Missourian Posted April 12, 2013 Share Posted April 12, 2013 Certain microfossils -- forams, ostracods, conodonts -- are abundant and are readily found and collected. Other types tend to be less common and/or obscure. These include sponge spicules, holothurian sclerites, scolecodonts, charophytes, etc. I would also include really tiny fossils such as radiolarians and diatoms. Has anyone else found any of these? 1 Context is critical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herb Posted April 12, 2013 Share Posted April 12, 2013 I have Ord. scolecodonts, Miss. and Cretaceous sponge spicules and Silurian charophytes. "Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence"_ Carl Sagen No trees were killed in this posting......however, many innocent electrons were diverted from where they originally intended to go. " I think, therefore I collect fossils." _ Me "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."__S. Holmes "can't we all just get along?" Jack Nicholson from Mars Attacks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acryzona Posted April 15, 2013 Share Posted April 15, 2013 I've got some Ordovician and Devonian scolecodonts. Hoping to find some more this year as I dissolve more limestone. Radiolarians and diatoms are too fine for my equipment. I met Rumi (TFF member) last year and he collects diatoms. Unfortunately, I haven't seen him on TFF for a while. Collecting Microfossils - a hobby concerning much about many of the little paraphrased from Dr. Robert Kesling's book Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herb Posted April 15, 2013 Share Posted April 15, 2013 I've never looked for radiolarians and diatoms. What kind of magnification are we looking at here? "Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence"_ Carl Sagen No trees were killed in this posting......however, many innocent electrons were diverted from where they originally intended to go. " I think, therefore I collect fossils." _ Me "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."__S. Holmes "can't we all just get along?" Jack Nicholson from Mars Attacks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missourian Posted April 15, 2013 Author Share Posted April 15, 2013 I've never looked for radiolarians and diatoms. What kind of magnification are we looking at here? I'm kind of curious about diatoms myself. I've had a chunk of diatomite from California for several years, but I haven't yet bothered to examine bits of it under the scope. Context is critical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missourian Posted April 15, 2013 Author Share Posted April 15, 2013 Has anyone had luck finding holothurian sclerites? Context is critical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acryzona Posted April 16, 2013 Share Posted April 16, 2013 Haven't tried looking for holothurian sclerites but haven't read that they are found in my samples plus the challenge of knowing what to look for. I remember the first time I was searching for forams in the Vincentown, I passed over aggulinated forams for a couple of days before I realized what they were! LOL Collecting Microfossils - a hobby concerning much about many of the little paraphrased from Dr. Robert Kesling's book Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herb Posted April 21, 2013 Share Posted April 21, 2013 (edited) Here is a collection of mini-micro specimens I found in the Finis Shale at the Jacksboro. Texas site. Pennsylvanian in age. A mixed bag of brachiopods, pelecypods, ostracods, urchin spines, gastropods, coral, worm tubes, bryozoans, and other weird stuff I haven't ID'd yet. Edited April 21, 2013 by Herb "Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence"_ Carl Sagen No trees were killed in this posting......however, many innocent electrons were diverted from where they originally intended to go. " I think, therefore I collect fossils." _ Me "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."__S. Holmes "can't we all just get along?" Jack Nicholson from Mars Attacks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullsnake Posted April 21, 2013 Share Posted April 21, 2013 Love it, Herb! What size are the cells on your display card? Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herb Posted April 26, 2013 Share Posted April 26, 2013 Love it, Herb! What size are the cells on your display card? Thanks. I use $.50 coin holders, and customized the background sheets to fit my needs with Excel, then print them on a laser printer. You can make the cells any size you want. I like to pick out anything interesting in the matrix. The squares are about 3mm on a side. Regular microfossil slides are too small for my needs. Also you can reverse the image and print a black background for light colored fossils. The coin boxes are about 2" x 2.5" with a snap lid. They really work well and cost only about a buck. You can find more info in my 2 posts on Hunting microfossils without breaking the bank, "Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence"_ Carl Sagen No trees were killed in this posting......however, many innocent electrons were diverted from where they originally intended to go. " I think, therefore I collect fossils." _ Me "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."__S. Holmes "can't we all just get along?" Jack Nicholson from Mars Attacks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ted coulianos Posted May 19, 2013 Share Posted May 19, 2013 Has anyone had luck finding holothurian sclerites? images are not as crisp as I would have liked; magnification is ~30x; relatively uncommon in the matrix I had. The latice-like sclerites are siliceous in nature & are every bit as fragile as they look. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acryzona Posted June 1, 2013 Share Posted June 1, 2013 Thanks for posting a photo - now I know what to look for under the scope! Collecting Microfossils - a hobby concerning much about many of the little paraphrased from Dr. Robert Kesling's book Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herb Posted June 1, 2013 Share Posted June 1, 2013 Thanks for posting a photo - now I know what to look for under the scope! Me too. "Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence"_ Carl Sagen No trees were killed in this posting......however, many innocent electrons were diverted from where they originally intended to go. " I think, therefore I collect fossils." _ Me "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."__S. Holmes "can't we all just get along?" Jack Nicholson from Mars Attacks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missourian Posted June 1, 2013 Author Share Posted June 1, 2013 images are not as crisp as I would have liked; magnification is ~30x; relatively uncommon in the matrix I had. The latice-like sclerites are siliceous in nature & are every bit as fragile as they look. Nice. As they are siliceous, did you extract them with acid? Context is critical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rumi Posted August 12, 2016 Share Posted August 12, 2016 For those interested in diatoms, I'd like to recommend the group diatom-forum on Yahoo: https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/diatom_forum/info I started this group some years ago, and we now have over 100 members, mostly amateur hobbyists, and most seriously interested in fossil diatoms -- especially of the marine Miocene. Feel free to have a look! Rumi 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ridgehiker Posted August 13, 2016 Share Posted August 13, 2016 Certain microfossils -- forams, ostracods, conodonts -- are abundant and are readily found and collected. Other types tend to be less common and/or obscure. These include sponge spicules, holothurian sclerites, scolecodonts, charophytes, etc. I would also include really tiny fossils such as radiolarians and diatoms. Has anyone else found any of these? Its not that some microfossils are less common as much as what fossils are most useful in doing biostratigraphy. I have hundreds of slides mounted with conodonts, ostracods and, to a lesser extent, foraminifera. The others you mention, hardly any. This is because in paleozoic studies certain fossil groups are much more diagnostic. One can compare 'conodont zones'. The same with macro fossils...for every paper on tabulate corals there are tweny on rugose corals because rugose corals have subtle changes that can be followed through the stages of the Permian, etc. Re diatoms...many are quite incredible. Not only interesting scientifically but spectacular specimens of Nature's artwork. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HFVC Fossils Posted September 9, 2016 Share Posted September 9, 2016 And the hair of primitive man in box 49? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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