An unusual occurrence of Nautilus macromphalus in a cenote in the Loyalty Islands (New Caledonia)

Exploration of a landlocked cenote on Lifou (Loyalty Islands) revealed 37 shells of the cephalopod Nautilus macromphalus Sowerby, 1849, in saltwater on the cenote floor, approximately 40 m below the water surface. The occurrence of these shells is unusual because N. macromphalus is restricted to the open marine waters surrounding the island. All of the shells are mature, and nearly all of them are unbroken, with faded red-brown color stripes. We analyzed seven shells to determine their age. Radiocarbon dating yielded ages of 6380¡30 to 7095¡30 y BP. The 238U-series radionuclides 210Pb (half-life 522.3 y) and 226Ra (half-life 51600 y) also were measured. Two of the samples showed radioactive equilibrium between the nuclides, consistent with the old radiocarbon dates, but the other five samples showed excess 210Pb. When corrected for radioactive decay, the 226Ra activities were much greater than those found in living Nautilus. We conclude that exposure to high activities of 222Rn and 226Ra in the salty groundwater of the cenote altered the activities originally incorporated into the shells. Human placement of the shells in the cavity is rejected based on their radiocarbon age and the geometry of the cenote. The most probable explanation is that the animals entered the flooded karstic system through a connection on the seaward side at approximately 7,000 y BP, during an interval of slowly rising sea level. Unable to find an exit and/or due to anoxic bottom waters, the animals were trapped and died inside. The open connection with the sea persisted for ,700 y, but after ,6400 y BP, the connection was lost, probably due to a roof collapse. This is a rare example of Nautilus in a karstic coastal basin and provides a minimum age for the appearance of N. macromphalus in the Loyalty Islands

Influence of test methodology and probe geometry on nanoscale fatigue mechanisms of diamond-like carbon thin film

The aim of this paper is to investigate the mechanism of nanoscale fatigue using nano-impact and multiple-loading cycle nanoindentation tests, and compare it to previously reported findings of nanoscale fatigue using integrated stiffness and depth sensing approach. Two different film loading mechanisms, loading history and indenter shapes are compared to comprehend the influence of test methodology on the nanoscale fatigue failure mechanisms of a DLC film. An amorphous 100 nm thick DLC film was deposited on a 500 μm silicon substrate using sputtering of graphite target in pure argon atmosphere. Nano-impact and multiple-load cycle indentations were performed in the load range of 100 μN to 1000 μN and 0.1 mN to 100 mN, respectively. Both test types were conducted using conical and Berkovich indenters. Results indicate that for the case of a conical indenter, the combination of nano-impact and multiple-loading cycle nanoindentation tests provides information on the life and failure mechanism of the DLC film, which is comparable to the previously reported findings using the integrated stiffness and depth sensing approach. However, the comparison of results is sensitive to the applied load, loading mechanism, test-type and probe geometry. The loading mechanism and load history are therefore critical which also lead to two different definitions of film failure. The choice of exact test methodology, load and probe geometry should therefore be dictated by the in-service tribological conditions, and where necessary both test methodologies can be used to provide better insights of failure mechanism. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of the elastic response of nanoindentation are reported, which indicate that the elastic modulus of the film measured using MD simulation was higher than that experimentally measured. This difference is attributed to the factors related to the presence of material defects, crystal structure, residual stress, indenter geometry and loading/unloading rate differences between the MD and experimental results

Primary structure of the connecting ring of ammonoids and its preservation

The most distinctive and important element of the hydrostatic organ of ammonoids and nautiloids is the siphuncular tube. It consists of mineral and organic segments (so−called connecting rings). The connecting ring of ammonites never preserves its original organic matter in the mineralized state, usually having undergone diagenetic phosphatisation, more rarely, calcification, or even complete loss. Our knowledge about its original ultrastructure is based upon comparison with Recent Nautilus and phosphatised or calcified ammonite fossils. We show that depending on the taphonomic history, both calcium phosphate and calcite can participate in the diagenesis of the connecting ring wall. Under standard light microscopy, the phosphatised elements are indistinguishable from the calcified ones. Both are dark brown in colour, due to an excess of carbon. The structure of the phosphatised siphuncle does not closely replicate the structure of its organic elements. This casts doubts on conclusions of other authors who described a complex porous structure in ammonite siphuncles, which is completely dissimilar to the siphuncular structure of Recent Nautilus and suggests that this organ functioned differently in ammonites. SEM observations using a BSE detector on the calcified parts of the walls of connecting rings revealed a multilayered structure with perpendicular elements connecting particular layers, resembling the structure of a stacked nacreous layer

Precursory siphuncular membranes in the body chamber of Phyllopachyceras and comparisons with other ammonoids

Organic membranes preserved in the rear part of the body chamber of the Late Cretaceous phylloceratid ammonite Phyllopachyceras ezoense were examined with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) on the basis of well−preserved specimens from Hokkaido, Japan. SEM observations revealed that the membranes are continuous with the siphuncular tube wall in the phragmocone and consist of two layers, both of which are made of a dark, primarily conchiolin material; namely, a thinner inner homogeneous layer and a thicker outer layer with gently inclined pillar−like units. Hence, they are interpreted as the precursory siphuncular membranes. The precursory siphuncular membranes are not associated with any other organic components such as the siphuncular sheets reported in some Paleozoic and Mesozoic ammonoids. Unlike the tube−like condition in the phragmocone, the precursory siphuncular membranes in the body chamber of the specimens examined do not form a tube shape; on the ventral side the membranes are truncated and directly contact the outer shell wall. These observations suggest that the inner and outer layers of the precursory siphuncular membranes in the body chamber were respectively formed by the siphuncular epithelium from the inner side and by the invaginated septal epithelium from the outer side. It is also postulated that at the initial stage of septal formation, the rear part of the body moved slowly forward, developing a circumsiphonal invagination of the septal epithelium. Because similar conchiolin membranes are occasionally preserved in the body chambers of other phylloceratids, the above morphogenetic process applies to all members of the Phylloceratina. The tube−shaped structure in the rear part of the body chamber of desmoceratid Damesites consists only of nacreous layer. We interpret it as a pathologically overgrown prochoanitic septal neck

Dorsal shell wall in ammonoids

In ammonoids, a soft body organ (possibly a supracephalicmantle fold), extending from the conch aperture secreted aragonitic wrinkles, forming a layer on the surface of the preceding whorl. The dorsal shell wall consists of the outer and inner components which were deposited sequentially, beginning at the aperture of the living chamber inwards. The dorsal wall attains its full thickness near the last septum. The outer component is visible in the apertural region and is smooth or wrinkled; it is called the wrinkled layer in the latter case. The wrinkles may be continuous, interrupted, or form isolated patches arranged in rows. The wrinkles are usually triangular in cross section. A further stage of dorsal wall development involves filling in the space between the apices of triangles, and then adding one or more inner prismatic layers from the inside of the living chamber. This pattern occurs at least in the postembryonic stage of all genera studied, belonging to five suborders of Ammonoidea ranging from Late Carboniferousto Late Cretaceous. In many genera, the outer component of the dorsal shell wall exhibits remarkable ontogenetic change in its ultrastructure and microornament. It may be compared with the black film of Recent Nautilus shells with respect to place of formation. The outer component of the ammonoid dorsal shell wall is regarded as a product of organic secretion and carbonate precipitation in the area of the supracephalic mantle fold.U planispiralnie skręconych amonoidów, u których ścianka grzbietowa styka się bezpośrednio ze ścianką poprzedniego skrętu, mamy do czynienia z modyfikacją strukturalną ścianki grzbietowej w obszarze styku obu ścianek. Wymienione modyfikacje dotyczą w głównej mierze zewnętrznego składnika ścianki grzbietowej tzw. wrinkle-layer, położonego bezpośrednio na peryostrakum poprzedniego skrętu. Strefa zmarszczek (wrinkle-layer) znana była początkowo jedynie u amonoidów paleozoicznych, dopiero Senior (1971) i Kulicki (1979) odnotowali jej występowanie u amonoidów mezozoicznych. Na podstawie przebadanego materiału obejmującego 12 rodzajów należących do pięciu podrzędów Ammonoidea i występujących od późnego paleozoiku do późnej kredy nie stwierdzono występowania strefy zmarszczek poza ścianką grzbietową. Podobne suuktury, obserwowane u paleozoicznych amonoidów w ściankach bocznej i brzusznej nosza nazwę „Ritzstreifen” i nie są homologiczne do zmarszczek „wrinkle-layer”. Typowa zmarszczka „wrinkle-layer” w przekroju podłuznym zbudowana jest z elementu centralnego, organicznego lub organo-mineralnego, oraz pryzmatycznych warstewek, w których długie osie pryzm są prostopadłe do boków trójkąta skierowanych do wnętrza komory mieszkalnej. Obok typowych elementów strefy zmarszczek, opisano tzw. elementy dwurożne o zarysie okrągłym, lub owalnym u triasowych rodzajów Subolenekites i Sibirites, a także u wczesnokredowego Aconeceras. Te elementy były błędnie interpretowane (Doguzhaeva & Mutvei 1986) jako pory związane z przyczepami miękkich tkanek płaszcza do muszli. Typowa strefa zmarszczek wytwarzana przez fałd nadgłowowy płaszcza, została stwierdzona we wszystkich badanych podrzędach za wyjątkiem Phylloceratina. W wymienionym rzędzie opisano powszechnie występujące rytmiczne modyfikacje peryostrakum wbudowywane do ścianki grzbietowej. We wczesnych stadiach rozwojowych modyfikacje te mogą przypominać elementy strefy zmarszczek, lecz ich pochodzenie i budowa są różne