LabRatKing Posted October 2, 2020 Share Posted October 2, 2020 SO....many decades ago, the university i work for had a geology and earth science program. Sadly it is long extinct. The good news is we are busy resurrecting it. Long story short, we have CRATES full of geo and paleo specimens....and it is my job to sort and prepare them. Most were donated/acquired in the late 1980's. Many many more were procured from the science departments of various schools and colleges as they closed down. Better than 90% of the items are not labeled, identified, or inventoried, so guess what I get to do... I'm fairly skilled in the arts and fossil prep, but this morning I found one that I think is in need of restoration and I have no idea how to begin. This specimen is labeled as : which I believe translates to "yucca root calcium silicate nodule/ rhizolith Ogallala Formation Lake McConaughy Spillway Kieth County Nebraska" and looks like this currently: it is well over a meter long! and from the other end: I'm thinking I may need to do a bit of drilling and pegging in addition to some serious adhesives AND/OR build a nice display armature for it. There are some missing bits, and a baggie of smaller fragments that have broken off. I actually remember the old Physics professor using part of this as a door stop back when I was an undergrad! Our botany professor wants it ready for display by march of 21 so it can be used in his courses and in our spring ecology courses. He has also suggested I create a "fake plant" to top it off so that the display shows what it looked like when live. Before I start, I figured I would get input/advice/suggestions from you all, as this one is quite different from anything I have prepared/restored before. Good news is the budget will cover any supplies, so I'm willing to spend for the archive grade stuff. I just don't know what to buy. Any ideas greatly appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doushantuo Posted October 2, 2020 Share Posted October 2, 2020 you're sure it's not OgAlalla? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LabRatKing Posted October 2, 2020 Author Share Posted October 2, 2020 Just now, doushantuo said: youré sure it's not OgAlalla? Oh, I'm sure it is, but I'm pre-coffee at the moment...edits inbound! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doushantuo Posted October 2, 2020 Share Posted October 2, 2020 Pre-coffee....know the feeling Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LabRatKing Posted October 6, 2020 Author Share Posted October 6, 2020 So I have been studying up on these sorts of trace fossils in preparation of preparation. I have also ordered an appropriate adhesive and started building an appropriate support and display stand. Through some puzzling and a vague photo of this specimen in a photo from the school archives from 1989, I have managed to reconstruct the broken pieces. There is a large baggie of fragments I am slowly piecing together not pictured. It appears that there is another section missing that is actually in our collection...however, no one remembers which box, crate, or cabinet it is in. more to follow soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now