Trimming Sea Floors of the Ages

[Nimravis]

 I decided to take the day off of work today because it was supposed to be in the mid 40's and I figured I could whack open some Mazon Creek concretions. I was very nice out, but I figured that my time would be better spent cutting down matrix on a number of pieces that I collected recently from 3 different time periods (Pennsylvanian, Mississippian and Ordovician). I did not get everything cut down, but it was a good start, here is the aftermath.

 

Pennsylvanian-

 

 

Sometimes things just pop out of the matrix like the two beauties

 

 

Ordovician-

 

 

Mississippian-

 

 

 

 

[Al Tahan]

What type of saw do you use?

[Archie]

Lovely specimens! 

[ynot]

But, but, those are not mason creek nodules!

What are You doing with fossils that are not mason creek nodules?

 

Nice looking plates.

[Tidgy's Dad]

What an absolutely superb array of brachiopods and hash plates.

I think every single one is fantastic! 

[Nimravis]

2 hours ago, Al Tahan said:

What type of saw do you use?

A cheap plastic tile saw that I bought from Home Depot a couple years ago for about $40.00

 

[Nimravis]

53 minutes ago, ynot said:

But, but, those are not mason creek nodules!

What are You doing with fossils that are not mason creek nodules?

 

Nice looking plates.

Tony that is exactly my problem, I have fossils coming out of my ears, so I have to try and trim things down. I never found a road cut that I did not like.

[Nimravis]

19 minutes ago, Tidgy's Dad said:

What an absolutely superb array of brachiopods and hash plates.

I think every single one is fantastic! 

Thanks Adam, some are really pretty.

[Nimravis]

1 hour ago, Archie said:

Lovely specimens! 

Thanks Archie.

[Nimravis]

3 hours ago, Al Tahan said:

What type of saw do you use?

Here you go Al, I saw it on Amazon. I just bought 2 extra blades for $14.00.

 

[deutscheben]

Nice pieces, I really like those Pennsylvanian brachiopods! That's good to know about the tile saw too, I have been hand-sawing with a hacksaw and carbide rod and it takes forever. 

[Nimravis]

46 minutes ago, deutscheben said:

Nice pieces, I really like those Pennsylvanian brachiopods! That's good to know about the tile saw too, I have been hand-sawing with a hacksaw and carbide rod and it takes forever. 

This saw work very well, but I have to get creative with thicker pieces. I sometimes removes the “spray guard” so can cut larger pieces. 

[Peat Burns]

Well those taxa, that matrix, and that particular activity look awful familiar 

[Nimravis]

Here is one piece that I need to trim down, but what makes this piece special to me, is that it contains 4 different species of brachiopods in a very small area.

 

Green Arrow- Composita argentia

 

Red Arrow- Juresania nebrascensis

 

Blue arrow- Spiriferid Brachiopod either Neospirifer or Mucospirifer

 

Black Arrow- Linoproductus cora