What are your guys methods for hunting micro fossils?

[Noel]

I am in nj and have heard of some good spots for micro fossils around here but I don’t know how to go about searching. Do you guys look

though material in the field or take it home?

 

Thanks,

Noel

 

[Searcher78]

I would like to know what other people do also. I sift on site for micro fossils. I use a 1/2 inch sifter above a 1/12 inch sifter.

[ThePhysicist]

To be most efficient with my hunting time on-site, I take micromatrix home. IMO, looking for small things in the field robs you of the time/chance to find big things, especially when you have time to look for small things later. Also, by taking matrix home, you will likely find more micros because you can spend more time searching. 

[fossilsonwheels]

I put every bit of matrix I find or get under the scope and the scope lives on my desk at home so home for me too.

[Thomas.Dodson]

I haven't done a lot of micro-matrix sorting since I'm not in a good area for it but when I have done micro-fossils I've always brought matrix home.

 

Digit has written up some very informative threads on micro-matrix sorting and collecting.

 

 

 

[digit]

10 hours ago, Noel said:

Do you guys look

though material in the field or take it home?

If we could look through it in the field, then it wouldn't be micro-matrix.

 

Seriously though, the above links should provide you with some ideas as to how I collect and pick through micro-matrix. I've found that the stackable green sifting screens I mention in the "optimizing" link above work really well for separating my collected matrix into various size classes. Each size class of the matrix is more efficiently picked through in this manner and certain fossils tend to be found in certain size classes of matrix so you can focus on searching for them. I'll add a great addition to my micro-matrix picking arsenal--something inexpensive but indispensable.

 

I pick up these plastic buckets for a buck each at the various discount "dollar" stores. They are stackable and more importantly flexible. When I'm classifying a batch of matrix into different sizes I can easily tip my round green sifting screens into these plastic buckets to dump out the matrix. The buckets are flexible enough that I can easily squeeze in the sides to make a bit of a spout in order to pour some matrix into the plastic Solo cups that I use to sprinkle out just a small amount of matrix on to my picking plate.

 

I find curved dental probes to be wonderful little "shepherd's crooks" to push and pull bits of matrix around the plate. The curve really helps me to be able to sweep material away in order to separate a micro-fossil from the pack in order to be able to pick it up easily.

 

 

I've been picking micro-matrix for about 7 years now and I've picked through enough to fill several bathtubs (which would be a really silly thing to do) so I've gotten really efficient in my own techniques and I'm happy to answer any questions you might have. If the questions (and answers) would be of general interest, please add them to this topic so the discussion will be preserved for others who may have similar questions. Specific questions that may be of little common interest can be sent to me via PM.

 

Welcome to the wonderful world of micros! I pick micro-matrix as a volunteer for the FLMNH. I'm currently picking matrix from the Montbrook site near Gainesville. Just recently I spotted a piece of bat jaw (vespertilionid) which was a new addition to the faunal list for this site. Many new taxa are discovered from picking through fine matrix. Scale is 0.5 mm in the image below so this is a tiny thing.

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

 

 

[Searcher78]

This is all great information.  I guess it depends on where you are hunting and what your goal is.  My walk to the water is over a mile in, so I don't want to carry large buckets or containers back to my truck.  I can sift all day so I don't mind searching on site.  I first walk the shore and collect any obvious large teeth before I start sifting for the small stuff.  I usually find Squalus, Squatina, Pachygaleus lefevrei, Triakis, and Scyliorhinus.  I have also found Paraorthacodus clarkii, Delpitoscyllium africanum, and Ginglymostoma subafricanum.  I currently have enough of the large teeth from the area, so they don't interest me right now.  Also, everyone else is looking for large teeth and overlooking the great small ones.  Currently I use green sifters I got off of Amazon.

[digit]

I use the green sifters nearly every day. They stack nicely on top of a 5-gallon bucket and help me classify my matrix into different size classes.

 

Consider offloading your finer matrix into gallon zip-top bags and then packing them out from your site in a backpack. Good cardio and you'll have something to dry out and pick through under magnification to see the really small stuff.

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

[Searcher78]

Should I use a sifter that is smaller than 1/12 inch?

[digit]

The smallest I've found useful for many sites is 1/20" which really requires a bit of magnification (or really young eyes) to pick effectively. The 1/30" is equivalent to the "brass-screen" matrix that we have from the Montbrook site. Once you get to sub-millimeter scale you tend to narrow the field of types of micro-fossils. Some things only really start showing up at that size class. @Al Dente mentioned to me that the Mustelus sp. shark teeth from the Lee Creek matrix tend to be around 0.7-0.8 mm and so would pass completely through more coarse screens. At the finest scales the percentage of the matrix that ends up being just sand grains increases significantly so the interesting rare teeny-tiny fossils are more of a challenge to find.

 

The only way you'll know if there are interesting things at the smaller scale is to collect some and go through it under magnification. I know the matrix from Montbrook has few Dasyatis sp. teeth in the 1/12" material and none that will be held back by the 1/8" screen. In in the 1/20" screen they can be the most common fossils--that's just the sweet spot for this type of tooth.

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

[RuMert]

Triple sifter 6-2-0,8 mm made from fishing stuff. Good for automatic sorting out in the field

Edited May 1, 2021 by RuMert

[Troodon]

When I go collecting (dinosaurs) it depends on the site.  If its a channel deposit and I run into a productive area, I'll collect the matrix, in that layer, in 5 gallon pails and screen it (also using the green sifters) when I get home.   If at my bonebed, I have had success collecting ant hills.  They are wonderful critters that find small micro teeth.   All the screened matrix is then sorted under a microscope.   Those green sifters come in an assortment of sizes depending on the application, they are sturdy and invaluable .

[digit]

8 hours ago, RuMert said:

Triple sifter 6-2-0,8 mm made from fishing stuff. Good for automatic sorting out in the field

Very nice. I'd love to see some Russian micros.

 

6 hours ago, Troodon said:

Those green sifters come in an assortment of sizes depending on the application, they are sturdy and invaluable .

Aside from my Hayear digital microscope those sifters have been one of my best purchases for aiding my micro-matrix picking. I use them daily. Invaluable is quite an appropriate word for them.

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

[BigKen]

I sift on site using, literally, a dollar store spaghetti strainer.  It’s easy to carry and I’ve found it to be the most efficient and effective tool for me.    
 

 
 

At the end of each collecting session, I fill a bucket of unsearched gravel to bring home and spend rainy days sifting through that on a much closer scale than I do on site.  

[digit]

5 hours ago, BigKen said:

I sift on site using, literally, a dollar store spaghetti strainer.

What type of fossils are you finding in the field?

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

[BigKen]

On 5/14/2021 at 12:47 PM, digit said:

What type of fossils are you finding in the field?

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

Sorry for the very slow response.  I am just doing the shark teeth thing.  So, yeah, when I am sifting in the field I am usually only finding the bigger teeth.  The matrix I bring home gets a much more thorough look and that’s when I find my smalls and other oddities.  

[Searcher78]

11 hours ago, BigKen said:

Sorry for the very slow response.  I am just doing the shark teeth thing.  So, yeah, when I am sifting in the field I am usually only finding the bigger teeth.  The matrix I bring home gets a much more thorough look and that’s when I find my smalls and other oddities.  

I sift on site in Maryland and find squatina, squalus, pachygaleus lefevrei, nurse sharks, and heterodontus teeth.

[bthemoose]

15 minutes ago, Searcher78 said:

I sift on site in Maryland and find squatina, squalus, pachygaleus lefevrei, nurse sharks, and heterodontus teeth.

 

Have you posted photos of any of your Heterodontus teeth on the forum? That's one of the ones I haven't yet found from the Potomac and that's high on my list (I especially want to find a lateral tooth). I did find what I believe is a worn nurse shark tooth, but I hope to find more of those as well. I need to bring home more matrix!

[digit]

3 minutes ago, bthemoose said:

I need to bring home more matrix!

You can never have enough matrix.

 

Would love to see the potential nurse shark tooth and any Heterodontus.

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

[bthemoose]

8 minutes ago, digit said:

You can never have enough matrix.

 

Would love to see the potential nurse shark tooth and any Heterodontus.

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

 

Here are some photos of the one I thought might be a nurse shark (from the Paleocene Aquia Formation) -- I took these a while ago but never got around to posting them for ID. The tick marks are millimeters. Most of the root is gone.

 

 

 

Edited June 16, 2021 by bthemoose

[Searcher78]

33 minutes ago, bthemoose said:

 

Have you posted photos of any of your Heterodontus teeth on the forum? That's one of the ones I haven't yet found from the Potomac and that's high on my list (I especially want to find a lateral tooth). I did find what I believe is a worn nurse shark tooth, but I hope to find more of those as well. I need to bring home more matrix!

About a year ago I found one of each type of nurse shark while sifting on site. About a month ago I found a tiny nurse in matrix I brought home. Last Sunday, I found my first heterodontus.

[Searcher78]

51 minutes ago, bthemoose said:

 

Have you posted photos of any of your Heterodontus teeth on the forum? That's one of the ones I haven't yet found from the Potomac and that's high on my list (I especially want to find a lateral tooth). I did find what I believe is a worn nurse shark tooth, but I hope to find more of those as well. I need to bring home more matrix!

I’m hoping to find a lateral heterodontus also. I’ve only found a grasping tooth instead of a crushing tooth.

44 minutes ago, bthemoose said:

 

Here are some photos of the one I thought might be a nurse shark (from the Paleocene Aquia Formation) -- I took these a while ago but never got around to posting them for ID. The tick marks are millimeters. Most of the root is gone.

 

 

 

I’m not seeing the overhang that you would see on a nurse shark 

[Trevor]

Here are my micromatrix topics:

 

I collected everything that fell through a 1/4" screen onto a window screen. I put this material in a bucket and then let it sit for a few days.

Then I separated the material further with an eighth inch screen.

 

 

 

 

 

[Mike from North Queensland]

Collect it by the bagfull and process it a home later in comfort

 

[BigKen]

On 6/16/2021 at 6:24 PM, digit said:

You can never have enough matrix.

 

Would love to see the potential nurse shark tooth and any Heterodontus.

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

I am down to very bottom of my last bucket of matrix.  So I am on strict rations until I replenish. I only get one small cup full per week to sort through.  Thankfully, even that small amount always gives up at least one tooth and sometimes three or four plus a couple of other interesting oddities and “what’s its”.