Figure 6 | Scientific Reports

Figure 6

From: Evolution and Function of Dinosaur Teeth at Ultramicrostructural Level Revealed Using Synchrotron Transmission X-ray Microscopy

Figure 6

An enamel crack was arrested at interglobular porous space (IGS) region analyzed by using TXM.

A deep enamel crack observed in an extant Caiman Crocodilus tooth was arrested inside the IGS region rather than at the DEJ boundary. Because, the IGS is a kind of randomly distributed porous structure that may help redirect crack propagation and release the stress. The results also demonstrated that the high-resolution TXM image can help us identify the crack-arrested site or crack trajectory in teeth much more clearly.

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