SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY AND ELECTRON MICROSCOPY OF BONE FRAGMENTS FROM A CAMARASAURUS (DINOSAURIA, SAUROPODA) FEMUR

A fragment of bone from a Camarasaurus sp. (Dinosauria, Sauropoda) femur was obtained in the Little Houston Quarry near Sundance, Wyoming in the Morrison Formation (Upper Jurassic). The goal of the project was to locate and identify microstructures, if possible within the bone and possibly determine diagenetic effects on the bone. During operations the general settings was for the SEM to be on VP mode for the vacuum to help prevent charging, and the current was high. The acceleration voltage was set at 20 kV, and the SEM was set at 30.00 µm.

Chemical compositions of the bone and clay particles were taken using backscatter. The clay particles showed that the major components that comprised the clay were silica, aluminum, calcium, carbon, and oxygen. While the bone showed spikes at calcium K alpha and beta, oxygen, carbon, and aluminum. SEM scans also showed grooves and canals, which may possibly be microbial destruction to the bone. Upon further investigation using electron microscopy showed possible growth rings are observable in the femur.