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Showing results for tags 'preservation'.
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Preservation of colour in fossil shells
pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon posted a topic in Questions & Answers
Hi all, Some time ago I found this shell in (what I believe to be) the French Upper Muschelkalk (Triassic). Now I'm not into shells myself, but to judge from the remains of operculum on the underside of it, the specimen concerns an oyster. Most strikingly, however, the shell has a pattern of darker-coloured lines that do not correspond to any three-dimensional/elevational differences on the shell surface - which is, in fact, entirely flat. I haven't seen this on a fossil shell before. Now when doing a Google search for my response on whether it would be possible for crustacean carapaces to retain traces of their original colour, I bumped into an article that described that molluscs may incorporate melanin in the calcite of their shells to create the colour patterns we see (e.g., here). This got me wondering: could the lines I'm seeing indeed be traces of the original melanin pigmentation of this shell? And, if so, how common is this phenomenon? Does anybody else have examples of such shells? I'd also be very happy if someone could furnish me with a genus or species name to go with my specimen. But here I'd like to primarily raise the topic of ancient colour reconstruction in shells.
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When faced with a radiodont appendage fossil; How does one effectively determine which slab contains the "part" or "counterpart" ? For reference, here's the holotype Pseudoangustidontus appendage. The first pic, Figure A, is apparently the positive(?) "part" of the fossil. Whilst the second pic, Figure C, is apparently the negative(?) "counterpart". Like it's easy to tell the difference between an impression/cast, or the actual fossilised remains for hard-bodied specimens like shells, exoskeletons and bone. But for some soft-bodied organisms, it's especially difficult when both slabs seem to preserve both the impressions and the fossilised remains of the organism, as in the case with the Pseudoangustidontus holotype. I've also heard that concavity of the matrix usually helps in identification; but thin and soft-bodied specimens often just leaves a planar imprint, so judging by relief might not be too reliable either. Any thoughts on this matter?
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Preparation of fragile crystallized fossils
rickeclectic posted a topic in General Fossil Discussion
I have several fossils that have crystallized shells. I would like any advice on preparing the fossil without having the crystallized structure disintegrated. See example photo and the crystals structures around the edges of the spiral. Thanks. .
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Hi Members, I'll start off by saying that I'm a complete newbie in the fossil/dinosaur world, so please forgive me for using incorrect terminology. I have just come to acquire a complete Psittacosaurus mounted skeleton (see photos), that is mostly intact on the mount. The previous owner had a box of manus parts (phalanges, etc.). She also had an old tube of adhesive in that box (B-7000 in the "parts" photo). I would like to "restore" the structure via glueing the loose parts back onto the skeletal structure. I am looking for advice on which adhesive to use, e.g. should I use the B-7000 that the previous owner had? Through my web search, I have found references to Paleobond and Starbond as possible adhesives to use (with varieties different mostly by viscosity). Are these the best brands and types of adhesives for such work? Other than the adhesive itself, should other substances be used for preparation, hardening acceleration and preservation purposes? Any advice for this aspiring "paleontologist" would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance, Biju
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I took another trip yesterday to the Kimmeridgian site in the Danube Valley and continued my dig in the divisum zone. This time I came up with, among other things, a Pseudhimalayites uhlandi ammonite with a diameter of 18cm. These things can get quite large, so I'm dealing with just the phragmocone here. As I've mentioned in other posts, this exposure is in the middle of a sponge reef, so a lot of activity was going on here at the time that this creature hit the dust, so to speak. It landed on a group of sponges and began to deteriorate and deform, revealing the insides of some of the septa, but not before a number of epizoans, such as tube worms, colonized it, some bits of sponge got stuck to it, and another little ammonite shell dropped onto it before it was finally buried and retained for posterity. The photos below can be enlarged to have a better look at the detritus. Thought it might interest you.
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Hi im and amateur collector and I'm not sure if the was the right section to post this under. I purchased this tusk a couple years ago. The seller said he's had it since the 1970s. Because of the large crack from top to bottom and the inside is quite powdery. Is there and thing I can do to preserve it? Its about 6.5 feet along the curve and 120lb so I get worried when I move it. Also I see that great patina on some tusks is that something that is added 5o make it shine or does it comes out of the ground like that? Any help would be appreciated!
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Hello together, I just got a fossil that I am not sure what to make of. The species ID I got is Nemiana/Beltanelliformis, which I have no reason to doubt so far. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beltanelliformis What has me wondering is the preservation. Most pieces the seller had to offer seem to be imprints or remnants of sediment glued together by biofilms as one would expect for the species, like in the third pic. Containing mica interestingly. The piece in question appears covered in a shiny black layer that reminds me very much of what I once found in a glass bottle of coke that had melted in a campfire, turning its sugary content into coal. In case of the fossil it may be other dark minerals of course, but after reading about organically preserved specimens I dared hope that it may be the actual carbon. What do you think? Thanks J
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Look! I found this fossil in Slate. Dinosaur mummy shows they had a cloaca https://slate.com/technology/2020/10/dinosaur-butt-fossil-discovery-cloaca.html
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Hello So a while back I came into the possession of a Columbian Mammoth Tooth. As you can see it's in need of a clean and maybe preserving, which I have never done and so I'd like some advice. Feel free to treat me like an idiot as I have never done this befor. P.S. I cannot upload anything to the Gallery section either.
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Brazil Insects - 100% natural
Hollie Bird posted a topic in Is It Real? How to Recognize Fossil Fabrications
Hi eveyone I bought these fossil insects online a while ago now. Seller said they were from the crato formation in brazil. I would love to know peoples thoughts on them. Are these sort of insects generally 100% natural? Also how are they prepped? Thanks
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- crato formation
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I have quite a few casts (too many to post here) of small shells. They are preserved in extremely soft matrix and I am worried about the matrix falling apart over time. The matrix also appears to dissolve quickly when exposed to water. I've lost a few specimens to my failed attempts at extraction with water (lesson learned). I live in Virginia which can be very wet and humid at times, especially in the spring/late summer. I'm trying to avoid posting pics (I'm inherently very lazy) but I will if need be. Thanks.
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Hello, The photo below is my personal collection of Keichousaurus. The bones of this piece seems very fragile to me. I am considering of applying paraloid b72 dissolve in acetone in hope of strengthening the bones. Any thoughts or suggestions are welcomed!
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Hi there! I am brand new to the forum, but have been a fossil lover all my life. I am hoping to learn the best way to preserve sandstone leaf fossils. I've been finding them since I was a kid and my mother use to coat they in polyurethane, I believe. I'm just not convinced this is the best practice. I imagine the chemicals would deteriorate the stone overtime? Anyways, I would appreciate any and all advice. Thanks in advance! Dea
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Is there a youtube video of how this is prepared to use on a fossil? I have one in particular i want to use it on to preserve better. Of course im a total newb to this so i want to know the do's and dont's before i even attempt it.
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Hello everyone, I found the below ichthyosaur vertebra on the beach at Wimereux two weeks ago. It had obviously been lying there for some time, as it was covered in green algae and barnacles. Based on the advise of various friends and the fact this rock seems to hard and massive to work through using just my Dremel, I'll be leaving the fossil in its matrix. However, I do want to clean it up from the algae and barnacles. As such, I used a 1:2 dilution of 14° household cleaning vinegar and a couple of sturdy brushes to remove most of the algae (dipping the brushes in the solution between brushings) and soaked it in soapy hot water. Areas with tougher algae were treated using the undiluted vinegar. Today removed the remaining barnacles using wooden toothpicks, following it with another soak in hot soapy water and another rinse. Although I think this got rid of all the barnacles, and the piece is no longer entirely coated in green algae, there are still various green spots on the rock (and a slight green sheen on the vertebra itself) that haven't come out with the treatment. (Also the "dead fish smell" still lingers) This makes me wonder about the following things: 1. Can the algae regrow, given enough light and moisture in the air? 2. Has anyone ever experienced algae spreading in their collection after failing to remove all traces of algae (I mean, fungi will spread between books and, as I understand, algae can transmit their spores by air)? 3. Is there a way I can get rid of the remaining algae on the rock? E.g. exposure to sun/UV light? 4. Is there a way something can be done about the slight lingering smell, or is this just something that needs to dissipate over time? Now I read some of you prefer using diluted bleach to remove algae growth from fossils (as mentioned in the post below), but I'm not sure I feel comfortable playing around with such aggressive agents yet...
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good morning is there a need to preserve modern bone? and if so, can you suggest a safe and (relatively) easy way to do so? i'm hoping there may be some kind of aerosol spray or perhaps something i can just brush on i don't have the equipment or space to use acetone and paraloid (and am hoping that would not be necessary for modern bone) thank you
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I've owned a sweet Keich that came from China via Germany in the mid-20th century. In our last move, it was broken. The photos attached show the main break point with missing vertebrae. The next photo shows the cross-section, just for the sake of proving authenticity (you can see how the matrix striae curve around the bone as well as the details of the spine in cross-section). As I was lucky enough to find the missing vertebrae I placed the pieces together in the next photo and held the pieces in place in the final photo to show how it should look when finally repaired. My question: What adhesive should I use to repair the matrix and is there something different I should use to glue the delicate piece with the vertebrae into place? Many thanks to all for any experience/advice.
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Hey everyone! I need to prepare some White River fossils and I was wondering the best preservation method for larger bones, such as oreodont skulls, etc. Any response is appreciated! Thanks!
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Hello, Firstly, I would like to thank everyone for their continued support in answering questions for someone who has now ventured into fossil hunting and procurement. I purchased the attached ammonite pair some time ago and I would like to get advice on quality and possible additional restoration I can do on my own. I’m not sure if I can get the dull face better polished. I’m also not sure what to do with the external sides. Is this also a very good quality specimen and therefore, I should put further interest in getting the pair in better Condition? That may be a loaded question as it may be simply a matter of opinion but I’m just interested in professionals’ advice.
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Hello all! I picked up a massive lump of fossil wood from the Eocene London Clay beds in Suffolk, England. Normally I leave fossil wood but this is by far the largest piece I have found that isn’t crushed. Would it be advisable to soak it in fresh water that is changed every day? Any advice would be great fully appreciated. Thanks!
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I have a Vero Tapir foot bone fossil. The fossil is in very good shape with very few cracks, being not terribly old since Vero Tapir's went extinct some 11,000 years ago, (11,000 years seems pretty old to me though!) I am pretty new to fossil hunting, so I was curious whether or not it is necessary to put some kind of preserving agent on it? Are there any advantages or disadvantages either way? I appreciate any help!
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Today, instead of bemoaning the paucity of marine cretaceous rocks in my state, I reframed the situation as follows: "In the Cretaceous, most of Missouri was not ocean but land, with lots of exposed limestone that dinosaurs were likely walking around on." This led me to the following question: Do we have no fossil examples of dinosaurs that fell in sinkholes / caves / paleokarst and were preserved there, perhaps discovered during quarrying of the limestone? We definitely have such examples for fossil mammals, reptiles, etc., including Pleistocene (Ocala), Pliocene (Pipe Creek Jr.), and Miocene (Gray Fossil Site)... So why not earlier? Why not dinosaurs? Surely there were paleokarst processes in action during dinosaur times. As possibly useful information, there was definitely regional hydrothermal activity here in the Mesozoic, based on the Jurassic emplacement age of southern Illinois fluorite.
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Aw guys I just unearthed my childhood fossil collection and have found that a lot of them have disintegrated into practically dust. Others are growing what looks like mould but is crystalline I think. Is this normal for certain mineral types? And what would you recommend I do to protect the rest?
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Does anyone know of deposits other than the LeGrand crinoids where each species is preserved in a different characteristic color, all on the same slab? We have this kind of thing in the brachiopods and trilobites of the Decorah Formation (Late Ordovician) here in Missouri, which is what got me thinking about it. But I've never seen a report summarizing other cases of this phenomenon, and as I think about it I'm not sure I can name any others. Can you? Brachiopod photo info: A= Zygospira B= Rafinesquina C= Doleroides 1 = Isotelus, rusty brown 2 = ?Achatella, light gray. Highway M near Antonia, Jefferson County Decorah Formation, Late Ordovician, ~450 million years old
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Hey-Oh!!!! I found some little neat containers for super cheap and thought I'd share what and where! First pics are from Walmart's Back 2 School section. These were $1 dollar each. They are stackable, have two latches for containment and are great for smaller finds that are worth separating out and isolation. Second are classic plastic cotton ball containers that were being merchandised as small screw containers at Mendards. These come in two sizes (can't remember what) and they are $1.88 per container. I like these for separating my new finds that are smaller and need to soak in vinegar/etc... to further break down any matrix. OR as another source of stackable containers. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!!! Steve
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