Preservation of rodent bones from El Harhoura 2 cave (Morocco, Neolithic – Middle Palaeolithic): Microstructure, mineralogy, crystallinity and composition

•Fossil bones from El Harhoura cave (Morocco, Neolithic – Middle Palaeolithic were studied.•Microstructure and mineralogy of rodent femurs were examined.•Both microstructure and mineralogy were preserved, but diagenetic alterations exist.•No diagenetic trend has been observed along the stratigraphic sequence.

Thin sections, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), diffraction X (DRX) and infrared spectrometry (FTIR) have been used to study the structure, mineralogy, crystallinity and bulk composition of fossil rodent long bones extracted from a succession of sedimentary layers in a cave from Morocco (Neolithic – Middle Palaeolithic, El Harhoura 2). The microstructure of fossil bones is well-preserved at this scale of observation, and encrusted deposits are rare. All bones are preserved in apatite, but the crystallinity is modified, as well as the crystallite shape, the organic content and the organic-mineral ratio. No fluor enrichment has been observed. Alone or together, the studied parameters do not show a regular trend from the upper to the lower layers of the cave. The preservation of the fossil bones does not confirm the sequence of arid and humid periods inferred from taphonomic analyses.

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