How to clean & store sand dollar fossil for newbie

[Norcalnovice]

Hi,

First time on this site and in need of advise.

A BF & I found this sand dollar fossil at Stinson Beach a couple years ago. I want to make an effort to ensure I’m storing it right. I’m also curious how to clean at least the sand off, but maybe separating the large broken chunk from the (fingers crossed) undamaged sand dollar attached. Would that be detrimental to the fossil?

thank you for all time & help, I can confidently say I know nothing. 
X Jake

[jpc]

can't help you on the project, but ... hey, nice find!

 

[DPS Ammonite]

The sand dollar is a Dendraster interlineatus from the Pliocene Merced Formation. The sand is stuck in there pretty good with carbonate cement. You might try sanding it off but you will abrade the softer sand dollar too.

 

You need to take no special precautions in storage.

Edited August 22, 2020 by DPS Ammonite

[Ludwigia]

No problem with storage, like DPS said. He also knows how hard the sand is, so all I could suggest is to first scrape away at it carefully with a sharp instrument until you get as close to the shell as possible without scratching it. Then try brushing it firmly under running water with a strong brush. As to separating the two pieces, that could be tricky, but you could try the scratch and scrape method if there's enough sand between the two to allow you to create a break. Then you'd probably have to scratch and scrape more sand off the two pieces.

[Norcalnovice]

So grateful for the identification, I want to learn more about the ground under me and can tell that’ll be a fun rabbit hole of stuff to learn thanks DPS. 
Thank you both for your insight. I’d imagine a sharp scraper tool would be something like I’d see on a dentists tray? Can’t be too hard to find. 
Separating them is a huge long shot I’m not sure I’ll ever manage, but I will try to at least clean off some of the surface level junk. Still such a cool intact find as it is! 
appreciate y’all for the help! X

[siteseer]

I've seen specimens like that before.  That is actually a nice one as it is.  The old-timer lapidary guys back in the 80's would find chunks with sand dollar edges showing.  They would grind down to the surface of the sand dollar and then polish it.  It was a lot of work and it wasn't easy to find a complete specimen that would end up looking good.  Back then, there were spots off of Sloat on the beach where people found those sand dollars.

 

There was a hillside in Daly City off 101 near a mall where you could find D. interlineata, the occasional gastropod, and a crab claw or two in the Merced.  They were weird because at that locality you were also in the San Andreas Fault Zone so the sand dollars were often distorted and even offset.   I haven't been there in years and heard it was built on or landscaped so there's no erosion exposing more fossils.

 

Jess

[wledswift]

I would add that it seems everytime there is tectonic activity in the Eureka CA area,  handfulls of fossilized sanddollars wash up on Samoa Point Beaches. Beautiful beaches and great collecting

[RJB]

Tons of echys from south of Eureka and preserved from very soft to very hard.  I miss that place.  Remember this, the more you look and hunt for fossils, the more you find.  and good luck

 

RB