Ramona Posted January 15, 2020 Share Posted January 15, 2020 I think I have completed my first full cleaning of a fossiliferous limestone rock. I will post a series of macro photos of the rock here and would welcome input. I am new at this (like I said, it is my FIRST full cleaning) so would appreciate input and suggestions. I first soaked the rock in a vinegar and water solution for a couple of days, taking it out every once in a while and brushing it with a soft bristled paint brush. I had ordered some essence of vinegar to have a stronger acid, so when that arrived I used a very small amount of it on the brush to continue cleaning the rock. I then placed it in a baking soda and water solution overnight, again brushing and rinsing it every once in a while. It seemed to have stop bubbling this morning, so I declared it "done", but would like thoughts on whether it looks completely cleaned or not. I mostly see fenestella bryozoan fossils in it, in different stages and at different angles, so please let me know what else, if anything, you see in this rock. The size of the rock is as follows: 5cm long, 3 cm wide, 2.5 cm tall and I found it in our yard in Huntsville, Alabama. I am posting a number of macro photographs of different areas of the rock and I may ask questions on some of them. Thanks for any and all input! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramona Posted January 15, 2020 Author Share Posted January 15, 2020 2nd image. I think I am seeing a fairly complete bryozoan fossil? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramona Posted January 15, 2020 Author Share Posted January 15, 2020 3rd image - color is quite a bit different on this side Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramona Posted January 15, 2020 Author Share Posted January 15, 2020 4th image - I cannot figure out what the brown spot is? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramona Posted January 15, 2020 Author Share Posted January 15, 2020 5th image Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramona Posted January 15, 2020 Author Share Posted January 15, 2020 6th image Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramona Posted January 15, 2020 Author Share Posted January 15, 2020 7th image. I think this one looks like Spaghettios! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramona Posted January 15, 2020 Author Share Posted January 15, 2020 8th and last image. I don't recognize the little bell shaped thing in the middle? I think I see some Chex Mix there, too. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted January 15, 2020 Share Posted January 15, 2020 Hi Ramona, First of all I'd venture to say that you've done a good job, There are a lot of clean and well visible fossils on your rock. Of course there are still more things within it, but we don't want to overdo it, do we? I can see 2 types of bryozoa in the first 2 pics. The Fenestellidae and also some branching ones. The white cone-shaped object on the right of those photos is a coral. The flat, round objects are pieces of crinoid stem. I believe I'm seeing bits of bivalve shells at the bottom middle of the 5th image and at bottom right in the 4th. I'm afraid that I also can't figure out what the brown spot and the bell are. 2 Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramona Posted January 15, 2020 Author Share Posted January 15, 2020 6 minutes ago, Ludwigia said: Hi Ramona, First of all I'd venture to say that you've done a good job, There are a lot of clean and well visible fossils on your rock. Of course there are still more things within it, but we don't want to overdo it, do we? I can see 2 types of bryozoa in the first 2 pics. The Fenestellidae and also some branching ones. The white cone-shaped object on the right of those photos is a coral. The flat, round objects are pieces of crinoid stem. I believe I'm seeing bits of bivalve shells at the bottom middle of the 5th image and at bottom right in the 4th. I'm afraid that I also can't figure out what the brown spot and the bell are. Great!! Thanks for the input! I am encouraged that I might have done something right, LOL! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted January 15, 2020 Share Posted January 15, 2020 1 minute ago, Ramona said: Great!! Thanks for the input! I am encouraged that I might have done something right, LOL! I would drop the "might" out of that sentence 1 Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramona Posted January 15, 2020 Author Share Posted January 15, 2020 2 minutes ago, Ludwigia said: I would drop the "might" out of that sentence Awwwww, thanks!! :-) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilNerd Posted January 16, 2020 Share Posted January 16, 2020 Good job Ramona! I’m still leery about doing chemical prepping. Too afraid I might over do it and ruin the thing. I’d agree with Lugwigia though. Seems you have done a pretty good job with yours. I think I see a fairly good looking solitary rugose (horn) coral in picture number 2. The good thing about science is that it's true whether or not you believe in it. -Neil deGrasse Tyson Everyone you will ever meet knows something you don't. -Bill Nye (The Science Guy) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Kmiecik Posted January 16, 2020 Share Posted January 16, 2020 Nice job. Looks like the vinegar had little or no effect on the fossils -- that means they are probably silicified. Silicate compounds are not affected by acids. So you can keep soaking some of the "lesser" specimens to see if there's material that's more interesting underneath. The smaller stuff on the outside will start to fall off as the matrix holding it in place dissolves in the acid, and you may find some rarer or more interesting fossils. Or maybe not, but if you have a lot of this more common material that is not as nice as that first piece it can't hurt to try. The "brown spot" may be just some of the matrix peeking through the bryozoan hash on its surface; what used to be a void in the chex mix before everything got cemented together. I looked at a magnified image of the "bell" and nothing definite comes to mind. It could be one of a few different things, but I don't see anything definitive. Perhaps if more of it was exposed, but that's only a maybe. Down and to the right of the brown spot at a 45 degree angle I think I see two pieces of a gastropod? (need others who know better than I to confirm). You can try prying one of the bryozoan parts off of the specimen and soaking it in acid by itself for a few days. If the acid has no effect on it then all the fossils can be freed from the matrix by dissolving the matrix in acid. You will end up with tiny individual specimens -- microfossils, which is a whole other chapter of paleontology. Muriatic (swimming pool) acid, which is a diluted form of hydrochloric acid (very nasty, reactive stuff) will work much faster than vinegar but takes some extra care and precautions like safety goggles and gloves when handling. It's not as crazy as what you see on TV, but deserves a modicum of respect. You can find YouTube videos of it being used if you want to check it out. Good luck and have fun. Remember, fun is why you're doing it! 1 Mark. Fossil hunting is easy -- they don't run away when you shoot at them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramona Posted January 18, 2020 Author Share Posted January 18, 2020 On 1/15/2020 at 8:10 PM, FossilNerd said: Good job Ramona! I’m still leery about doing chemical prepping. Too afraid I might over do it and ruin the thing. I’d agree with Lugwigia though. Seems you have done a pretty good job with yours. I think I see a fairly good looking solitary rugose (horn) coral in picture number 2. I understand! If I had to do a lot of work to find a good one, I would be a lot more hesitant to clean with acid, too! These are so plentiful that I am, thankfully, able to experiment, though! I thought that horn coral was part of a bryozoan! Cool! I will have to look that one up! Thanks so much! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramona Posted January 18, 2020 Author Share Posted January 18, 2020 On 1/16/2020 at 4:06 PM, Mark Kmiecik said: Nice job. Looks like the vinegar had little or no effect on the fossils -- that means they are probably silicified. Silicate compounds are not affected by acids. So you can keep soaking some of the "lesser" specimens to see if there's material that's more interesting underneath. The smaller stuff on the outside will start to fall off as the matrix holding it in place dissolves in the acid, and you may find some rarer or more interesting fossils. Or maybe not, but if you have a lot of this more common material that is not as nice as that first piece it can't hurt to try. The "brown spot" may be just some of the matrix peeking through the bryozoan hash on its surface; what used to be a void in the chex mix before everything got cemented together. I looked at a magnified image of the "bell" and nothing definite comes to mind. It could be one of a few different things, but I don't see anything definitive. Perhaps if more of it was exposed, but that's only a maybe. Down and to the right of the brown spot at a 45 degree angle I think I see two pieces of a gastropod? (need others who know better than I to confirm). You can try prying one of the bryozoan parts off of the specimen and soaking it in acid by itself for a few days. If the acid has no effect on it then all the fossils can be freed from the matrix by dissolving the matrix in acid. You will end up with tiny individual specimens -- microfossils, which is a whole other chapter of paleontology. Muriatic (swimming pool) acid, which is a diluted form of hydrochloric acid (very nasty, reactive stuff) will work much faster than vinegar but takes some extra care and precautions like safety goggles and gloves when handling. It's not as crazy as what you see on TV, but deserves a modicum of respect. You can find YouTube videos of it being used if you want to check it out. Good luck and have fun. Remember, fun is why you're doing it! What great suggestions!! And, YES! Fun IS why I am doing it! I love to learn and explore the world around me. I did get a whiff of the vinegar essence from a glove I was wearing, so I understand what you are saying about being careful. I had a window open right by me, but I can see now that I need to do more than that - it could burn my nasal passages, too! I will check out some YouTube videos. So good to know that I am at least on the right track! Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Kmiecik Posted January 18, 2020 Share Posted January 18, 2020 1 hour ago, Ramona said: What great suggestions!! And, YES! Fun IS why I am doing it! I love to learn and explore the world around me. I did get a whiff of the vinegar essence from a glove I was wearing, so I understand what you are saying about being careful. I had a window open right by me, but I can see now that I need to do more than that - it could burn my nasal passages, too! I will check out some YouTube videos. So good to know that I am at least on the right track! Thanks! Ventilation and eye protection are strongly advised. Mark. Fossil hunting is easy -- they don't run away when you shoot at them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramona Posted January 20, 2020 Author Share Posted January 20, 2020 On 1/18/2020 at 2:25 PM, Mark Kmiecik said: Ventilation and eye protection are strongly advised. I just ordered glasses and a personal fan! I will be equipped! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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