Fossildude19 Posted March 11, 2013 Share Posted March 11, 2013 (edited) Hello all, Have a question for you all. Please let me know what you think. I recently have been doing some practicing on my prep techniques, as I now have an air scribe and an air eraser to prep with. I have a few partial trilos (Eldredgeops, from the Windom shale, Buffalo NY area) that I have been working on. This is the better of the two, although I can post other pics this evening. Does anyone know what the black dots lining the edges of the axial lobe are? Is this indication of color on the trilobite? I thought this was kind of interesting, as the other trilo that has spots doesn't have them going across the pleural segments, only along the Axial lobe margins? I think I recall Tom Buckley posting a similar trilo in the FOTM contest a while back? Any ideas explanations welcome. Thanks for looking. Regards, Edited August 11, 2013 by Fossildude19 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...
kwilson Posted March 11, 2013 Share Posted March 11, 2013 There is some work on such spots by Chris McRoberts and his collaborators (including list member Steve Mize): https://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2012AM/finalprogram/abstract_211132.htm Karl 4 Karl A. Wilson (NY Paleontology): http://bingweb.binghamton.edu/~kwilson/home.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pleecan Posted March 11, 2013 Share Posted March 11, 2013 Welcome to the forum Dr Karl Wilson ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Govinn Posted March 11, 2013 Share Posted March 11, 2013 Tim, that is an amazing picture. You did a fabulous job on the prep work!! congrats on the great work! 1 History will be kind to me for I intend to write it. ~Sir Winston Churchill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piranha Posted March 11, 2013 Share Posted March 11, 2013 There are quite a few papers on the color markings of trilobites but these two are specific to NY: Esker, George C. III (1968)Colour Markings in Phacops and Greenops from the Devonian of New York. Palaeontology 11(4):498-499 Babcock, L. E. (1982)Original and diagenetic color patterns in two phacopid trilobites from the Devonian of New York. Proceedings of the Third North American Paleontological Convention 1:17-22 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caleb Posted March 11, 2013 Share Posted March 11, 2013 If you have a copy, or access to a copy of the book Trilobites of New York, there is a good photo of color markings on plate 103. 1 Caleb Midwestpaleo.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimB88 Posted March 11, 2013 Share Posted March 11, 2013 Tim, that is an amazing picture. You did a fabulous job on the prep work!! congrats on the great work! I second that! Good job on the prep! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrangellian Posted March 11, 2013 Share Posted March 11, 2013 (edited) Me too.. nice job, and even if it's not color spots it's an attractive specimen. (haven't looked at the link...) Edited March 11, 2013 by Wrangellian 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xonenine Posted March 12, 2013 Share Posted March 12, 2013 great prep and photo Tim "Your serpent of Egypt is bred now of your mud by the operation of your sun; so is your crocodile." Lepidus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted March 12, 2013 Author Share Posted March 12, 2013 Thank you all for the kind comments and very informative posts! Looks like I have some reading to do. Regards, 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...
Fossildude19 Posted March 12, 2013 Author Share Posted March 12, 2013 Here is the second one I mentioned. Not quite as many spots as the first. Regards, 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...
Malcolmt Posted March 12, 2013 Share Posted March 12, 2013 Very nice prepping........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted March 12, 2013 Author Share Posted March 12, 2013 Very nice prepping........ Thank you, Malcolm! I'm starting to find my way. Regards, 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...
Missourian Posted March 12, 2013 Share Posted March 12, 2013 Intriguing. I think it's a good sign that the distribution of the spots is symmetrical along with the bilateral body plan of the trilobites. If they were due to some diagenetic process, I would think they would be more random. Context is critical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raistlin Posted March 12, 2013 Share Posted March 12, 2013 I cannot answer your question I just wanted to add my voice to the great job on prep and what a beautiful trilo that is. 1 RobertSoutheast, MO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted March 13, 2013 Author Share Posted March 13, 2013 (edited) I cannot answer your question I just wanted to add my voice to the great job on prep and what a beautiful trilo that is. Robert, Thank you! Not too bad for a beginner. Regards, Edited March 13, 2013 by Fossildude19 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...
PFOOLEY Posted March 13, 2013 Share Posted March 13, 2013 Your prep is spectacular (as well as your photography)! Great detail in both aspects. "I am glad I shall never be young without wild country to be young in. Of what avail are forty freedoms without a blank spot on the map?" ~Aldo Leopold (1887-1948) New Mexico Museum of Natural History Bulletins Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PFOOLEY Posted March 13, 2013 Share Posted March 13, 2013 ...and the spots are very interesting. If not "true to life" color related, maybe they have to do with the structure of the exoskeleton and how it mineralized. Which in the end, would propably lead to color difference between those spots and the rest of the body... and they seem pretty uniform... I need a time machine! None the less, again, very nice prep! "I am glad I shall never be young without wild country to be young in. Of what avail are forty freedoms without a blank spot on the map?" ~Aldo Leopold (1887-1948) New Mexico Museum of Natural History Bulletins Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeymig Posted March 13, 2013 Share Posted March 13, 2013 I found a few spotted bugs in my time Tim and I have been told that they are color markings. I was surprised recently when studies on these spotted trilobites stating that they were preserved Chromatophore's. To think that some trilobites could change color is a neat concept and makes a lot of sense. I have a place where I find these guys and when/if you visit this summer we can find a few. Mikey 1 Many times I've wondered how much there is to know. led zeppelin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snolly50 Posted March 13, 2013 Share Posted March 13, 2013 Did anyone mention "nice prep?" Of course they did, because it certainly is displaying very well! Please post the technique/tools employed. Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, also are remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so. - Douglas Adams, Last Chance to See Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted March 13, 2013 Author Share Posted March 13, 2013 (edited) Thanks again, Everyone, for the very nice comments. I truly appreciate the comments from Govinn, Xonenine, JimB88, Raistlin, Malcolmt, Snolly50 and theCretaceous1. Thank you. I can always use the encouragement. Thanks also to Dr. Karl Wilson, Caleb, and Piranha for pointing me to the answers, and for the added reading material. The forum is such an awesome place to learn from! Snolly50 - I used an airscribe that I bought from Ebay to remove matrix from around the trilos, then, I used my Harbor Freight Central Pneumatics air eraser to clean the remaining matrix from the trilo itself. I used dolomite powder from Axner Pottery and Ceramic Supply as the abrasive media. I plan to try to smooth out the rough edges of the tool markings with my dremel rotary tool, and maybe a last blast with the dolomite, for aesthetic purposes. I was surprised to read about the camoflage theory - the main thoughts about the spots being either original color patterns, muscle attachment points, or that they were used to help with camoflage. Very cool. Mikey, I do hope to get up your way at some point this summer! I will definitely be in touch. Regards, Edited February 18, 2014 by Fossildude19 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...
kwilson Posted March 23, 2013 Share Posted March 23, 2013 I previously (above) mentioned work by Chris McRoberts on the spotted trilobites in New York State Dr. Roberts has informed me that the results will soon be published in the GSA's journal "Geology": http://www.geosociety.org/news/pr/13-17.htm . There is a very nice picture at that site, and the paper is now available on-line at the Geology website (http://geology.gsapubs.org/content/early/recent) for those who have access personally or through their library. 4 Karl A. Wilson (NY Paleontology): http://bingweb.binghamton.edu/~kwilson/home.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piranha Posted March 23, 2013 Share Posted March 23, 2013 I previously (above) mentioned work by Chris McRoberts on the spotted trilobites in New York State Dr. Roberts has informed me that the results will soon be published in the GSA's journal "Geology": http://www.geosociety.org/news/pr/13-17.htm . There is a very nice picture at that site, and the paper is now available on-line at the Geology website (http://geology.gsapubs.org/content/early/recent) for those who have access personally or through their library. Hi Karl, Great paper... thanks for the heads-up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted March 28, 2013 Author Share Posted March 28, 2013 I previously (above) mentioned work by Chris McRoberts on the spotted trilobites in New York State Dr. Roberts has informed me that the results will soon be published in the GSA's journal "Geology": http://www.geosociety.org/news/pr/13-17.htm . There is a very nice picture at that site, and the paper is now available on-line at the Geology website (http://geology.gsapubs.org/content/early/recent) for those who have access personally or through their library. Thanks Dr. Karl! Regards, 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...
Raistlin Posted March 29, 2013 Share Posted March 29, 2013 I came across this. I am not sure if it will offer any more information than has already been posted though. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/03/130327-trilobite-spots-marine-paleontology-science/ I wonder why this only shows up in that area? 1 RobertSoutheast, MO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now