Collecting Fossils
Fossil hunting can be a fun and rewarding experience. The best way to get started is to find books that describe the rock formations and geologic maps that show where they are located in your area. Land status maps are needed to know if the land status is private, BLM, State, Forest, Indian Reservation, etc. Topographic maps are used to know the topography (hills, cliffs, badlands, etc.) and to locate roads to the collecting area.
Excavation of Fossils
The excavation of fossils is best left to professionals who have the qualifications, knowledge and expertise. May fossils have been damaged or destroyed by unknowledgeable people. Excavation involves digging around the fossil to see its extent and then putting a plaster cap over the top. Newspaper is wet with water and the strips are place over the fossil. Plaster of Paris is mixed in a bowl with water to the correct consistency and then burlap strips are dunked and coated with the plaster. Then the strips are laid across the fossil to support it. The cap must extend underneath the fossil for support when flipping the jacket. Once the jacket is flipped, excess sediment is removed and strips with plaster are placed on the flipped side. Once the plaster has set up and is hard, the jacket is removed.
Fossil Identification
Fossils are organized using a system of classification. Fossils are identified by using diagnostic features that are characteristic for each taxon. Vertebrates have different structure to their bones and teeth. Invertebrates, for instance, can have different shell structures. Searching the scientific literature is the best way to identify fossils. There are also many books and websites for this purpose.
Preparation of Fossils
Once a fossil or jacket arrives at the lab it usually requires some preparation. Rock matrix adhering to the fossil must be removed. Fossils are prepared in a lab using a variety of tools. Air scribes are a common way to remove rock matrix. Sometimes dental picks are used. The glue brand PaleoBond is one of the best for gluing fossils. This brand also makes a penetrant that is a thin glue used to penetrate cracks in the fossil.
Curation of Fossils
After fossils are cleaned and prepared and ready for study or storage, they need to be curated. Fossils should always have an identify number associated with them when collected. This field number should always be kept with the fossil. A fossil should never be stored in a bag or box or tray without a locality or field number. This number is assigned in the field when collected together with other information and is recorded in a field book (see Collecting Fossils). The field number is then assigned a locality number. Information needed includes date collected, specimens, age, collector, etc. Once a locality number is assigned, the specimen can be assigned a catalog number. The catalog number is the identifying number for that specimen. Information needed for assigning a catalog number include the genus and species, locality number and collector and date collected. The specimen is then put in a tray and placed in a cabinet.
Cataloging of Fossils
Fossils are cataloged first by a locality number and then by the specimen numbers within the locality.
|
|
|