Chemical and Mineralogical Composition of Fossil Molluscan Shells from the Fox Hills Formation, South Dakota

Research Article| December 01, 1961 Chemical and Mineralogical Composition of Fossil Molluscan Shells from the Fox Hills Formation, South Dakota KARL K TUREKIAN; KARL K TUREKIAN Dept. Geology, Yale University, New Haven, Conn Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar R. L ARMSTRONG R. L ARMSTRONG Dept. Geology, Yale University, New Haven, Conn Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information KARL K TUREKIAN Dept. Geology, Yale University, New Haven, Conn R. L ARMSTRONG Dept. Geology, Yale University, New Haven, Conn Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 27 Jan 1961 First Online: 02 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2674 Print ISSN: 0016-7606 Copyright © 1961, The Geological Society of America, Inc. Copyright is not claimed on any material prepared by U.S. government employees within the scope of their employment. GSA Bulletin (1961) 72 (12): 1817–1828. https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1961)72[1817:CAMCOF]2.0.CO;2 Article history Received: 27 Jan 1961 First Online: 02 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Permissions Search Site Citation KARL K TUREKIAN, R. L ARMSTRONG; Chemical and Mineralogical Composition of Fossil Molluscan Shells from the Fox Hills Formation, South Dakota. GSA Bulletin 1961;; 72 (12): 1817–1828. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1961)72[1817:CAMCOF]2.0.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGSA Bulletin Search Advanced Search Abstract Chemical composition and mineralogy of a large number of samples of molluscan shell material from limy concretions in the Fox Hills Formation (Cretaceous) of South Dakota were determined. The results show an extremely wide range of concentrations for the minor elements Mg, Fe, Mn, Sr, and Ba and of calcite-aragonite ratios.Detailed studies of an ammonite, Sphenodiscus, a characteristic faunal element of this formation, showed that the range of minor-element concentrations could best be interpreted as the consequence of at least two separate alteration processes, involving contamination and recrystallization, probably during diagenesis. Neither visual nor mineralogic criteria can be used to predict the degree of alteration of the original shell composition. Since the alteration processes may have both added and subtracted material, one must be cautious in accepting any fossil-shell-composition data as representative of the originally deposited test. This content is PDF only. Please click on the PDF icon to access. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.