Help Please!

[TyrannosaurusRex]

I got these tracks a a Christmas present. Recently I noticed a growth covering the tracks. It's spreading quickly. I MUST know what to do or how to get it off! I am getting VERY nervous.

Before growth:

Now:

[TyrannosaurusRex]

[Carcharodontosaurus]

Could be fungus or pyrite rot.

[Pliosaur]

Try cleaning the fossils or soaking it in water, you can also probably put some vinegar on it to help clean the fossil and get rid of the growth. Hope this helps!!

[Bullsnake]

I would not use vinegar. Not even water. If that's limestone or any calcitic rock, vinegar will cause irreparable damage, and water will promote pyritization, if that's what it is.

Are you keeping it in the bubble wrap/foam pellets? Those can off-gas and cause damage, also.

I would keep it completely dry, and away from any material such as plastic, wood, or non acid-free paper products. Maybe on glass until you get it resolved.

I hope someone can help you soon, otherwise contact a museum.

[Paleoworld-101]

Yikes!

What type of rock is it? Formation, locality?

The type of rock and the minerals that make it up might shed some light on the situation. Where are you keeping it also?

[Taogan]

First I would make sure everything is dry, if it is fungus (unlikely) this will kill it, if it is anything else it should stop it until a permanent fix is found. I wouldn't add water and definitely no vinegar. Where it came from could provide the key for a solution to the problem.

[TyrannosaurusRex]

It is from fossil shack. I do not know the locality but the tracks are from either coelophysis, dilophosaurus or grallator. I believe it to be one of the first two.

[erose]

Two questions:

1. Was the black painted on?

2. Is the growth just on the painted area?

If the answers are yes then they probably used some sort of organic paint and that is where the mold has taken foot.

If it is mold you could possibly try a fine mist of diluted bleach. But test on the back side of the rock to make sure it doesn't cause worse problems.

Edited February 16, 2014 by erose

[BobWill]

Does it seem odd to anyone else that the tracks were darker than the matrix? They almost look more like a carbon trace. Are the tracks either depressed or raised? The original surface was reddish, suggesting oxidizing iron except for a broken away area on the left margin but the whole thing is darkening evenly. Try chipping off a small piece from the bottom to see if the inside is still lighter colored.

[xonenine]

you might try writing the vendor a letter also to see if they can provide any information or suggestions

Edited February 16, 2014 by xonenine

[Auspex]

It is common practice to heighten the contrast between tracks and matrix by painting them with an easily removable pigment.

Just contact Sseth, and ask what was used, and what's happening.

[Taogan]

I've just checked the Fossil Shack site and the tracks were "enhanced" so they could be seen clearly. The problem could be something to do with that, I would suggest getting in touch with them and checking what was used. You might need to remove the pigment.

[mikeymig]

Apart from the discoloration I have a bad feeling about these "tracks". Could you take a shot of them at an angle? All the tracks I have seen are either raised or depressed in the shale. These look like they are just painted tracks on a piece of rock. I hope I'm wrong and someone from Conn. (Tim) should chime in.

Mikey

Edited February 16, 2014 by mikeymig

[Auspex]

Here's another detail photo from the seller:

It shows clearly that these are 3-D tracks. This seller is completely reputable.

[TyrannosaurusRex]

Ok I will try to contact Seth. It was DEFINITELY not painted on and Fossil shack is very good about not having fakes. Parts of the tracks are raised. That stuff growing on it is not on the tracks, it is in between them. Thanks

[mikeymig]

Here's another detail photo from the seller:

~.JPG

It shows clearly that these are 3-D tracks. This seller is completely reputable.

That photo looks better. I don't know the seller and I wasn't calling them out I'm just commenting on a photo.

Mikey

[BobWill]

Mold or something from pigment on the tracks shouldn't darken the matrix. Maybe if the matrix was expected to turn dark the tracks should have been enhanced with something light.