Prepping Using Fluorescence In Fossils

[Bev]

Mediospirifer, on 15 Oct 2013 - 9:14 PM, said:

Bev:

Enjoy the aquarium!

One other bit of information that you may find interesting regarding fluorescence and fossils: I remember reading somewhere back in the late 80s-early 90s about limestone fossils frequently being fluorescent, and that preparators will often use a LW light to more easily see the difference between fossil and matrix. I didn't have a light at the time, but that was cool enough to stick in my memory, so that when I did get a UV light the first thing I did with it was look at all of my fossils!

This is from a General Discussion thread on Fluorescent Fossils and I thought this tidbit of knowledge might help someone in the future prepping their fossils.

Example: I have two enrolled trilobites that fluoresce under common longwave UV light (blacklight). They are embedded in matrix that does not fluoresce. I don't have the tools, skill or desire to get them out of the matrix, but I think that if I did the fluorescence would help.

Bev

[oilshale]

From time to time I am prepping fossils with an UV LED ring light attached to my microscope. I've bought a small ordinary ring light, took it apart and adapted it to UV LEDs (28 LEDs, 390nm). I might need to change to lower wave length and more LEDs. Works fine with some Solnhofen shrimps and fish, with some fossils from Lebanon and also with fossils from Gara Sbaa in Morocco, but is of no real use for most other stuff. At least this salamander from the Jehol biota does not fluorescence bright enough to allow prepping under UV-light.

Carolin and Joachim Haug recently published several nice articles about UV-photography (for example: "NEW METHODS TO DOCUMENT FOSSILS FROM LITHOGRAPHIC LIMESTONES OF SOUTHERN GERMANY AND LEBANON" in Palaeontologia Electronica).

Another excellent paper about "Ultraviolet light as a tool for investigating Mesozoic fishes" is from G. Arratia and H. Tischlinger in Mesozoic Fishes 5.

A UV flashlight light is of course of great help if you want to know what a dealer really means when he mentions "some minor repairs done". Many glues and polymers flourescent brightly under UV light; you can easily detect repairs, added matrix or completely faked fossils. A must for any trade show!

Thomas

Glyphea garasbaaensis under ordinary and under UV light.

Edited October 17, 2013 by oilshale

[Bev]

Super information Thomas! THANK YOU! :-D