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Arthropod entombment in weathering-formed opal (Indonesia - Cicada)
Oxytropidoceras posted a topic in Fossil News
Fossilized Cicada Entombed In Opal Reveals Precious Gems Can Contain Ancient Life Rachael Funnell, IFL_Science, October 7, 2023 https://www.iflscience.com/fossilized-cicada-entombed-in-opal-reveals-precious-gems-can-contain-ancient-life-57413 Rare Fossil Reveals Cicada Entombed in Opal An insect trapped in a precious gem points to new places to search for ancient life Carolyn Wilke, Scientific American https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/rare-fossil-reveals-cicada-entombed-in-opal1/ The open accesspaper is: Chauviré, B., Houadria, M., Donini, A. et al. Arthropod entombment in weathering-formed opal: new horizons for recording life in rocks. Sci Rep 10, 10575 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-67412-9 Yours, Paul H. -
Hello all, A few months back I happened upon an intriguing rock while taking a walk in the woods. The main groove on the front of the rock struck me as a possible trace fossil (perhaps a worm burrow or a tunnel created by plant roots). I considered the possibility that it could potentially be a fossil since it was found in the Newark Supergroup of northern Virginia which is know to have some fossiliferous rocks. However, I fully expect that it is simply an artifact of weathering or that it has a geologic origin. Can any confirm whether it is a trace fossil or simply a case of weathering? I’ll tag a few members that I feel are knowledgeable on this subject: @Fossildude19 @EMP @cck @WhodamanHD I deeply appreciate all input.
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- newark supergroup
- trace fossil
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Hello. I was just curious about what some good techniques for artificially weathering a concretion to get them open are? I've read that the best way to go is to soak, freeze, thaw, and repeat. But none of the sources I've read describes how long that takes. I'm sure it varies from specimen to specimen but is this process weeks, months or years? Does anyone have any other methods or resources about the process? I was thinking of giving it a try and could use some more information on the process. It seems kind of like the old geode gamble in a way. There's no way of knowing what's inside unless it's partially exposed already. I don't have a geologist's hammer and I think I'd feel bad if I cracked one by hitting it too hard or at the wrong angle. Are there any other tools that are recommended?
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- concretions
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I’m going through my finds from my last hunting trip and came across these brachiopod valves that I picked up. I grabbed them, not because they were the best preserved finds of the day, but because they are the worst. To clarify, I believe the initial preservation wasn’t too bad, but it’s the weathering and subsequent degradation of the fossil that caught my interest. Most valves that I find in the area (Upper Ordovician road cut) are in pieces. I presumed it was because the valves weathered out of the matrix and THEN were washed around by rain run off, trampled, exposed to the elements, etc. before breaking into pieces. However, these valves are cracked while still being attached to the underlying matrix. They remind me of mud that has dried in the sun. It seems to show that some of the valves at least cracked and split BEFORE coming completely out of the matrix. Then they weather out in pieces. I find it interesting to see examples of them in the middle of the process. The matrix looks like dirt in the picture, but it is hard as rock and the valve fragments are stuck fast. I think this is what is known as mudstone(?). I’m sure the fragments would come off with a little dental pick work, but they are not so loose as to brush off or come off by picking with the finger nail.
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- degredation
- disintegration
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From the album: Fossils in the Wild
Edgar Evins State Park. Ordovician cephalopod fossil weathering out of the rock on the shore of Center Hill Lake, DeKalb County, Tennessee.-
- ordovician
- cephalopod
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