Fig. 4: Cross section of matrix around fossils seen in plain light, UV illumination, and analyzed by energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy. | Communications Earth & Environment

Fig. 4: Cross section of matrix around fossils seen in plain light, UV illumination, and analyzed by energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy.

From: The exceptional preservation of Aix-en-Provence spider fossils could have been facilitated by diatoms

Fig. 4

a When illuminated by UV light, matrix autofluoresces yellow and green, revealing thin laminae. Matrix is also marked by small microfossils with a red spot; four of these features are marked by white arrows. b Close-up of one of these features, as seen under plain light (top) and UV illumination (bottom). Under plain light, these microfossils are mainly clear with a denser spot; under UV illumination that spot autofluoresces red. c Chemical composition of the matrix, revealing that the laminations are alternately Si-rich (red, thicker laminae) and Ca-rich (blue). This also reveals that the microfossils are composed of Si, as seen by the two oblong bodies near the top of the image.

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