Occurrence of Strontium in Molluscan Shells

Abstract

ATTENTION was recently directed to the possible role of small quantities of strontium carbonate in promoting the formation of aragonite, rather than calcite, in certain molluscan shells¹. At that time the presence of traces of strontium had been demonstrated in only a few species of bivalves with aragonite shells (namely, Tellina tenuis, T. (Macrotoma) baltica and Donax vittatus), while the absence of strontium from some examples of the calcite shell of Ostrea edulis was also recorded.