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Tiny Belemnite?


dhiggi

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Found this on a beach full of belemnites, however I’ve never seen one this small. Could this be a belemnite and if so would it have been a juvenile or a different species to the larger ones we normally find?

 Thank you for looking 

9FD5AB0E-3404-49C1-BE4D-27FEF40E4F48.jpeg

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    Tim    VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER

   MOTM.png.61350469b02f439fd4d5d77c2c69da85.png      PaleoPartner.png.30c01982e09b0cc0b7d9d6a7a21f56c6.png.a600039856933851eeea617ca3f2d15f.png     Postmaster1.jpg.900efa599049929531fa81981f028e24.jpg    VFOTM.png.f1b09c78bf88298b009b0da14ef44cf0.png  VFOTM APRIL - 2015  

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Definitely a belemnite and I'm pretty sure it's a nice juvenile but it's a good question. There aren't any species described from around there that are that small though technically you can't rule it out without looking at a lot of others from the same beds. Even then, modern coleoids often hang around in age groups so a fossil population exclusively of small ones could still be juveniles. 

 

For interest, here's my smallest (probably a Subhastites - formerly Hastites - yours could be the same if the age is right), just under 4mm - found accidentally when prepping something else. :) (Also from the Yorkshire coast - Lower Lias.)

 

 

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  • I found this Informative 4

Tarquin

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Thank you @TqB

On a side note; is there an easy way to stabilise samples of the shale from this area that doesn’t require a chemistry degree and things you wouldn’t find in a DIY shop?

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1 hour ago, dhiggi said:

Thank you @TqB

On a side note; is there an easy way to stabilise samples of the shale from this area that doesn’t require a chemistry degree and things you wouldn’t find in a DIY shop?

If the shale is friable, I use 5 to 10% paraloid in acetone (i.e. 5 - 10g in 100ml). Both are usually easily available, not sure about the paraloid at the moment. It's reversible and doesn't yellow.

 

If nothing else is available, you can use diluted PVA glue (in water). It's irreversible which is the main problem - it should really only be used for pieces that are wet or damp and would fall apart if dry. But it will work. :)

Tarquin

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