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Hello, in my quest for jet and amber I came across this piece this week in an old mine. This is the first time that I have found a piece of good jet covered with its bark totally pyritized over several millimeters. I find the result very pleasant but I fear for its stability in the months or years to come! This dates from the Turonian and the abandoned mine is in Languedoc Roussillon in France!

Hello, I've recently collected some fossil wood from the London Clay. However, I have heard that it is prone to pyrite 'disease'. I've cleaned the wood with water, and plan to keep them with packets of silica gel to reduce humidity. Will this be enough to prevent pyrite oxidation occuring? I've just attached some photos of some of the wood that it can be seen on. There is also this white-coloured material on this bone. Is that anything to be concerned about? Many thanks

One is pyritized and I have no clue what it is. The other I’m thinking is a plant? Found alongside loads of crinoids

I've been recently looking into working with b72 for preserving and strengthening some of the pyrite and coal fossils I have. At the moment, I have a few questions regarding this topic: 1) For DFW folk, do you recommend any stores that sell b72 in the DFW area? For others, do you recommend any reputable online stores that ship it? 2) Should I store acetone in the original container I purchased it in? What is the safest part of the house to keep it? 3) What are any general tips/tricks you wish you knew before you started using b72? Feel free to answer as few of my questions as you'd like. All advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

I would be grateful for help with identification of this ammonite. It is Sinemurian and found in Gloucestershire.

Hello all, I hear that crinoids from a site known as "Corey's Bluff" of Crawfordsville, Indiana tend to be susceptible to pyrite decay. I don't know if this is a pattern but I've noticed a few crinoids from this location having black spots that I'm told are pyrite. Could I ask any members who've dealt with these crinoids or heard of this speak about their experiences? I noticed @Harry Pristis for one has some very nice crinoids from this site with such spots. I'd really appreciate any and all thoughts. Thank you.

Hello, I went on a trip to Lyme Regis, U.K. last week and came back with some lovely pyrite ammonites and a small ichthyosaurs vertebrae. However we also found this. I’m not sure it’s a full pyrite piece (6cmx6cm) as there is an impression of an ammonite however there are these pyrite cone shapes. Are these just Echinoids Or have I got really lucky with some shark teeth? (very unlikely I know!). I only came across this last one via the National History Museum fossil app which has a picture of a Hybodus delabechei teeth and it looks very similar from a top down view on to the tooth cusps. There are also a number of black specks which look like fish scales which I have seen in coprolite fossils, but may well not be! Really hoping someone could help with an ID or any ideas… It’s got me baffled. Many thanks in advance. Kind regards N

Back in January I decided to check out the Ammonite Beach at Lake Texoma for the first time. The site is well known for its giant Duck Creek ammonites that can be found scattered all over the shoreline. The weather was surprisingly not that bad despite it being the winter. The water level was quite low and there was plenty of good ground to search along. During my time there, I had some success in finding my own ammonites which gave me an excuse to finally put my rock hammer to use. I stumbled upon some echinoids, but none of them were in all that great of condition, so I might need to head back again in the future to solve that issue. Lastly, there were some interesting fossil finds of stuff I didn't expect to be there (more on this later). A lot of the ammonites that come out of Texoma are encased in a decent amount of rock/mud. I have very little experience in any sort of prep work, so cleaning them up was my chance to try something new. My tools were a bit primitive (hammer and kitchen ice pick which got destroyed), but I managed to clean up an ammonite without breaking it for the first time. I didn't think to take a before pic, but the whole face was covered in hard matrix much like on the reverse side. Unfortunately, I made a lot of white scratch marks on it, but I'm mostly just relieved that it came out in one piece. Apologies if this hurts the eyes of any more experienced ammonite preppers reading this . It was a long process and I decided against cleaning up both sides as that seemed too risky of a prospect. I'm fairly certain it is one of those Mortoniceras given the pointy tubercles covering it. Once I finished that, I watched a Lake Texoma video made by "The Fossil Fiend" on YouTube. Even though this was a few weeks after my trip, my exact ammonite showed up on his video! I couldn't believe my eyes when he was pointing right at it as shown in the screen grab above. It's a perfect match to my second pic. What a funny coincidence! My brother and I hauled up a much larger ammonite as well. I'm going to try harder to not scratch this one. I managed to get some work done before winter break ended, but there's still a long way to go. This is gonna be a fun summer project. Beyond ammonites, I came across a plethora of smaller finds that I view to be just as interesting. Below is an overview of the coolest ones: 'A' and 'B' appear to be Leptostyrax macrorhiza? and Cretolamna appendiculta? respectively. I heard that sharks teeth were rarely found at Texoma so coming out with two of them in a single hunt was really exciting. Additionally, I found a piece of what I think is some sort of Cretaceous fish tooth (C). It's black and fairly reflective. A cross section of the tooth is like a football in shape. In other words, there are two edges that run opposite of one another from top to bottom while the rest is rounded. I tried to capture a photo of this, but had some difficulty. Here are some closeups: Something very unexpected was the large amount of pyritized microfossils to be found all over the shoreline, interspersed with the ammonites and echinoids. I had never heard of pyritized microfossils being at Texoma, so I was a bit confused as to why they were there and in such great numbers. It really did feel like I was back in the Waco Pit. I found pyritized ammonites, bivalves, and gastropods. I'm curious if anyone knows what formation they're from. I am under the impression that the whole area is Duck Creek formation, so is that simply what happens to smaller shelled fauna in that layer? The pyritized ammonite 'E' I have below somewhat resembles Mortoniceras, but I'm not sure if they come from vastly different points in time. 'F' reminds of me of a miniature Oxytropidoceras. 'D' is a pyritized heteromorph ammonite. I don't think heteromorph ammonites are known to come out of the Duck Creek, at least in larger form, which makes me think these pyrite fossils are from a different period. Really curious to hear what you guys think of all this! I covered them in wax to prevent degradation. That made it a little harder to pick out details, especially through a camera unfortunately. Here's some closeups: The last handful of fossils are just a sample of the fish verts and tiny oysters I came across: All in all, it was a fun trip - very different from the other sites I have been to. After learning of the huge presence of pyritized microfossils there, I get the impression that it's like having two sites in one; the Waco Pit and the more traditional Texoma famous for its beautiful ammonites/echinoids. Paired with its proximity to Post Oak Creek, I will definitely being taking more drives up there in the future when I'm back in DFW. As usual, let me know if you would like any additional close ups. Thanks for reading!

Hello, I'm looking at this ~5cm Ohio Silica Shale Paraspirifer bownockeri. I was wondering if such bright gold coloration indicates "enhancement" of the pyrite by harsh prep, acid treatment or brass wire brush? Or is this just the natural color of some specimens? Many pyritized Paraspirifers I see are more grey or silvery (though I have indeed seen such gold ones). Other pyritized fossils as well seem to typically be more the silver/grey color, and as far as I can tell Pyrite itself is generally paler than a vibrant gold. Thanks.

Few gonaitites I prepped today

After quite literally stumbling upon this deposit today we had quite the day looking for gonaitites.

Another find from Saltwick Bay, this time very recent. I'm guessing that the main chunk is fossilised wood of some sort, but I'm stumped by the small (~1cm diameter) patch of pyrite that exhibits very regular dimples (see images 1 & 2). Any ideas?

I have cracked open some slate with pyrite and have some interesting finds. The pyrite is quick to rot and most of what I have found in my area thus far seems to be made of or encased in sediment with much pyrite. If I brush the pyrite layer it simply destroys the thin film of what was. Am I just stuck until I get my stereoscope? I will have my air pen and sand blaster soon. I was thinking perhaps just air blast it? I have tried to file it down with my diamond block and wondering if I should get a much finer grit and polish to give it a smoother surface but I would only be getting the ones that happen to be perfectly placed on that level. Below is a picture of what I assume to be charnia in said slate rock preserved as pyrite. I'm not interested in the charnia ( in regards to this post) but rather the macro and micro trace and preserved critters. Some look spectacular with tails that look like a birch tree seed and the body of a see slug/Ankylosaurus, only macro and micro.

Hey everyone! I thought I'd share a few of my finds from the past couple months and get yall's opinions. Over winter break, I went back home to North Texas and did some searching around Ammonite Beach at Texoma and the NSR with my family. At Texoma I had a nice time hammering out a few ammonites, collecting teeth, and surprisingly finding lots of smaller, pyritized ammonites that I did not expect to be there. The NSR was a bit slower, but I at least got a nice Squalicorax as shown in the pics below. Since school has started, I've been down in Austin. I've been finding the usual stuff, but the pyritized disk I've attached is new to me. I'd love to hear what you guys think! Austin Finds: Pictured above is the pyritized disk and a pyritized clam found in a gravel bar next to what I believe to be an Ozan exposure. The area has a decent amount of the pyritized clams and other marine fossils that I assume are cretaceous in age given the local geology. My initial reaction was that it could be a vertebrae, but the bulging center and distorted shape throws me off. It has very apparent concentric rings on both its faces. In pics 1 and 3, you can see that underneath that outside layer there is a lot of pyrite. Parts of the edges are also pyritized while other sections have an iron concretion look to them. The face shown on pic 2 resembles and feels like petrified wood. I suppose this could be a pyrite sun, but I'm not seeing anything too similar to what I have on google images. Super interested in what you guys have to say! Texoma Tooth (left) and NSR Tooth (right) Left (Leptostyrax macrorhiza?): Pretty tooth found by my little brother at Texoma in the Duck Creek Formation. Did some quick googling and found that Leptostyrax macrorhiza was in that formation and saw some pictures that were similar to what I have. Right (Squalicorax): Had a bit of a slow day at the NSR, but managed to at least find this at the end of my cold, muddy adventure there. It's preserved very nicely. Looks like Squalicorax to me. Would love to know the species. If you guys would like any additional closeup pics feel free to let me know! I might share some of my other finds later on, but I don't want to inundate the forum with my rocks lol. Thanks for reading.

Hi everyone, wanted to show off this piece i found a few months ago in Normandy, France. Far from an expert but as far as i could tell it's a piece of wood that turned into charcoal and where the bark pyritised, it's about 7cm tall. Had trouble finding similar specimens online, is this a common occurance? (The wood part is very shiny because i had to glue it because it started to become very cracked and unstable after a few months)

Found in Michigan, recently, I came across coal and shale full of flecks along a river full of carboniferous fossils and stones. Much of the coal will still have bits of visible calamites within them, if it helps. I don't have much experience with pyrite, but have with chalcopyrite. The coal I believe is effected by chalcopyrite by the outside looks but the inclusions are more pale, silvery-gold in some areas rather than a deep gold, brown, or iridescence. Is this likely just chalcopyrite, or can the two grow together like this? Are there other ways I can tell whether it is pyrite vs a yellow/gold chalcopyrite, in general? (Apologies for the pic quality, the water was reflecting the shines off the inclusions and was hard for the camera to focus on the whole thing.)

Ik know this isn't a fossil but i thought people probably have experience with pyrite here so i though i'd give it a shot. I've had this piece for a year or so and as you can see it's corroding pretty bad on top, is there a way of stopping the corrosion once it has begun? If not i'll try to cut off the bottom half so that that might survive.

Hi all, A couple of years ago I acquired a lovely pair of plesiosaur propodial bones from Lyme Regis. It was a matched pair of both humerus and femur. Today, when I was looking to make space in my cabinet for a new acquisition I had made, I discovered some odd dust next to the humerus that, on inspection and to my horror turned out to be pyrite bloom! I immediately removed the specimen from the cabinet, checked the other podial and nearby fossils, and used a tooth brush to brush of the most direct traces of pyrite decay. But the question is: what now? How do I ensure the propodial's preservation, and make it safe for display again. Should I store affected piece in an open or closed container? I suspect the latter, together with silica beads to consume any excess moisture might be best right now. But how do I get to the point where I can take it out again? Any suggestions are welcome. From my own thread on this topic I know of the existence of pyrite stopper, which sounds ideal for this situation. But I've also been warned that this is quite a hazardous solution and am therefore afraid of trying this out myself. So, part of the question would be whether someone offers pyrite treatment as a service, of knows of someone who does. Thanks in advance for your help! @Ptychodus04 @DanJeavs @paulgdls @RuMert and others

This one has been sitting in my "interesting but I have no clue" pile for a while. When I found it, I was splitting limestone laying in the stream. I've found that when you split limestone, immediately after splitting you'll get a couple moments of a sharp looking specimen before things start to oxidize. The limestone is a very dark gray, or almost black color. You either see black limestone or white calcite pieces while splitting. I split this particular piece open and right in the middle was a 3-4 cm long, 8 mm wide gold looking rectangle in the middle of the flat broken limestone. I thought I wouldn't get to recover it, but one hammer hit later it popped out and I was able to save it. I do find that plants in the limestone seem to get the gold or pyrite type preservation. I've found one small straight shelled cephalopod preserved like this. But overall, it's very rare here. I have maybe 3 or 4 larger pieces of what I'd called pyrite type material I've recovered. Below are some stacked microscope photos of it. The scale in the first photo is 1 mm for each mark. You can see the grain that runs left to right. This looks like wood to me, but I haven't had that confirmed before. The next two photos are a view looking from the bottom to the top of the first photo. What has me most curious are the perpendicular grain marks that are found in this area. They don't seem to just be on the outermost layer, as you can see more deeper. I'm not sure if this is some sort of perpendicular crystal pattern, or it's just the shape of the original material that was replaced with the mineral. And maximum zoom. A stack of 12 microscope images taken through the lens in the same area of the above photo. And that's it. Is this a small piece of woody material that was preserved in the sea? I wonder if vinegar would clean this up or destroy the mineral as well.

Hi guys Went over to Sheppey yesterday to see what I could find... I'm a total novice, so I tend to pick up anything with an interesting shape and/or texture. Found some pyritised wood/twigs, a bit of crab in a phosphatic nodule, a little gastropod and some very round seed pods. The following pics are of the ones I had trouble figuring out due to their shapes resembling other things. Any clues would be great! Thanks ONE I'd like to think it's some kind of pointy reptile scute, but from my browse online it's possibly a pyritised seed husk? 3rd pic shows the depth of the piece and a VERY smooth and shiny blob inside TWO & THREE LEFT: Again, probably a seed pod/husk. Has a pitted texture similar to a piece of crab shell, but a lot less uniform. Kinda reminds me of a Tapir toe RIGHT: Possibly a shrimp? lobster? Maybe some clustered belemnite parts? Looks like a very full hot dog bun haha. Had to wet it to bring out the details. FOUR I thought some encased bone or wood? Online research leads me to believe it could be a lobster burrow? The back is solid light brown rock with no inner black part showing through. FIVE Had to dunk this one in some water to get the details and colour to come out. 3rd pic looks a lot darker and shinier for some reason, but it's not coal. Fossilised wood- with possible bug borings? (based on the dotty parts in the 2nd pic) Hopefully there's something vaguely interesting here haha Thanks for looking