Bozark Posted April 1, 2018 Share Posted April 1, 2018 Got this jacket into my prep lab yesterday night, and couldn't stop myself from starting in on it today. The specimen is likely a Gomphothere scapula, with most of the articulating end intact. The matrix is a very poorly cemented sandstone, when exposed to surface conditions it becomes essentially loose sand but a few inches deep it gets decently solid. Most of the prep I did today was just using a dull small chisel to push away the matrix Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bozark Posted April 1, 2018 Author Share Posted April 1, 2018 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bozark Posted April 1, 2018 Author Share Posted April 1, 2018 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bozark Posted April 1, 2018 Author Share Posted April 1, 2018 Lots and lots of roots running through the bone. I kept a pair of gardening shears handy as I prepped. On the bright side the roots broke up a ton of the matrix, on the down side they went through the bone a lot. Hoping as we dig deeper into the quarry that we'll get away from roots a bit, but I won't hold my breath Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bozark Posted April 1, 2018 Author Share Posted April 1, 2018 Detail picture of the articulating end of the scapula Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bozark Posted April 1, 2018 Author Share Posted April 1, 2018 Think I may be about done for the night. I'll have to detail clean the surface of the bone on this side, then flip the jacket over and work on the other side Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bozark Posted April 1, 2018 Author Share Posted April 1, 2018 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bozark Posted April 1, 2018 Author Share Posted April 1, 2018 Couldn't resist doing a little bit of detail work with the brush before bed. Bone is a blotchy blue color in some places! Excited to prep this guy further 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peat Burns Posted April 1, 2018 Share Posted April 1, 2018 Looking good. And: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ynot Posted April 1, 2018 Share Posted April 1, 2018 Looking good so far.... and Darwin said: " Man sprang from monkeys." Will Rogers said: " Some of them didn't spring far enough." My Fossil collection - My Mineral collection My favorite thread on TFF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpc Posted April 1, 2018 Share Posted April 1, 2018 cool. Where is Ash Hollow? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miocene_Mason Posted April 1, 2018 Share Posted April 1, 2018 That’s awesome! “...whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been and are being evolved.” ~ Charles Darwin Happy hunting, Mason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted April 1, 2018 Share Posted April 1, 2018 Tim - VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER VFOTM --- APRIL - 2015 __________________________________________________ "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~ ><))))( *> About Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted April 1, 2018 Share Posted April 1, 2018 Very interesting! Thanks for sharing a lot of nice photos with us. Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJB Posted April 1, 2018 Share Posted April 1, 2018 Looks like a fun project. Looking forward to seeing the end results. RB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bozark Posted April 2, 2018 Author Share Posted April 2, 2018 On 3/31/2018 at 11:00 PM, jpc said: cool. Where is Ash Hollow? It's in southern South Dakota. We'd bumped into a rancher at the rawhide celebration in Lusk last August, and he asked us to come out! Neogene Age, I believe it directly overlies the Brule but the stratigraphy papers I found on it were kinda confusing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpc Posted April 2, 2018 Share Posted April 2, 2018 Rawhide... I love Rawhide. : ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bozark Posted April 2, 2018 Author Share Posted April 2, 2018 It was crazy. We were there to help out a museum that's starting up in LA, digging up some triceratops material and helping run a field class for some California university. The kid who got bucked and trampled last year was the son of one of the ranchers we dig with Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bozark Posted April 3, 2018 Author Share Posted April 3, 2018 A little more progress last night! I got this side of the articulating end pretty much finished, and started on the other end as well. Getting pretty close to being able to flip it and work on the other side of the bone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bozark Posted April 3, 2018 Author Share Posted April 3, 2018 Nice close up of the articulating end Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bozark Posted April 3, 2018 Author Share Posted April 3, 2018 This is on the other end of the bone. I believe these lines are muscle or tendon attachment points, but I'm not terribly used to mammal osteology or preservation this good Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bozark Posted April 3, 2018 Author Share Posted April 3, 2018 And the whole thing. I'm getting more and more excited 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted April 3, 2018 Share Posted April 3, 2018 Looking good! Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sagebrush Steve Posted April 5, 2018 Share Posted April 5, 2018 Nice job! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bozark Posted April 6, 2018 Author Share Posted April 6, 2018 Flipped over, the jacket is off, and ready to start prepping the other side! Had a minor heart attack when I first flipped it- felt something come off in my hand. Thankfully it was just a piece of matrix, and the fossil came out of the jacket with no damage Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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