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Adventures In Microscopy


Missourian

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Brittle star

Dinwoody Formation, Triassic

Block Mountain, Madison County, Montana

 

Dinwoody-ophiuroid-1.jpg

 

1719-brittle-star.jpg

 

It's hard to see in the 2D image, but the tiny black specks scattered across the surface are sitting in deep pits. They appear to be organisms that 'ate' into the calcite.

 

I found this during Field Camp in 1998.

Context is critical.

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Sponge surface detail

Maeandrostia sp. (kansasensis?)

Quindaro Shale, Pennsylvanian

Miami County, Kansas

 

1726-Maeandrostia.jpg

 

The sponge is 14 mm wide at the end.

Context is critical.

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Tabulate coral

Syringopora sp.

Cement City Limestone, Pennsylvanian

Clay County, Missouri

 

1740-Syringopora.jpg

 

The individual corallites are ~1.5 mm across.

Context is critical.

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Crusher shark tooth

Orodus sp.

Wyandotte Formation, Pennsylvanian

Johnson County, Kansas

 

48-Orodus.jpg

 

1808-Orodus.jpg

Context is critical.

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This is a great topic Missourian! (as always)

Beautiful fossils & nice photos! That bryozoan is a ringer for the White Tree of Minas Tirith.

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Actinopterygian fish brain cast
Lawrenciella sp. (schaefferi?)
Muncie Creek Shale, Pennsylvanian
Kansas City metro

Lawrenciella-2a.jpg

1794-Lawrenciella-1.jpg

1776-Lawrenciella-2.jpg

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.... I aim to please.... :)

And you really do it... :wub:

The organic details are always very interesting, amazing and charming to the eyes...

Here is a close up shot of a big favites sp.coral of my collection...

post-4345-0-27855300-1357385727_thumb.jpg

post-4345-0-27651800-1357385754_thumb.jpg

  • I found this Informative 1

Astrinos P. Damianakis

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On 1/5/2013 at 5:36 AM, astron said:

Here is a close up shot of a big favites sp.coral of my collection...

 

Looks like ski slopes in the mountains. :)

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Looks like ski slopes in the mountains. :)

... or weird leaves/foliages untidily thrown around... :)

Astrinos P. Damianakis

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More fusulinids....

 

Two 'pinwheels'

Triticites sp.

Plattsmouth Limestone, Pennsylvanian

Leavenworth, Kansas

 

1862-Plattsmouth-Triticites.jpg

 

These are preserved in chert and are cross-sectioned. The larger fusulinid is 2 mm across.

 

'Red beans and rice'

Triticites sp. (irregularis?)

Stoner Limestone, Pennsylvanian

Clay County, Missouri

 

1853-Stoner-Triticites.jpg

 

The 'red beans' are actually lichen-like organisms that had grown on the weathered rock. The fusulinid in the center is 6 mm long.

Context is critical.

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As it turns out, the phone cam works through a telescope as well.... :)

 

1749-geese-on-ice.jpg

Context is critical.

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Crusher shark tooth

Sandalodus sp.

Kansas City Group, Pennsylvanian

Kansas City metro

 

81-Sandalodus.jpg

 

1797-Sandalodus.jpg

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Attached epifauna on Rhombopora bryozoan

Middle Creek Limestone, Pennsylvanian

Jackson County, Missouri

 

127-Middle-Creek-hash-2.jpg

 

1765-Rhombopora-epifauna.jpg

 

These could be brachiopods, but I'm not sure.

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Does it have to be an i-phone ?

I just tried using the camera my cell phone phone and got nothing really. I also tried using my camera without success.

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On 1/8/2013 at 8:50 AM, Cormoran2 said:

Does it have to be an i-phone ?

I just tried using the camera my cell phone phone and got nothing really. I also tried using my camera without success.

 

I'd think any phone camera would work. The trick is that you have to hold the camera steadily and precisely in the right position. Otherwise, everything goes black. Don't give up on it just yet.

 

I haven't tried the DSLR yet.

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I didn't know that it was possible to take photos through a microscope with an Iphone. Those are very nice especially the Ozarkodina sp. and the ostracods. Too bad they went "right side" up, you could identify them. Do you use an attachment between the Iphone and scope, tripod, or just handheld?

(sneaking off to get my wife's Iphone...) :)

Collecting Microfossils - a hobby concerning much about many of the little

paraphrased from Dr. Robert Kesling's book

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On 1/8/2013 at 1:46 PM, Acryzona said:

Those are very nice especially the Ozarkodina sp. and the ostracods. Too bad they went "right side" up, you could identify them.

 

I think many were "wrong side" up, but they were pretty well worn and rounded.

 

Quote

Do you use an attachment between the Iphone and scope, tripod, or just handheld?

 

The steps I follow....

1. If necessary, rotate the phone so that the subject is most likely to fit into the image field.

2. Fumble with the phone above the eyepiece until something shows up on the screen

3. Center the eyepiece view in the screen. This is the trickiest part.

4. Raise or lower phone until the image stabilizes.

5. Rotate the phone slightly until the field of view is centered in the screen.

6. Wiggle the phone a bit until the square indicator pops up (iPhone, at least). It usually sharpens into focus at that point.

7. If the fossil is bright, tap it on the screen. This will re-balance the lighting (again, iPhone). Otherwise, it will be washed out.

8. Snap the photo quickly. You can hold your hand steady for only so long. :)

9. Take many pictures. If you take only one, it won't be any good. I usually take 10+. I then bring them up on the PC, zoom in, and pick the sharpest one.

10. I always crop the image, but I seldom have to adjust the brightness.

These steps can be cumbersome, but they become pretty easy with practice.

 

Quote

(sneaking off to get my wife's Iphone...) :)

 

Seeing your avatar.... once you start, you may become addicted. :)

Context is critical.

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Eurypterid carapace detail

Adelophthalmus sp.

Wyandotte Formation, Pennsylvanian

Johnson County, Kansas

 

Adelophthalmus-close-up.jpg

 

1901--Eurypterid-ammovertellids-1.jpg

 

1917-Eurypterid-ammovertellids-2.jpg

 

The little amber and white squiggly things are encrusting forams (Ammovertella and Tolypammina).

Context is critical.

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On 1/9/2013 at 9:04 AM, Cormoran2 said:

''If the fossil is bright, tap it on the screen''

I am not sure I understand this...

 

I was having a problem of details in white fossils being washed out as the camera tried to balance out the brightness levels. See the conodonts on black shale above. After a little research online, I found out that if you tap the bright subject on the screen, it will lower the overall brightness as desirable to some degree.

 

An example:

 

Before-after.jpg

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Apologies for pestering you with this, M., but I don't know what you mean by 'tapping' on the 'screen'....

Taking photos through my microscope would be great. Hence my persistence! :) .

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On 1/9/2013 at 4:46 PM, Cormoran2 said:

Apologies for pestering you with this, M., but I don't know what you mean by 'tapping' on the 'screen'....

Taking photos through my microscope would be great. Hence my persistence! :) .

 

That's all right. :)

 

By 'screen', I was referring to the LCD screen on the phone.

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It is a touch screen, and adjusts the white balance when tapped on an area that is 'washed out'.

"There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant

“Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley

>Paleontology is an evolving science.

>May your wonders never cease!

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Fish mandible with teeth

Muncie Creek Shale, Pennsylvanian

Kansas City metro

 

1928-1935-Muncie-fish-jaw-2500.jpg

 

The jaw is 26 mm in length. I had to combine two images to fit it all in.

Context is critical.

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