Last year at a club auction I bought a slab of Ordovician limestone from the Whitewater Formation in Indiana. It is covered in bryzoans and brachiopods.

It seems a shame to dissolve it but I've read that the Whitewater contains many species of scolecodonts and the only way to recover them is to dissolve the limestone.

This summer's paleo project is to dissolve the limestone with dilute acetic acid. Reading some papers I learned that using HCl can destroy conodonts and even using too strong of an acetic acid solution (> 10%) will cause damage.

In order to follow the methodology of Jeppsson et al., I purchased a used pH meter (Ebay), a hydrometer and siphon pump (McMaster), a 5 gallon HDPE bucket with lid (Lowes) and finally an air lock (local beer / wine making store). Now all I need is some acetic acid. Luckily I found a source of 20% acetic acid (very strong vinegar) nearby - a farm market - for $5 / gal. Much cheaper than $13 / gal online with shipping being an extra $15 / gal!

I hope to use the Whitewater Formation sample to test the technique. If it works well, then I'll dissolve some local Ordovician Jacksonburg limestone that reportedly contains conodonts and possibly silicified fossils!