ActionJ Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 (edited) Would dissolving rocks for conodonts run the risk of destroying microvertebrate fossils? I am interested in sampling Devonian marine rock for conodonts, but don't want to simultaneously destroy any possible data which could be gained on fishes.... Edited August 21, 2014 by ActionJ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilized6s Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 It all depends on how you are dissolving the said rock. All of the Permian material i have looked through i have broken down with water (luckily). There are many experts on here that can help in this field. But from a few of my experiences trying to breakdown some matrix materials quickly without damaging the micro fossils is almost impossible. Mother nature is GREAT at breaking things down (freeze/thaw, rain, sun), it just takes fooorrrreeevvveeerrr. Do you know what kind of matrix it is? ~Charlie~ "There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why.....i dream of things that never were, and ask why not?" ~RFK ->Get your Mosasaur print ->How to spot a fake Trilobite ->How to identify a CONCRETION from a DINOSAUR EGG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ActionJ Posted August 21, 2014 Author Share Posted August 21, 2014 (edited) One locality is limestone and mudstone. The other locality is shale. I accidentally wrote Permian, I meant to say Devonian. :/ There is some Carboniferous-Permian rock I would like to sample, but most of the area I am looking at is early to mid Devonian. Edited August 21, 2014 by ActionJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilized6s Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 Depending on the Shale a long bath in warm water may break it down. If that doesn't work, try soaking it for a week or so in water then stick it (still in water) in your freezer to freeze/thaw. Vinegar is Limestone's worst enemy and will break it down with a problem. BUT if the fossils were replaced with limestone as well, they will also melt. Mudstone is a pretty tough one. I still haven't found a good way to break it down. Nature's elements may be the slowest but the safest way. I would take small bits (but still solid) of each and experiment. Hydrogen peroxide also works in some instances. ~Charlie~ "There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why.....i dream of things that never were, and ask why not?" ~RFK ->Get your Mosasaur print ->How to spot a fake Trilobite ->How to identify a CONCRETION from a DINOSAUR EGG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 Some shales respond nicely to long soaks in hydrogen peroxide. "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! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 (edited) Acetic acid is mild enough not to disturb fish fragments. It can be used to get the conodonts, fish and placoderm remains out of the Devonian North Evans Limestone at Penn Dixie. Potassium hydroxide can dissolve mudstone with time and patience. Edited August 21, 2014 by Ludwigia Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmaier Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 Here's a step-by-step I found on line... http://lrrresources.cli.det.nsw.edu.au/fossils/extraction/index.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ActionJ Posted August 24, 2014 Author Share Posted August 24, 2014 Does anyone have a recommended mesh size and also recommended magnification to be used for sorting out conodont elements? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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