First Find and a question about mudstone

[WilliamT1974]

Hello everyone,

 

I was able to make a run down to the Conasauga River trilobite hunting site yesterday that was suggested to me in another thread. I didn't have an overabundance of time, but within five minutes of arriving, I found the specimen in the attached photo. It's not perfect, but it's the first time I've ever found a fossil out in the wild. Thank you to everyone for pointing me in the right direction.

 

Now, since my time was a bit limited, I collected a five gallon bucket of the mudstone found there to look through it later. Now, some pieces seem easier to split than others. I've read on here that some people will soak items like this in water for about 15 minutes before attempting to take it apart. Does that sound right? I just want to have a chance at finding something else and minimize the risk of ruining a fossil in my quest to find one.

 

Thank you,

 

-William

[Bobby Rico]

I don’t about this but I don’t like the idea. I always think water and fossil do not mix . I did find a post on the forum. I have not read it all but have a look. 

 

[Fossildude19]

This shale is more prone to splitting if soaked for a few minutes. 

Sometimes you can use your hands, I like to try an exacto knife, or a sharpened putty knife

You have a bucket of material. I would put a few pieces in water for 5-10 minutes, and give it a try. 

If you are not having luck, try splitting it dry with the aforementioned tools.  

Good luck 

[MeargleSchmeargl]

Hammer & chisel are my go-tos.

[WilliamT1974]

It splits almost like butter when it's been soaking. Trouble is, it often wants to cleave in the "wrong" direction. Kinda makes me think I may have wrecked a good specimen when that happens. That said, I did find a few more small 'bites in various levels of preservation. One time, the rock cleaved and revealed a pocket of sorts that contained several trilobite fragments. I know it was just more fossils, but it seemed like one short step from actually touching an exoskeleton. The fragments were quite small and would have been difficult to preserve well.

 

This would probably work better if I had more time to sit down by the river and do the work on site rather than having to rush to gather rocks and hope for the best. It's almost like you have to practice finding a rock that's likely to contain a fossil.