 −5 Pa. The presence of surface hydroxyl groups on MgO powde...

Evolution of flight in maniraptoran dinosaurs is marked by the acquisition of distinct avian characters, such as feathers, as seen in Archaeopteryx from the Solnhofen limestone. These rare fossils were pivotal in confirming the dinosauria-avian lineage. One of the key derived avian characters is the possession of feathers, details of which were remarkably preserved in the Lagerstätte environment. These structures were previously simply assumed to be impressions; however, a detailed chemical analysis has, until now, never been completed on any Archaeopteryx specimen. Here we present chemical imaging via synchrotron rapid scanning X-ray fluorescence (SRS-XRF) of the Thermopolis Archaeopteryx, which shows that portions of the feathers are not impressions but are in fact remnant body fossil structures, maintaining elemental compositions that are completely different from the embedding geological matrix. Our results indicate phosphorous and sulfur retention in soft tissue as well as trace metal (Zn and Cu) retention in bone. Other previously unknown chemical details of Archaeopteryx are also revealed in this study including: bone chemistry, taphonomy (fossilization process), and curation artifacts. SRS-XRF represents a major advancement in the study of the life chemistry and fossilization processes of Archaeopteryx and other extinct organisms because it is now practical to image the chemistry of large specimens rapidly at concentration levels of parts per million. This technique has wider application to the archaeological, forensic, and biological sciences, enabling the mapping of "unseen" compounds critical to understanding biological structures, modes of preservation, and environmental context. trace elements | X-ray absorption spectroscopy A rchaeopteryx (1) are rare but occupy a pivotal place in the development of Darwinian evolution because of their possession of both reptilian (jaws with teeth and a long bony tail) and avian (feathered wings) characters (2). The specimen used in this study is considered to be the most complete and best preserved archaeopterygid (3) belonging to the species A. siemensii (4). Previous analyses of this fossil have relied upon visual inspection, X-ray computer tomography, scanning electron, and ultraviolet/ visible light microscopy. Structural studies have been extensive and strongly indicate that this organism is transitional between dinosaurs and birds; however, detailed chemical analysis has never been performed. Here we apply state-of-the-art synchrotron rapid scanning X-ray fluorescence (SRS-XRF) imaging to this remarkably well-preserved specimen revealing striking and previously unknown details about the chemical preservation of soft tissue, elemental distribution patterns most likely related to the organism's life processes, insights into the chemistry of the fossilization process, and details of curation history. In addition, quantitative chemical analyses and X-ray absorption spectroscopy are presented that not only corroborate the imaging results but also give further det...