Yoda's Journey with Micro Fossils

[Yoda]

Some of you may recall that towards the end of last year, I bought myself a usb microscope. 

The aim was primarily to have a closer look at my amber inclusions. 

Also used it to magnify my regular fossils too. 

 

After having read through some of the threads on this sub-forum, I decided to delve into the realm of micro-fossils. 

Had a look online. And found a good deal on that  auction site. 

28 x 50 gram sachets matrix. Spanning various time periods. According to the seller, it is primarily invertebrate material. 

 

Am planning on getting started on the weekend. 

 

 

[Ludwigia]

Have a good excursion

[Yoda]

This is a list of locations / time period :

 

Coon Creek Fm (Cretaceous), Marianna Limestone (Oligocene), Decorah Shale (Ordovician), Chickasawhay Marl (Oligocene), Mehia Clay (Palaeocene), Lisbon Fm (Eocene), Choctawhatchee Fm (Miocene), Byram Marl (Oligocene), Bashi Fm (Eocene), Brownsport Fm x2 (Silurian), Weches Fm (Eocene), Jackson Bluff Fm (Miocene), Chipolo Fm (Miocene), Yazoo Clay (Eocene), Ocala Limestone (Eocene), Salt Mountain Limestone (Eocene), Cocoa Sand (Eocene), Demopolis Fm (Cretaceous), Waldron Shale x2 (Silurian), Imo Fm (Mississippian), San Bridge Fm (Pleistocene), Henryhouse Shale (Silurian), Milams Fm (Eocene), Welden Limestone (Mississippian), Mint Springs Marl (Paleogene)

Edited February 1, 2023 by Yoda

[digit]

I'd love to see an image of your USB microscope setup. Hard to make a lot of suggestions without knowing the specifics of how you'll be picking your micro-matrix but a few things might help you on this journey.

 

Since you'll be using a USB camera to view and magnify the micro-matrix you'll be picking through, the background where you pour out a small allotment of micro-matrix can be important. If you are using something like a white paper plate or something like a Petri dish sitting on a black background, the USB camera will struggle to maintain a proper exposure. Micro-matrix on a white background tends to show up underexposed and likewise overexposed on a black background. You can purchase 18% gray photographic cards (in plastic or cardboard) which are useful for a pure neutral background while taking photographs so there is no color cast due to lighting but that it really not necessary while picking. I choose to go to an arts & crafts store and pick up sheets of gray construction paper and cut out circles of this paper which I use spray contact cement to adhere to my picking plate.

 

With really fine micro-matrix it is sometimes difficult to pour out a line of the matrix onto your picking plate so that you can systematically search along the line moving new matrix under the view of your camera as you go. Spreading out matrix all over the plate means that you have to pan left to right and then move down for a reverse pass in the other direction. This sort of 2 dimensional search through the matrix is inefficient and has the possibility of missing some of the micro-matrix in your search. The best thing I've found to pour out a consistent thin line of matrix is a bottle with a narrow opening. A recycled condiment bottle (like mustard) could very well work and won't cost anything (unless you have to buy and eat lots of food to empty the mustard bottle). I've found the sniffer bottles used in gold panning work very well. They come with a tube that is used to keep the gold dust in the bottle but I pull this out and just use the small plastic bottle with narrowed tip to pour out my line of micro-matrix. These can be found quite readily from online sources.

 

 

For manipulating the micro-matrix and pushing away any micro-fossils from the matrix so they can be picked up, I've found nothing better than dental probes. I've found an inexpensive source for these one ended dental explorers and they are great for pushing and pulling the micro-matrix on the plate and isolating the fossils so they may be pulled from the plate. You can use something simplistic like a toothpick but after a little while these dental tools become like second nature to manipulate the micro-matrix on the picking plate.

 

 

Feel free to PM me for additional tips. I've been picking micro-matrix for 9 years and I have learned much to optimize the process of searching for tiny treasures among the bits of micro-matrix.

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

[ClearLake]

Welcome to the micro world!  You will be hooked in no time.  That looks like a great assortment of material, I'll be interested to see what you find in those. 

 

Ken has some great suggestions above, so I'll just add a couple of related suggestions.  He is absolutely right about the background color with the digital microscopes, I use a grayish type color construction paper that works very well.  I drew two parallel lines on it that are the width of my viewing field at my usual magnification.  I pour some matrix onto the paper and use a ruler to scoot all the matrix between the two lines.  Then I can just move the paper one direction as I pick down the line.

 

Enjoy!!

[Yoda]

@digit / Ken , @ClearLake

Thank you both for your comprehensive reply 

 

The base of my microscope is a silver / grey colour. 
Was planning on using a clear shallow dish on top of that. 
 

I have some very small screwdrivers that I was planning on shifting the matrix around with. 
 

Need to look into some sort of tweezers for lifting specimens 

Or is this not necessary ?

Edited February 1, 2023 by Yoda

[jpc]

a small natural bristle paintbrush is good for lifting specimens... just lick the brush lightly and the fossils will hopefully stick to it, then deposit them in your storage unit. 

[ClearLake]

13 minutes ago, Yoda said:

The base of my microscope is a silver / grey colour. 
Was planning on using a clear shallow dish on top of that. 

OK, you will just have to try it and see if that works.  You will tell pretty quickly if the colors are making the resulting contrast unacceptable.

 

15 minutes ago, Yoda said:

Need to look into some sort of tweezers for lifting specimens 

Or is this not necessary ?

I personally am a tweezer guy, but I know a lot of folks do not like them.  I think it all depends on the size and type of the specimens you are trying to pick up and your dexterity (not so good for really really small or fragile items).  It definitely takes a light touch.  A wetted fine paint brush (like only a couple of fibers) also works well for small items, this is how I learned many years ago.  A toothpick can also work, again slightly wetted.

[digit]

I've had to many tiny specimens escape the pinch of the tweezers to land in some hidden place than will only be found by a vacuum cleaner.

 

Though an unusual method, I use a finger. 

 

I've found that I can use the dental probe to push/pull the desired specimen away from the matrix so that it is reasonably separated from anything around it. I discovered that I can gently pick up a wide variety of shapes of delicate micro-fossils with gentle pressure of an index finder. I used to moisten my fingertip to give it the ability to lift the micro-fossil but I now use the fingertip moistener that is used in offices by paper pushers. It has the consistency of a Chapstick type lip balm (sort of waxy). A quick dab of this moistener and then rubbing it between a thumb and index finger dries out the solvent portion leaving behind just a faint residue that provides just enough tack to life micro-fossils. As long as you remember to dry it out before trying to pick up anything I've never seen it leave any signs of residue on the micro-fossils picked up in such a manner. Again, brushes and tweezers are by far the mainstream approach to lifting micro-fossils but with very fossiliferous matrix (like from the Montbrook site in Florida) the fingertip method has turned out to be the quickest and most efficient. You might experiment with some lip balm (but make sure to dry it out by rubbing it between your fingers so there is just a hint of tackiness). If this is a method that works for you then you can try to locate a container of the official office finger moistener. One container should just about last a lifetime.

 

Small jeweler's screwdrivers (or even a toothpick) will work to start with for manipulating the micro-matrix but trust me you'll like the dexterity and ability to pull/push bits of matrix around with a nice "shepherd's crook" style dental tool as shown above. I'd never consider picking without one--it becomes an extension of my body and I'm quite adept and separating interesting specimens or flipping over mysteries to inspect from other angles.

 

The gray background of your microscope base sounds appropriate (and was likely made that way for a nice neutral brightness background). See how well a small glass/plastic dish (similar in nature to a Petri dish) works for you. It is possible the slippery nature of the dish might cause the micro-matrix to move around more than you'd like. While you are experimenting with things and developing a system that works for you, it might be a useful experiment to cut out a circle of gray construction paper to line the bottom of this dish. The higher friction of a piece of construction paper might keep the matrix from sliding around more than you'd like.

 

Would love to see a photo of your setup once you are happy with it. Micro-matrix picking is a tiny (no pun intended) specialty within the fossil hunting world. Only a small percentage of fossil hunters ever get into this specialty and it would be worth the effort to document your process to aid any who read this in the future.

 

This old thread from some years back might provide some interesting ideas which could prove useful:

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

[Al Dente]

I use the paintbrush method that jpc described above, but I never lick it or use water. A dry brush can pick up any small fossil with a little practice. 

[ParkerPaleo]

I use a bit of bee's wax on the head of a pin to pick up specimen.

 

And stick the pin in a corked vial

[digit]

I've known micro-fossils to be stored in a collection stuck to the head of a pin inserted into the underside of a cork stopper for a glass vial. These days we tend to use gel capsules to store tiny micros. The gel caps are then placed in plastic vials along with the collection label. Over time the gelatin in the capsules does not age well and will get yellow and brittle so it is not really the best for archival storage.

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

[jpc]

beeswax and office supply wax just sound like goo I do not want to get on my fingers. fossils (edited by me). 

The dry paintbrush works pretty well as well.  Esp if the brush's hairs do not like to all fall in together and you can micro-tweezer the fossil between hairs on the paintbrush.   

Edited February 2, 2023 by jpc

[Yoda]

@digit

This is my microscope. 
 

 

 

[digit]

Ah, yes. I started out with a USB microscope/camera setup back in 2014 but the technology was pretty primitive back then. The bandwidth on the USB was so limited that there was nearly a one second delay between receiving the video and having the computer display it on screen. Needless to say this delay from realtime responsiveness meant that it was impossible to use for picking.

 

I would expect that the shiny silvery base of this scope might create some problems with reflected light. When you get your small Petri-like dish for picking, I'd suggest lining the bottom with some gray construction paper which I think should provide better background.

 

Can you take images with this rig?

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

[Yoda]

I have printed a 18% grey page off the internet. 

 

It's probably a bottom of the range, but for my needs at this stage, it's ok. 

Yes, you can take photos. 

 

This is a slice of Permain tree fern 

[digit]

Very nice!

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

[Yoda]

So I am fiddling a bit more with my microscope looking at some Amber before I start with the micro matrix. 

I am sitting at a table, right next to a window (cloudy day). And the scope itself has a light. 

But it the image seems a bit dark to me. 

Do I need an additional light source? 

A lamp of sorts ?

 

 

[digit]

I'm guessing that amber (being translucent) likes to be backlit. Your scope probably only provides a light source from above.

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

[Yoda]

Had my first go with the matrix this afternoon. 

I really struggled to isolate an item of interest. First tried with a long thin needle; and then a fine paint brush.

 

Also struggled a bit to identify items of interest.

Some looked like potential items, but were maybe just stones.

 

Here is an example. The elongated white object.

Ocala Limestone,Claiborne, Alabama, Eocene

 

 

[digit]

Always helps to have an idea of what types of fossils can be found in a particular micro-matrix. This stuff is quite colorful. I'd suggest not tossing the matrix you've picked through but saving it off somewhere. By the end of picking that batch you might have a better clue as to what tiny treasures lie within. Then it would be nice to be able to make a second pass with that gained knowledge.

 

See if a toothpick works for you to separate out items of interest. I still recommend dental tools but toothpicks are more quickly sourced.

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

[Yoda]

And this elongated items also looks interesting

 

 

[Al Dente]

I’m not certain, but the ones I’ve circled might be ostracods.

 

 

[Yoda]

@Al Dente

Yes, it does look like it  

 

I probably won't get a chance to have another look at the material until next weekend 

[Yoda]

Had another go with this on the weekend

I have to admit. I am struggling a bit. 

The main issue - not being able to isolate and remove an item of interest. 

 

I pour a small amount of matrix into a shallow container and then put it under the microscope to have a look. Moving the container around slowly with my hand. 

When I see something of interest, I take a long thin pin, and try and remove it from the matrix. But this is where it goes a bit wrong. Co-ordinating where to move the pin etc, and in the process, disturbing the matrix under view, and losing track of the item. 

 

How does one avoid this ??