| title: |
Properties of biogenic apatite varieties as indicators of their formation and alteration |
| reg no: |
ETF5275 |
| project type: |
Estonian Science Foundation research grant |
| subject: |
1.10. Geology
|
| status: |
completed |
| institution: |
University of Tartu |
| head of project: |
Ivar Puura |
| duration: |
01.01.2002 - 31.12.2005 |
| description: |
Properties of biogenic apatite varieties are studied by means of XRD and SEM/EDS. Three research foci will be based on three large subsets of samples: (1) apatite varieties from Estonian phosphorite deposit; (2) apatite varieties in Recent and fossil brachiopod shells and (3) apatite varieties in Recent and fossil vertebrates. A task of our studies is to use statistically representative data sets for testing hypothetical scenarios describing skeletal apatite formation and subsequent alteration by means of maturation and enrichment with precipitated apatite varieties. Our goal is to establish if the constraints to stability of the apatite varieties allow to use the ranges of mineralogical parameters as indicators of different processes. A wider goal is to advance representative data sets of lattice parameters that could be used as a "map" for interpreting further XRD studies of biogenic apatite varieties. |