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The Dark Side Of The Moon


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So…..after drooling over Pitviper’s post

http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?sh...mp;hl=shortwave

…and dreams of glowing belemnites and calcite filled brachiopods, it finally arrived yesterday. My Versalume UV light by Raytech.

After researching various UV lights this one became my decision primarily because of price and its lightweight construction / compact size. For use at home, it includes an A/C adapter. In the field it operates on four AA batteries (up to 4 hours of operation) and the dual-purpose handle folds up, making it comfortable to carry, while at home, the handle separates to form a stand for hands-free operation. I purchased it in addition to some protective UV glasses for around a “C” note which I thought was a "good deal", or what my dad would always say, “It’s like a sore peter.”…..

The combination unit features both Shortwave (SW) and Longwave (LW) and contains a single double-ended bulb, with Shortwave and Longwave at opposite ends. To "switch" between wavelengths, just manually shield the wavelength end you wish to prevent from shining through.

….You just can’t beat it.

Unfortunately my calcite filled brachiopods didn’t glow and my belemnites only had a slight eerie glow and you had to be very close to the light source. Undaunted, I dug out my small rock collection which I collected throughout my life. Nothing was fluorescent.

Then I decided to try some teeth from Lee Creek / PCS Phosphate mine. Success!!!!

The teeth were phosphorescent. Now I just need is a night time kitchen pass so I can do the infamous “Pungo Crawl” on some of those spoil piles out in Aurora.

FYI, a majority of my Summerville, SC teeth were also phosphorescent. Low Country also had phosphate mining operations. Very informative read below if interested.

http://nationalregister.sc.gov/SurveyRepor...wcountry2SM.pdf

Enjoy

- Brad

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nice! im glad you got one. the belemnites from up here glow bright orange/yellow. try breaking one in half, and checking out the freshly broken spot.

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I tried night tooth-hunting in '70 or '71 at Westmoreland State Park. The equipment was considerably less portable then, and the experiment was a bust; teeth on the beach there don't fluoresce.

"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!

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So…..after drooling over Pitviper’s post

…and dreams of glowing belemnites and calcite filled brachiopods, it finally arrived yesterday. My Versalume UV light by Raytech.

After researching various UV lights this one became my decision primarily because of price and its lightweight construction / compact size. For use at home, it includes an A/C adapter. In the field it operates on four AA batteries (up to 4 hours of operation) and the dual-purpose handle folds up, making it comfortable to carry, while at home, the handle separates to form a stand for hands-free operation. I purchased it in addition to some protective UV glasses for around a “C” note which I thought was a "good deal", or what my dad would always say, “It’s like a sore peter.”…..

The combination unit features both Shortwave (SW) and Longwave (LW) and contains a single double-ended bulb, with Shortwave and Longwave at opposite ends. To "switch" between wavelengths, just manually shield the wavelength end you wish to prevent from shining through.….You just can’t beat it.

Unfortunately my calcite filled brachiopods didn’t glow and my belemnites only had a slight eerie glow and you had to be very close to the light source. Undaunted, I dug out my small rock collection which I collected throughout my life. Nothing was fluorescent.

Then I decided to try some teeth from Lee Creek / PCS Phosphate mine. Success!!!!

The teeth were phosphorescent. Now I just need is a night time kitchen pass so I can do the infamous “Pungo Crawl” on some of those spoil piles out in Aurora.

FYI, a majority of my Summerville, SC teeth were also phosphorescent. Low Country also had phosphate mining operations. Very informative read below if interested.

Enjoy

- Brad

Nice work on the comparison images, Brad!

You didn't specify whether the images were made under UVA or UVB light. Which was more effective?

I have only UVA on my little flashlight, so I'd like to see which wavelength is more effective for illuminating these flourescent fossils.

post-42-1250277227_thumb.jpg

http://pristis.wix.com/the-demijohn-page

 

What seest thou else

In the dark backward and abysm of time?

---Shakespeare, The Tempest

 

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Guest Smilodon

Some things only glow under UVA, some only UVB, occasionally both, some phosphoresce under one or the other.

Just remember, if a fossil glows green, you could be holding a piece that may have been mineralized with uranium. (covering my you know what). Although if you have a fossil that glows green and IS from the Oligocene Badlands. It IS uranium.

Again, coprolites from the badlands are almost always radioactive - just depends on HOW radioactive. You might want to keep those fellas in your garage instead of your house if you don't have a meter.

Since many badlands fossils fluoresce, I once asked an oldtimer if he ever went out at night like the Arizona scorpion hunters (thinking it would be like shooting fish in a barrel). He said, "Only a couple of times - Didn't find much - Great way to find Rattlesnakes though."

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...coprolites from the badlands are almost always radioactive...

Now there's a timely tidbit; thanks!

I have a small pile of carnivore turds from there that I am going to "dissect", in hopes of finding something identifiable. Maybe I'll do it outdoors, while wearing a HEPA ventilator!

"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!

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Hi Brad,

are the teeth in the first 3 pic's fluorescing, or just reflecting the UV light? 5 of the teeth in the last pic' are fluorescing white, on the blades, and seem to be reflecting UV light on the roots.

KOF, Bill.

Welcome to the forum, all new members

www.ukfossils check it out.

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nice! im glad you got one. the belemnites from up here glow bright orange/yellow. try breaking one in half, and checking out the freshly broken spot.

Lordpiney,

Not much difference but somewhat of a richer "tangerine" glow. I tried for a break going along the "seam" (a true half) in order to obtain more of a surface area.

I think stopped on my 30th unsuccessful one before giving up. Good thing a have a hoard of those...lol.

Nice work on the comparison images, Brad!

You didn't specify whether the images were made under UVA or UVB light. Which was more effective?

I have only UVA on my little flashlight, so I'd like to see which frequency is more effective for illuminating these flourescent fossils.

post-42-1250277227_thumb.jpg

Harry,

I didn't cover either the UVA or UVB filter so both were "on"; however, the shortwave definitely made them "glow" brighter. I had that filter side "above" the teeth while photographing.

Tried it on a Lee Creek "chub" partial and it didn't have the awesome pink glow like yours :(

That's a sweet pic... not to mention tooth!!

Hi Brad,

are the teeth in the first 3 pic's fluorescing, or just reflecting the UV light? 5 of the teeth in the last pic' are fluorescing white, on the blades, and seem to be reflecting UV light on the roots.

Bill,

A would say the answer is both, this is a powerful 4 watt piece of equipment (lol). When you utilize the built in stand for hands-free operation, the filters / light is situated about 1.5" over the teeth. I don't have a manual "bulb" effect of my digital camera so when use take a picture without the flash it appears the images are a little "over exposed". The camera decides when the exposure is complete. I just tried it again with various pictures holding the light at different distances.... even putting the light almost on the teeth then taking the light completely away as I push the shutter. In general the pictures were similar to the posts.

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Harry,

I didn't cover either the UVA or UVB filter so both were "on"; however, the shortwave definitely made them "glow" brighter. I had that filter side "above" the teeth while photographing.

Tried it on a Lee Creek "chub" partial and it didn't have the awesome pink glow like yours :(

That's a sweet pic... not to mention tooth!!

Thank you, Brad. You can read a March 2009 thread about UV photography HERE.

http://pristis.wix.com/the-demijohn-page

 

What seest thou else

In the dark backward and abysm of time?

---Shakespeare, The Tempest

 

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Guest Smilodon
Thank you, Brad. You can read a March 2009 thread about UV photography HERE.

Good thread. Us boneheads usually only talk about long or shortwave (if we were truly into the minutae, we would be mineralogists, right), but there are different wavelengths available of each. Nature is kind of picky because you may get fluoresence with one wavelength of say Shortwave and not at a different wavelength of Shortwave,

I have a handheld of each and I hit every fossil I have, find, and acquire. IMHExperience, less things fluoresce under shortwave, but the results tend to be more visually interesting with shortwave.

Also, I'm sure that, nowadays, they all come with warnings about not looking into shortwave light directly.

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  • 2 weeks later...
So…..after drooling over Pitviper’s post

http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?sh...mp;hl=shortwave

…and dreams of glowing belemnites and calcite filled brachiopods, it finally arrived yesterday. My Versalume UV light by Raytech.

After researching various UV lights this one became my decision primarily because of price and its lightweight construction / compact size. For use at home, it includes an A/C adapter. In the field it operates on four AA batteries (up to 4 hours of operation) and the dual-purpose handle folds up, making it comfortable to carry, while at home, the handle separates to form a stand for hands-free operation. I purchased it in addition to some protective UV glasses for around a “C” note which I thought was a "good deal", or what my dad would always say, “It’s like a sore peter.”…..

The combination unit features both Shortwave (SW) and Longwave (LW) and contains a single double-ended bulb, with Shortwave and Longwave at opposite ends. To "switch" between wavelengths, just manually shield the wavelength end you wish to prevent from shining through.

….You just can’t beat it.

Unfortunately my calcite filled brachiopods didn’t glow and my belemnites only had a slight eerie glow and you had to be very close to the light source. Undaunted, I dug out my small rock collection which I collected throughout my life. Nothing was fluorescent.

Then I decided to try some teeth from Lee Creek / PCS Phosphate mine. Success!!!!

The teeth were phosphorescent. Now I just need is a night time kitchen pass so I can do the infamous “Pungo Crawl” on some of those spoil piles out in Aurora.

FYI, a majority of my Summerville, SC teeth were also phosphorescent. Low Country also had phosphate mining operations. Very informative read below if interested.

http://nationalregister.sc.gov/SurveyRepor...wcountry2SM.pdf

Enjoy

- Brad

I ran into this thread while away one business. I'm now at home and can provide the title of an article you might know about already:

Croft, D.A., T. Kaye, and L. Panko. 2004.

A New Method for Finding Small Vertebrate Fossils: Ultraviolet Light at Night. Palaeontology. Vol. 47, Part 4, pp. 795-800.

It's mostly about finding Chadron Fm. micro-vertebrates but mentions that Pleistocene mammal specimens did not exhibit flourescence.

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