Abstract
Fossil resins are polymerized terpene (isoprenoid) acids. Because of their complexity and resulting variability, isoprenoids have been useful for their information content and geochemical signatures. Fossil resin occurs throughout a 304-ft continuous core and correlated outcrops from the Late Cretaceous Fruitland Formation in the Fossil Forest study area, San Juan basin, New Mexico, in associated with coal, sandstone, shale, and petrified wood. Fourier transformation infrared (FTIR) spectra of resin from throughout the sequence reveal oxidative and chemical variation. FTIR spectra of resin incorporated in petrified wood differ from those of resin exposed to the paleoatmosphere in the same individual tree. This study was initiated to complement previous studies related to analyses of fluid inclusions in fossil resin and to elucidate reactions between the resin matrix and possible atmospheric inclusions. It was done in conjunction with extensive trace-element, palynological, and mineralogical analyses. Understanding the biogeochemistry of fossil resin may elucidate the origin, diagenesis, and depositional environment of smaller concentrations of isoprenoids.
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