Rubykicks Posted May 12, 2021 Share Posted May 12, 2021 (edited) Found this at the Monroe Reservoir in Indiana on Monday. Looks like a brachiopod made of pyrite? Or is it more likely a cast? Edited May 12, 2021 by Rubykicks 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted May 12, 2021 Share Posted May 12, 2021 Looks like pyrite replacement, to me. May be a brachiopod, or a bivalve. 1 2 Tim - VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER VFOTM --- APRIL - 2015 __________________________________________________ "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~ ><))))( *> About Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockwood Posted May 12, 2021 Share Posted May 12, 2021 16 minutes ago, Rubykicks said: brachiopod made of pyrite? Or is it more likely a cast? Replacement is like both. The shell just kind of gets bumped out by minerals during fossilization. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rubykicks Posted May 12, 2021 Author Share Posted May 12, 2021 3 minutes ago, Fossildude19 said: Looks like pyrite replacement, to me. May be a brachiopod, or a bivalve. So it's in a larger chuck of rock. What would your advice be for getting it out? Or would you just leave it so as not to damage it? I'm sure it's not uncommon or special, but I would like to keep it for my collection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilDAWG Posted May 12, 2021 Share Posted May 12, 2021 If the rock is large or unwieldy you could perhaps use a tile saw to trim it down. If by "get it out" you mean to remove it entirely from the matrix, I think it is far too fragile for that. Also it looks nicer against the matrix than it would on it's own, in my opinion. Don 1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crusty_Crab Posted May 12, 2021 Share Posted May 12, 2021 2 minutes ago, Rubykicks said: So it's in a larger chuck of rock. What would your advice be for getting it out? Or would you just leave it so as not to damage it? I'm sure it's not uncommon or special, but I would like to keep it for my collection. I think its going to be stuck onto the rock forever. Its probably neither feasible nor advisable to separate it from the matrix. You could cut the surrounding rock down to a more manageable size using a tile saw. Keep in mind that pyrite is transitional, it will eventually "rust" or oxidize away. Pyrite is formed under reducing conditions, but once it is surfaced, it is introduced to oxidizing conditions which will initiate its degradation. One thing you can do to slow that down is to coat it, protecting it from oxygen in the air. Paraloid/acryloid B-72 is the preferred coating but I'm sure others are available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockwood Posted May 12, 2021 Share Posted May 12, 2021 And you should know that the shock of a hammer blow elsewhere on the piece can dislodge fragments in a most disappointing way. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rubykicks Posted May 12, 2021 Author Share Posted May 12, 2021 Thank you both! I'll probably just coat it and leave it be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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