aldo66 Posted October 15, 2022 Share Posted October 15, 2022 Hello, in my quest for jet and amber I came across this piece this week in an old mine. This is the first time that I have found a piece of good jet covered with its bark totally pyritized over several millimeters. I find the result very pleasant but I fear for its stability in the months or years to come! This dates from the Turonian and the abandoned mine is in Languedoc Roussillon in France! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FranzBernhard Posted October 15, 2022 Share Posted October 15, 2022 9 minutes ago, aldo66 said: I fear for its stability in the months or years to come! I have some Austrian jet with some pyrite in some parts - these parts indeed tend to disintegrate! Franz Bernhard 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IsaacTheFossilMan Posted October 16, 2022 Share Posted October 16, 2022 You will want to soak it in water, refreshing the water every day to clean it, for a few days. And then when you take it out, it will be vulnerable, so you want to have a chemical known as "pyrite stop" available on hand - it is applied to the specimen to prevent pyrite decay. 1 ~ Isaac; www.isaactfm.com "Don't move! He can't see us if we don't move!" - Alan Grant Come to the spring that is The Fossil Forum, where the stream of warmth and knowledge never runs dry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon Posted October 16, 2022 Share Posted October 16, 2022 51 minutes ago, IsaacTheFossilMan said: You will want to soak it in water, refreshing the water every day to clean it, for a few days. And then when you take it out, it will be vulnerable, so you want to have a chemical known as "pyrite stop" available on hand - it is applied to the specimen to prevent pyrite decay. I don't agree. As this piece doesn't come from a coastal site, there's no need to remove any salt from the pyrite specimen, and thus bringing the piece in contact with moisture only risks triggering decay rather than preventing it, IMO. The advise to look into pyrite stopper may, however, indeed be of value, as these pieces do tend to start blooming and decay rapidly. I've tried preserving various pieces from coastal sites (mainly IoW) in the past by varnishing then, but all except for a single piece have since fallen apart. Pyrite stopper, for which a British and German vendor exist (if not others), is not a pleasant substance to be playing around with, from what I've been told, however, moreover requiring high volumes of relatively pure ethanol or anhydrous alcohol, which may be difficult or expensive to come by. It may therefore be worthwhile sending the specimen of for professional treatment. 1 1 2 'There's nothing like millions of years of really frustrating trial and error to give a species moral fibre and, in some cases, backbone' -- Terry Pratchett Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aldo66 Posted October 16, 2022 Author Share Posted October 16, 2022 A big thank you for all these useful tips, I will therefore study the possibilities to keep this specimen which I find very interesting. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocket Posted October 16, 2022 Share Posted October 16, 2022 (edited) Have you heard about the stability of the pyrite from this site? Sometimes nothing happens over decades, sometimes... The pyrite-stopper do not often work propper. Better than nothing, bot often it stops only for a short time Edited October 17, 2022 by rocket 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aldo66 Posted October 17, 2022 Author Share Posted October 17, 2022 Hard to say for this site which has only been reopened very recently. On the other hand, this crystallization of pyrite is very compact, nothing to do with the finely grainy pyrite that can be encountered on the usual lignite! I will keep you informed of the evolution of things... Thank you for your interventions on this subject. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aldo66 Posted October 17, 2022 Author Share Posted October 17, 2022 Just for fun I add two nodules of honey-colored amber (about 3 cm) found during the same outing on this same site. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FranzBernhard Posted October 17, 2022 Share Posted October 17, 2022 32 minutes ago, aldo66 said: found during the same outing on this same site. LOL! From one of the (well-known) jet mining areas in Austria, amber is also mentioned by collectors, up to 3 cm large pieces. But geologists etc. have not mentioned amber. I have also found none yet. But I have not searched very hard! On 10/15/2022 at 7:02 PM, aldo66 said: Languedoc Roussillon in France! Was it mined for the fuel coal or for yet? In my areas, both where mined, first jet as "gemstone" and than normal coal for fuel. Franz Bernhard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aldo66 Posted October 17, 2022 Author Share Posted October 17, 2022 (edited) This old mine was exploited for jet in the 18th century. I think that at the same time, the less noble pieces were used as charcoal! on the other hand, amber is not mentioned in the archives and the publication of its presence is very recent (about 5 years). I emphasize that the discovery of this amber is very rare and complicated to access! A UV lamp is essential! Edited October 17, 2022 by aldo66 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FranzBernhard Posted October 17, 2022 Share Posted October 17, 2022 2 hours ago, aldo66 said: amber is not mentioned in the archives and the publication of its presence is very recent (about 5 years) Very interesting! Somewhat similar situation like here! Btw, the jet here in Austria is also of Turonian age. And thanks for the info about the mine. Franz Bernhard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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