Dinosaur Eggshell and Bird Eggshell Comparison using Scanning Electron Microscopy

Abstract

Eggshell fragments from four extant birds and two Cretaceous dinosaurs were studied for their chemical components. Eggs from the birds yielded high C, O, Mg, Al, and Na values. Dinosaur eggs from the Two Medicine Formation of Montana and the Xiaxia Formation of Henan, China, shared high values of Si, Al, O, Ca, Mg, K, and Na. In addition, material from Henan, China, shared high values of Ce and V. Compositional differences between the bird eggs and the dinosaur eggs are attributed largely to diagenetic factors affecting the fossils.