150 Year Old Fossil Mystery Solved

[jdp]

16 hours ago, RCFossils said:

Thanks everyone for the kind words.

I am scheduled to meet with Michael Coates at The University of Chicago next week. 

I am hoping that we will be able to x-ray the fossil and get a better idea what is preserved.

Perfect. I was going to recommend his lab.

[Doctor Mud]

On 21 August 2019 at 7:38 AM, RCFossils said:

Thanks everyone for the kind words.

I am scheduled to meet with Michael Coates at The University of Chicago next week. 

I am hoping that we will be able to x-ray the fossil and get a better idea what is preserved.

Nice!

CT scan would be great to try since there is only a thin covering of sediment on top of the fossil. How big is the block?

For something this important I think it would be well worth it. I'm based at a facility that also commonly images fossils using neutrons rather than x-rays which sometimes gives better resolution and penetration. Images can be used to produce 3D models of the internal structure before it is touched by any tools.

I am in Australia, but if you can't get this done locally I'm sure we could organise it.

Just DM me.

 

 

[dalmayshun]

MY My, great find, I have to say as a new hunter, if I had turned that up, I might have left it lie....not knowing what it was or judging it to be some kind of trail...So glad "knowledgeable" people are still out there looking....great contribution to science. 

[Petalodus12]

Any updates on this thread?

[Sjfriend]

On 12/31/2019 at 9:40 AM, Petalodus12 said:

Any updates on this thread?

What they said

[britishcanuk]

Spectacular, thanks for sharing this with us! I can’t wait to see the preparation updates. Congratulations on this wonderful discovery.

[Samurai]

I must say congratulations as well! Although I'm a bit late to the party!

[hemipristis]

On 4/6/2022 at 1:03 PM, Samurai said:

I must say congratulations as well! Although I'm a bit late to the party!

This!

 

Amazing find!

[Daniel Fischer]

Interesting

[Fossildude19]

Any updates, @RCFossils ?

[RCFossils]

On 5/8/2022 at 7:16 AM, Fossildude19 said:

Any updates, @RCFossils ?

A bit of mixed news on this fossil.

A local museum was kind enough to x-ray the fossil along with several others in my collection.

The x-ray did reveal quite a bit of additional structure including a long thin spine that are not visible on the surface.

Unfortunately, there does not appear to be a skull preserved.

I did forward the images to an expert on Palaeozoic sharks. He believes that it is just a section of the animal and that there might not be enough there to do any work on.

I am attaching a few of the x-rays.

If anyone knows any researchers that might want to work on it, please let me know.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Poor Richard]

That's really deadly, exciting and top of the morning. Hope it all goes/went well for you.

[jdp]

On 5/8/2022 at 10:10 AM, RCFossils said:

A bit of mixed news on this fossil.

A local museum was kind enough to x-ray the fossil along with several others in my collection.

The x-ray did reveal quite a bit of additional structure including a long thin spine that are not visible on the surface.

Unfortunately, there does not appear to be a skull preserved.

I did forward the images to an expert on Palaeozoic sharks. He believes that it is just a section of the animal and that there might not be enough there to do any work on.

I am attaching a few of the x-rays.

If anyone knows any researchers that might want to work on it, please let me know.

 

Happy to give it a look if want to swing through Chicago. Alone this may not be enough but I do know of some additional Listracanthus material.

[deutscheben]

Very intriguing! Considering how little is known about Listracanthus, I would think even a partial body fossil would be of scientific interest.