<HTML>Mattcarpsšwrote:
>The implications are quite amazing, but I would
>still be cautious until we hear more. For a start,
>we do not know their dating. How long does it
>take for bones to fossilise?
Fossilization is a highly variable process. It depends
on the type of fossilization, i.e permineralization
versus replacement. The former can take a few
months and the latter can take 5 to 10 years. Go see;
Speed and Conditions of Fossilization by Bonnie Blackwell
[
www.dinosauria.com]
On the other hand, bones can remain unpermineralized
but still somewhat altered by diagenesis for millions of
years under other circumstances as indicated by the
fossil dinosaur bones found within the Prince Creek
Formation along the Colville River in the North Slope of
Alaska. Go see:
"looking for fresh dinosaur bones II" at:
[
www.cmnh.org]
Diagenetic alteration of dinosaur bone
[
www.llnl.gov]
Some definitions can be found at:
Chapter 1: Fossilization and Preservation
[
www.geo.arizona.edu]
"Permineralization. Skeletal material can be quite
porous. If the pores are filled in by foreign minerals
that precipitate out of solution, the fossil is said to
be permineralized. Petrified wood is an example
of wood that has been permineralized by silica.
Replacement. This occurs when skeletal material
is replaced, molecule by molecule, by some new
alien material. This process occurs gradually over
a long period of time as the original mineralogy
dissolves away and a new mineral precipitates
in its place. ..."
Yours,
Keith
New Orleans, LA</HTML>
