The Amateur Paleontologist Posted June 28, 2018 Share Posted June 28, 2018 Hey everyone, I recently came back from a trip to England. Most of the time was spent in museums, especially London's Natural History Museum. Over there, I met the Curator of Invertebrate Paleontology (Tim Ewin), who showed me around some parts of the Echinoderm Collections. Basically, the goal of this visit was to examine some of the echinoderms from the British Chalk, for some comparative research material for my MKFRP project. Some of the stuff in those collections is absolutely amazing - and the amount of material in there is really extensive. This thread will show some of the chalk echinoderm material that I saw over there. Hope you guys'll like this! 2 very well articulated Tylocidaris clavigera in a single nodule of chalk g on Drawer filled with "tylocidarine" regular echinoids. The pink colouring on some of the specimens is due to the fact that some of them needed to have the fine details rendered sharper (this was before the age of digital photography) Partial Tylocidaris clavigera associated with a disarticulated goniasterid (Asteroidea, Goniasteridae) starfish Very well preserved and nearly complete Nymphaster marginatus goniasterid Neat little example of the goniasterid Metopaster Calyx and partial arm of the free-floating crinoid Marsupites testudinarius (sorry for not very good photo quality ) Articulated columnals of an isocrinid crinoid (possibly Isocrinus); this is specifically relevant to my MKFRP project given the age of that fossil (Early Maastrichtian) To finish things off… It's not very "chalk-y", but it's definitely special - a Palaeocoma milleri ophiuroid from the Early Jurassic of Lyme Regis, collected by Mary Anning Opalised fossils are the best: a wonderful mix between paleontology and mineralogy! Q. Where do dinosaurs study? A. At Khaan Academy!... My ResearchGate profile Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Innocentx Posted June 28, 2018 Share Posted June 28, 2018 I like this. Great opportunity for you, especially meeting up with the 12 minutes ago, The Amateur Paleontologist said: Curator of Invertebrate Paleontology (Tim Ewin) "Journey through a universe ablaze with changes" Phil Ochs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Amateur Paleontologist Posted June 28, 2018 Author Share Posted June 28, 2018 @Innocentx Yeah, he's a nice guy Great to talk with, and he definitely knows his "echinoderm-ology"! Opalised fossils are the best: a wonderful mix between paleontology and mineralogy! Q. Where do dinosaurs study? A. At Khaan Academy!... My ResearchGate profile Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fruitbat Posted June 28, 2018 Share Posted June 28, 2018 Impressive echinoderms! Thanks for sharing! -Joe Illigitimati non carborundum Fruitbat's PDF Library Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troodon Posted June 28, 2018 Share Posted June 28, 2018 Always enjoy seeing the behind the scene collections. Thank you for sharing must have been a very good experience for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sixgill pete Posted June 28, 2018 Share Posted June 28, 2018 Wow, very impressive stuff. Thanks for sharing it with us. What a great experience for you. Bulldozers and dirt Bulldozers and dirt behind the trailer, my desert Them red clay piles are heaven on earth I get my rocks off, bulldozers and dirt Patterson Hood; Drive-By Truckers May 2016 May 2012 Aug 2013, May 2016, Apr 2020 Oct 2022 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caldigger Posted June 29, 2018 Share Posted June 29, 2018 And she probably sold something like this for a 1/2 Farthing at that time too! If we could just jump into the "Wayback Machine" with a pocket full of cash. Or better yet, assist her on the hunts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Amateur Paleontologist Posted June 29, 2018 Author Share Posted June 29, 2018 Glad you guys liked it - it was really fun and informative @caldigger I agree, though I'd probably go for assisting her on her hunts. I mean, can you imagine? Fossil hunting with Mary Anning... Opalised fossils are the best: a wonderful mix between paleontology and mineralogy! Q. Where do dinosaurs study? A. At Khaan Academy!... My ResearchGate profile Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrangellian Posted June 30, 2018 Share Posted June 30, 2018 Thanks for the tour. What is that pink stuff and is it not removable? I suppose not, otherwise they would have done it. I wonder why they didn't use the sublimated ammonium chloride method (which evaporated off the fossil soon after it is photographed) - I believe they had that technique before digital photography, but I could be wrong (maybe not way back?)... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Amateur Paleontologist Posted June 30, 2018 Author Share Posted June 30, 2018 @Wrangellian The pink stuff is indeed unremovable, those who were working on the specimens chose for some unknown reason to not use something removal. It was indeed before digital photography, since a white specimen on a white rock would have been difficult to photograph. Hence the pink stuff, to bring out certain fine details of the specimen. Opalised fossils are the best: a wonderful mix between paleontology and mineralogy! Q. Where do dinosaurs study? A. At Khaan Academy!... My ResearchGate profile Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrangellian Posted July 1, 2018 Share Posted July 1, 2018 So the white stuff was not used before digital photography? I would have thought it was an old technique, specifically to make fossils stand out in photos (film or otherwise), especially for print publications. Our local go-to fossil guide here, West Coast Fossils (pub. 1997/8, with b+w photos printed on non-glossy paper) relied heavily on the ammonium chloride technique for its fossil photography. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brittle Star Posted August 29, 2018 Share Posted August 29, 2018 Lovely specimens, have met up with Tim a few times over the last 10yrs, had a few peeks of stuff, it's a maze behind the scenes. Never ask a starfish for directions Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Amateur Paleontologist Posted August 29, 2018 Author Share Posted August 29, 2018 58 minutes ago, Brittle Star said: Lovely specimens, have met up with Tim a few times over the last 10yrs, had a few peeks of stuff, it's a maze behind the scenes. Absolutely agree.. I'd get lost had I been without Tim - not that I'd actually mind getting lost in there -Christian Opalised fossils are the best: a wonderful mix between paleontology and mineralogy! Q. Where do dinosaurs study? A. At Khaan Academy!... My ResearchGate profile Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.