Petrologic and experimental evidence for the etching of garnets by organic acids in the upper Jurassic Morrision Formation, northwestern New Mexico.

Etching of garnets and partial to complete dissolution of other aluminosilicate minerals were caused by high concentrations of organic acids generated during the maturation of epigenetic organic matter (predominantly type-III kerogen) in the Morrison Formation. The presence of authigenic phases that form near 100oC indicates that temperatures were high enough during diagenesis to cause the thermal degradation of kerogen.-from Author