Showing Off Your Foraminifera Images

[Foram-Mike]

Dear colleagues,

nice to have a special section on micro-paleontology. The wide study-area deserves it.

Some of your may know the foraminifera.eu project. But anyhow I would like to introduce our view of how a collection of microfossils might be built and shown off. Who are we ? => a small group of enthusiastic foram-collectors in Hamburg, Germany with access to a SEM. We work and will work on a strictly non-commercial basis.

1.

As many fossil-hunter we want to show off our findings, which is somewhat difficult as the objects are not visible with the naked eye.

So we think images should be made and shown on the internet.

2.

Imaging of tiny objects - namely below 500 mikrons - is though not an easy task.

So we offer to shoot SEM-images of foraminifera from sent in samples for free. Our capacities are limited, so do not expect too much.

We made e.g. some images of material Fossil Forum colleague Herb gave us: http://www.foraminifera.eu/herb.html

3.

There are so many species of microfossils, only foraminifera may have 100.000 recorded species.

So we think images of collections should be brought together. So we have built http://www.foraminifera.eu with 6500+ images and 100+ contributors and their collections

4.

A gallery of hundreds of images is meaningless if not well organized and accessbile through a nice interface

So we have put much effort in our database and interface at http://www.foraminifera.eu/querydb.php

Furthermore there are other accesses such as thru the genus-pages at http://www.foraminifera.eu/AtoC.php

5.

In the course of time our amateur page became well respected, high ranked on Google and is even in the references of the newest book of the Cushman foundation Special Publication 43.

Nonetheless we are a hord of amateurs with the intent to share our enthusiasm with others alike

So you are welcome to use our ressources, show off your images as part of a mutual collection or ask for SEMs.

Please consider to contribute your images of foraminifera or contact us on any issue dealing with forams.

Michael Hesemann

Foraminifera.eu Project

Hamburg, Germany

From our newest project: Atlas of Maastrichtian forams:

Edited March 29, 2013 by Foram-Mike

[Acryzona]

I had the pleasure of meeting and talking with Michael on his recent trip to the US. His offer of SEM access is very generous - I dreamed of using an SEM for my high school science fair project on ostracods but they were (and still are) nearly exclusively for universities and corporations. You can see from his website both his collaborations with other TFF members and the high quality photos that his group produces.

Matthew

[Missourian]

Thanks much for the SEM offer.

Please consider to contribute your images of foraminifera or contact us on any issue dealing with forams.

I do have a few images taken with a microscope here:

http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/topic/33865-adventures-in-microscopy/

Some examples:

Triticites sp.

Ervine Creek Limestone, Pennsylvanian

Andrew County, Missouri

Triticites sp.

Beil Limestone, Pennsylvanian

Osage County, Kansas

Triticites sp.

Plattsmouth Limestone, Pennsylvanian

Leavenworth County, Kansas

Edited April 3, 2013 by Missourian

[Missourian]

A couple more....

Ammovertella sp. (inclusa?)
Fontana Shale, Pennsylvanian
Clay County, Missouri

Tolypammina sp.

Fontana Shale, Pennsylvanian

Jackson County, Missouri

Edited April 3, 2013 by Missourian