TMD23 Posted April 9, 2013 Share Posted April 9, 2013 Hello, I am brand new to your forum but I enjoy reading through it. I have lived in Illinois for the past 26 years but I recently got back to my hobby of rock hunting I went out the other day and I found Modern Coral fossils. very large amounts of them and some are some 2-3 inches around., some are pointy but most of them are stuck in what appears to be Limestone. Some have crystals in them that you can see from the top. How do I get them out? I tried a hammer but I broke the fossil not the rock! Now I am kind of stuck trying not to break any more!!! can anyone help? thank you Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xonenine Posted April 9, 2013 Share Posted April 9, 2013 welcome from NY "Your serpent of Egypt is bred now of your mud by the operation of your sun; so is your crocodile." Lepidus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Russell Posted April 9, 2013 Share Posted April 9, 2013 Welcome TMD23 from Northeast Illinois. A muriatic acid and water solution should dissolve the limestone. You may want to research the process a bit before attempting to do it. What county were the fossils found? Depending on the matrix even vinegar may dissolve the matrix. Anyway.. welcome to the forum! 1 Finding my way through life; one fossil at a time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TMD23 Posted April 9, 2013 Author Share Posted April 9, 2013 well thank you! nice to hear form a local. I found them in Will county there seems to be a very large deposit of them along the river but up on the shelf above a ravine I found some then more then allot more I couldn't possibly touch them all., it looks like a very healthy reef was at this site. I am hoping to find a fish or bird in all these. there must be more than just coral and ferns here at this site the reef looks to have been huge. thank you for your reply though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lissa318 Posted April 9, 2013 Share Posted April 9, 2013 Welcome from PA! Hope after you get some out you post pics! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RonE Posted April 9, 2013 Share Posted April 9, 2013 Don't know if it will work for you, but I've had luck getting mudstone off of fossilized shells without damaging the shells. It involves using a vibratory tumbler and soluble oil and water. This will take off mudstone but has no effect on other types of rock. I'll send you the details if your interested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TMD23 Posted April 9, 2013 Author Share Posted April 9, 2013 wow nice to see the support! I will post pics for sure. thank you all for your welcome!! I am happy I have found this forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TMD23 Posted April 9, 2013 Author Share Posted April 9, 2013 Ron thank you! I think any advice is good advice. I will try the vinegar first then the muriatic acid then your method. this is true limestone sop I am not sure your method will work on it. but I am open to try new things. thank you!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted April 9, 2013 Share Posted April 9, 2013 Welcome to the Forum Since you have abundant samples at your disposal, you are in the enviable position of being able to experiment with techniques for their extraction. Practice! "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CH4ShotCaller Posted April 9, 2013 Share Posted April 9, 2013 Welcome from Washington! Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new. -Albert Einstein Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted April 9, 2013 Share Posted April 9, 2013 (edited) Hi, and welcome to the Forum. For some clarification, can I ask what you mean by "Modern Coral fossils"? Regards, EDIT: Link added: Coral Fossils Illinois Edited April 9, 2013 by Fossildude19 Tim - VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER VFOTM --- APRIL - 2015 IPFOTM -- MAY - 2024 _________________________________________________________________________________ "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...
DE&i Posted April 9, 2013 Share Posted April 9, 2013 Welcome from Lincolnshire UK Regards.....D&E&i The only certainty with fossil hunting is the uncertainty. https://lnk.bio/Darren.Withers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TMD23 Posted April 9, 2013 Author Share Posted April 9, 2013 Wow this is quite overwhelming. Thank you all for your input and welcomes! Thank you to the UK for your support. I have only named them Modern Coral because the Internet showed a picture of something that looked like my fossils and they called them that. I am not sure if it is correct or not. I will post pictures tonight of some of what I found. Thank you all again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpc Posted April 9, 2013 Share Posted April 9, 2013 If you go to Muriatic Acid (hydrochloric)... be careful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TMD23 Posted April 9, 2013 Author Share Posted April 9, 2013 Oh wow! You are from Wyoming!?! I have been in love withstood state since I was a kid!! You must have the best fossils out there. I know about muratic acid for sure. I just never thought of it as a rock dissolver Thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missourian Posted April 11, 2013 Share Posted April 11, 2013 Welcome from Missouri, and good luck with the coral. Context is critical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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