Fluorescent fossils

[Mike from North Queensland]

On my last trip a couple of months back one of the people I talked to told me the fossils from one area are fluorescent.

So when I got home I purchased a light bulb and then a UV torch and started looking at some specimens.

The torch worked better and sure enough some specimens gave off orange, yellow and green. 

Most specimens gave orange, particularly where crystals were evident in ammonites.

I could not get a decent photograph myself but a friend experimented with one piece and the end photograph shows the actual colour seen. 

Next trip I will try a night fossick. below is a section of wood that has been mostly replaced with crystal.

 

Does any one else have fluorescent fossils?

 

Mike

[izak_]

Very cool! Where is this site? o.O

[Mediospirifer]

I've got some; haven't managed to get any decent pictures under the lights, though.

 

Mammal teeth fossils are often fluorescent. I have a partial oreodont jaw and a small deer skull (both Oligocene if I remember correctly) that are quite impressive under the shortwave UV light. The teeth are brown in visible light, but glow bright yellow under the UV. I also have some mildly-fluorescent shark teeth, several gastropods, a calcite-filled clam fossil, and a shrimp fossil from Lebanon. Amber is also often fluorescent.

 

If I ever get my good camera resuscitated, I'll have to try again to get photos. Here's a link to a (visible light) photo of my oreodont jaw I posted in 2014: LINK. That was part of a display I did for a mineral club Open House, for which I posted a question here: LINK. Photos of my specimens are on page 2.

 

Your piece of pet-wood is very nice!

 

[Mike from North Queensland]

1 hour ago, Foozil said:

Very cool! Where is this site? o.O

The Essex Downs station is where some of the material comes from so you could have some florescent specimens from beside the road.

The photographed fossil is from about 10 kilometres along the Croyden road past the council quarry at Richmond.

1 hour ago, Mediospirifer said:

I've got some; haven't managed to get any decent pictures under the lights, though.

 

Mammal teeth fossils are often fluorescent. I have a partial oreodont jaw and a small deer skull (both Oligocene if I remember correctly) that are quite impressive under the shortwave UV light. The teeth are brown in visible light, but glow bright yellow under the UV. I also have some mildly-fluorescent shark teeth, several gastropods, a calcite-filled clam fossil, and a shrimp fossil from Lebanon. Amber is also often fluorescent.

 

If I ever get my good camera resuscitated, I'll have to try again to get photos. Here's a link to a (visible light) photo of my oreodont jaw I posted in 2014: LINK. That was part of a display I did for a mineral club Open House, for which I posted a question here: LINK. Photos of my specimens are on page 2.

 

Your piece of pet-wood is very nice!

 

One of the sharks teeth I have glows a lovely red/orange.

Again its getting a decent photo.

 

Mike

[Fossildude19]

Here are a few other posts with Fluorescent fossils.

 

LINK 1

LINK 2

LINK 3

LINK 4

[Arizona Chris]

I have slabs of placaderm bone that lights up under UV...

[snolly50]

Here are two Oreodonts from my old "Oreodont prep series" posts showing fluorescent teeth;

 

 

[Nimravis]

56 minutes ago, snolly50 said:

Here are two Oreodonts from my old "Oreodont prep series" posts showing fluorescent teeth;

 

      

It’s always a handy tool to have with you when purchasing certain types of fossils- you have some nice real teeth there.