connorp Posted February 4, 2023 Share Posted February 4, 2023 One of the nice things about collecting Mazon Creek concretions is that most specimens don't require any prep - they open up and are good to go. This however was not one of those cases. This concretion exploded during freeze thaw last year into hundreds of pieces, and on most pieces the fossils were still covered by sections of shale. It took around 25 hours in total to reassemble the concretion and prep out what wasn't exposed. Big thanks to Kris @Ptychodus04 for helping to finish the prep work. This is a large frond of the rare fern Mariopteris nervosa. And if that wasn't enough, there was a second layer to this concretion, containing more plants and an opisthosoma of the horseshoe crab Euproops danae. A lot more work than is usually necessary, but well worth it in the end. 2 25 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Misha Posted February 4, 2023 Share Posted February 4, 2023 Wow these turned out to be very beautiful fossils! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrangellian Posted February 4, 2023 Share Posted February 4, 2023 Nice work! And I would say that's a nice association piece too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Francesco1994 Posted February 4, 2023 Share Posted February 4, 2023 Wow nice work Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted February 4, 2023 Share Posted February 4, 2023 Stunning results! Congratulations. Tim - VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER VFOTM --- APRIL - 2015 __________________________________________________ "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~ ><))))( *> About Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilNerd Posted February 4, 2023 Share Posted February 4, 2023 8 hours ago, connorp said: This is a large frond of the rare fern Mariopteris nervosa. Beautiful! Well worth the effort. The good thing about science is that it's true whether or not you believe in it. -Neil deGrasse Tyson Everyone you will ever meet knows something you don't. -Bill Nye (The Science Guy) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hadrosauridae Posted February 4, 2023 Share Posted February 4, 2023 Great fossil, and wonderfully prepped! "There is no shortage of fossils. There is only a shortage of paleontologists to study them." - Larry Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mediospirifer Posted February 5, 2023 Share Posted February 5, 2023 That is gorgeous! Even if it was the most common of ferns, it would still be worth the prep! Thanks for sharing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Kmiecik Posted February 5, 2023 Share Posted February 5, 2023 Super cool one! Mark. Fossil hunting is easy -- they don't run away when you shoot at them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deutscheben Posted February 5, 2023 Share Posted February 5, 2023 That is quite lovely! Is the fern stabilized with something? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
connorp Posted February 5, 2023 Author Share Posted February 5, 2023 16 minutes ago, deutscheben said: That is quite lovely! Is the fern stabilized with something? Yes it was coated with Paraloid to prevent flaking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deutscheben Posted February 5, 2023 Share Posted February 5, 2023 That makes sense. It also ends up being quite aesthetically pleasing too, I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flipper559 Posted February 6, 2023 Share Posted February 6, 2023 Very nice Connor !! And a wonderful prep job !! Rock On !! Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sjfriend Posted February 6, 2023 Share Posted February 6, 2023 Very beautiful for a rescue job. Love the way it came out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advantage Posted February 7, 2023 Share Posted February 7, 2023 A beautiful specimen from a locality I have read about here in the UK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stats Posted February 8, 2023 Share Posted February 8, 2023 Very nice! Do you have any before photos? Cheers, Rich 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocket Posted February 8, 2023 Share Posted February 8, 2023 incredible piece and work. Well done, a real beauty! Hundrets of pieces..., might be when I am not toooo shy I will show one day a fossil that I reconstructed from two dozen of pieces. Has still now a very nice spiderweb on it... Gluing a fossil in this perfection without visible cracks is a masters work! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nimravis Posted February 9, 2023 Share Posted February 9, 2023 Great looking piece Connor, congrats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
New Members Parasaurolophus Posted February 9, 2023 New Members Share Posted February 9, 2023 Woah! Incredible find and excellent prep work. The colors really pop on that one! Always fun to do a fossil 3D puzzle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joaoarguello3 Posted March 21, 2023 Share Posted March 21, 2023 It is simply an extraordinary piece. Congratulations Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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