Theropod, have you ever used "Lime Away" or similar products on fossils? "CLR" perhaps?

Piper,

Yes, as the solution eats away the matrix the fossils will be exposed for a cycle or two. Avoid prolonged contact with solution as the fossil will also erode even if resistant. That's why we use a mask.

RS

Thanks Therapod.
I'm hopefully going to start "etching practice" tomorrow, if I am free. I will almost no doubt have more questions coming. I'll try google first of course.
Meanwhile, more excitement hehe.
I stepped out for some air and walked over to my drainage ditch by the road because it's free of snow.
I brought back 5 more possible fossil rocks, with these photos being of the best one. This rock has at least 6 different kind of items, lodged in many places. I ran out of sunlight taking photos so only took 3 so far. I haven't had a chance to look at the other rocks closely yet, they're still wet from drainage. I also left behind more rocks in the ditch with possible Bryozoans and Echioids. Those seem to be a dime a dozen. I'll probably get them later.
I have about 250 feet of ditch, and I covered part of a 10 foot strip. Unfortunately I don't know if the rock was taken from this property, or somewhere else when the ditch was built. My neighbor says either right from the property or from the bottom of the mountain close by. Oh well, a fossil is a fossil.
With more of this good luck I'm going to have to store the lesser ones in piles outside!
I need to come up with a good numbering system. I was thinking for example- 1-1a Where the first number represents the site, the second represents the group(same day maybe?) and the letter is for the actual rock.
Enjoy the pics. I haven't tried to figure out what they are yet, was excited to share first heh.

Here's the nicest shell. I put a black arrow pointing to round objects that I am finding a lot of. Does it look like Copralite?

The rock has several of these items lodged inside holes. This particular one is floating loose inside the matrix.


edit - maybe that bottom one is an Echinoid, and what I thought was copralite is a reverse imprint of something?

My "fossils" are going to stay right where they are. This is lapidary rough, a piece of slab.

Gallstones wrote:My "fossils" are going to stay right where they are. This is lapidary rough, a piece of slab.

Most impressive!
Forgive the ignorance, but I'm having trouble defining "Lapidary Rough" with google.
I got the lapidary part, basically a work of art made out of stone, fossil, etc
I've seen those before and wondered were those fossils found in the place they are seen now, together like that? Or stuck together?

Sorry Piper, rough means that it is either rock or a slab cut from the rock, no polishing or anything. It has only partially been prepared for cutting cabachons, or whatever. This is about 7mm thick and 15cm x 13 cm.

Since this is cut from rock, the fossils came to rest as they are and became part of the rock when the rock formed. Does that make any sense?

It looks like mostly molluscs.

Gallstones wrote:Sorry Piper, rough means that it is either rock or a slab cut from the rock, no polishing or anything. It has only partially been prepared for cutting cabachons, or whatever. This is about 7mm thick and 15cm x 13 cm.

Since this is cut from rock, the fossils came to rest as they are and became part of the rock when the rock formed. Does that make any sense?

It looks like mostly molluscs.

Yeah, thanks for the explanation. It's an awesome mantle piece!

I tried the vinegar test on 2 layers of the rock in the OP, and one layer was non-reactive, while the other looked like it absorbed the vinegar. It spread under the wax dam so I pulled off the wax, and then it dried in a couple minutes.
I had 2 test rocks, 1 looked like granite-no reaction. The other is probably sedimentary, and it also absorbed the vinegar.
I didn't see any fizz or anything.

Piper,

Then you're left with mechanical prep work to free the fossils. Special tools will be required.

I'll address this issue later today. Gotta get ready for work right now.

RS

I bought what is alleged to be mammoth ivory, a dinosaur egg shell, a spinosaurus tooth. mososaur tooth. Few other things of that nature at the geology museum in Fort William. If I post pictures of them are you all going to laugh at me and say they were made last tuesday

Apparently most spinosaur teeth that are sold are mostly old alligator teeth? The egg shell looks like a egg shell, curved bumpy on one side and smooth on the other. And the Ivory I don't know about. Looks ivoryish I guess.

Therapod,
Thanks for the help. I'm in no big hurry as usual, I wanted to try it.
I had put the vinegar on the first OP rock, meaning the one that's still unifentified that has the "teeth". Way back on page 1 you suggested I do a test to that rock to see if it is Limestone. I haven't dared put the vinegar onto a rock that has fossils yet.
Just to clarify. Hope you have a good day at work!
Edit--also, I used distilled white vinegar, 5% acid, and used 1 part vinegar, 3 parts water.

I bought what is alleged to be mammoth ivory, a dinosaur egg shell, a spinosaurus tooth. mososaur tooth. Few other things of that nature at the geology museum in Fort William. If I post pictures of them are you all going to laugh at me and say they were made last tuesday

Cool!
I'd love to see the pics. People here have been very helpful. I haven't been laughed at yet, at least not that I'm aware of

theropod wrote:Man,

Take that to a good paleontologist as soon as you can. Photos 2 and 3 give me a real impression of an egg-like structure, however image 4 causes doubt in the thickness of what might be shell.

Don't get too excited 'cause it could still be a concretion. Is the surface displaying any sort of texture and is this texture of a web like nature if present?

Does the finder remember how large these "bones" were that were lost? Have you done any research into the age of the deposits in this area?

RS

No reply from my son as yet to your questions but when I get an answer I will post them.

I have not done any “research into the age of the deposits in this area” but I do know that “dinosaur/reptile remains” have been found.

I found these stones when I was on holiday in Ireland. Could they be fossilized coral?

Probably not. These look like igneous rock with some intersting structure. More detailed pics would be welcome.

Those are very cool looking rocks, whatever the source.

Yeah that's fascinating. I wonder how it got like that. Does this "leopard rock" pic look similar?
http://www.cst.cmich.edu/users/dietr1rv/leopardrx-a.jpg
http://www.cst.cmich.edu/users/dietr1rv/

pensioner wrote:

I found these stones when I was on holiday in Ireland. Could they be fossilized coral?

Possibly, although they could be igneous as another poster has noted. If coral, you should be able to see septa on those round end cross-sections. These will look like radiating spokes of a wheel. Also, if coral, the surrounding rock will probably be limestone, ie. fairly soft and easy to scratch, and will fizz in dilute acid if any is to hand. There are other groups of fossils that could look like this too (eg. some stick-like stromotoperoids), so lack of septa is not definitive for them being inorganic.

Faithfree wrote:

pensioner wrote:

I found these stones when I was on holiday in Ireland. Could they be fossilized coral?

Possibly, although they could be igneous as another poster has noted. If coral, you should be able to see septa on those round end cross-sections. These will look like radiating spokes of a wheel. Also, if coral, the surrounding rock will probably be limestone, ie. fairly soft and easy to scratch, and will fizz in dilute acid if any is to hand. There are other groups of fossils that could look like this too (eg. some stick-like stromotoperoids), so lack of septa is not definitive for them being inorganic.

Thanks mate, I need to do some reading. I love science as it keeps this old brain if mine active.

Alnilam,

Oh you MUS! now post images!

Piper,

Please try one more attempt at the acid etching process. Find a flat rectangular tub of some sort larger than the rock you wish to test. Use something like the fingernail polish as a mask. Emerge the entire rock in solution, and watch for a reaction. It may take several minutes for tiny bubbles to form. If the rock still refuses to react you are back to mechanics.

Air tools with a mini-jackhammer action and carbide tips can be used to rough out some stone. I do not encourage the use of Dremel rotary tools until very late in preparation and very lightly then and with soft bristle brushes. Keep silicosis in mind when doing this and wear a GOOD dust mask, as breathing rock dust is not a good idea. I will tell you right now no better way exists to destroy a fossil than mechanical attempts to divide matrix from treasure. I have had some success in working with ammonites in concretions and contacting Limonite from hadrosaur bone. Working very slowly it is possible to expose intricate detail with such a tool. These tools are not cheap. A Chicago Pneumatic is a quality tool, as is the Ingersoll Rand.

If you really want to dive into this HERE'S a good source of valid info for your situation as well as many other types of prep work.


RS

pensioner wrote:


Thanks mate, I need to do some reading. I love science as it keeps this old brain if mine active.

Look Here at third image from left. Is that like your rocks?

RS

Therapod,
Thanks for that web link.
I've done more reading at the fossil forum about etching too. It's confusing, I'm not used to any of these items, including the wax and nail polish.
I don't dare coat that particular rock in the OP with nail polish. I only bought 1 small jar.
When I bought it, the lady at the checkout said "I wish I still had fingernails" as she looks at mine. I said " it's not for my fingernails" She said, "for your toenails then" I told her it was to cover a fossil to protect it from that vinegar I was buying, and she gave me a weird look.

The OP rock's "teeth" (concretions?) are chipping some. I also got wax between some teeth somehow. I'll have to scrape that out with a pick. It's too cool for me to risk ruining yet. I'm going to wait for an expert to look at it for me sometime.
I did take about a dozen pebbles, and put them into a jar of vinegar. Most formed bubbles that remained on their surfaces, but didn't fizz so that bubbles rose to the top. One did fizz slightly, out of one tiny spot in the rock.
I need to start learning about geology and fossils "from the ground up" now. Most of the stuff I read requires me to stop often to define words while I'm reading. It's still fun, just very slow.