Characterization of Sauropod bone structure

This chapter describes the applications of some well established methods of materials science in the examination of sauropod bone microstructure. Fossilized bone is characterized here at different levels of hierarchy, from the macro level at which bone can be separated into cortical and cancellous bone to the nano level at which the bone is composed of an assemblage of collagen and mineral particles , and then compared to bone of extant animals. X ray diffraction and fluorescence analysis in combination with electron microscopy permit the quantification of the influence of diagenetic processes on fossilized bone. The chapter emphasizes that there are a multitude of investigative techniques well suited for bone analysis at the different structural levels. For an in depth understanding of dinosaur bone structure and its global preservation state, however, a combination of the methods is necessar