Trompetter, W.J.; Coote, G.E. 1993 Strontium and fluorine in tuatua shells. Lower Hutt: Institute of Geological & Nuclear Sciences Institute of Geological & Nuclear Sciences science report 93/40 24 p.
Abstract: This report describes the research to date on the elemental distributions of strontium, calcium, and fluorine in a collection of 24 tuatua shells (courtesy of National Museum). Variations in elemental concentrations were measured in the shell cross-sections using a scanning proton microprobe (PIXE and PIGME). In this paper we report the findings to date, and present 2-D measurement scans as illustrative grey-scale pictures. Our results support the hypothesis that increased strontium concentrations are deposited in the shells during spawning, and that fluorine concentration is proportional to growth rate. (auth)
