Figure 5: NanoSIMS secondary ion images showing 16O−, 12C14N−, 28Si− and RGB composites of the same region.
From: Viruses as new agents of organomineralization in the geological record
The CN signal indicates organic material, whereas O and Si indicate mineralized material. The RGB composites (composed of 12C14N−, 16O− and 12C2− in the RGB channels, respectively) help to show where elements are colocated. (a) This region (the same region in Fig. 6) features un-mineralized organic material (arrows) directly adjacent to the mineralized material with similar morphology (dashed arrow). Field of view=6 μm. (b) This region shows a partially mineralized cell-like feature (dashed arrow) and un-mineralized organic material (arrow). The image was acquired with slightly lower resolution to capture more signal, hence the stronger contrast in the Si image. Field of view=6 μm. (c) Some prokaryote cells remain largely un-mineralized (arrow). Field of view=8 μm. (d) Large un-mineralized prokaryote cells (arrows) adjacent to smaller mineralized prokaryote cells (dashed arrows). Field of view=15 μm.
