GarethGP Posted March 29, 2022 Share Posted March 29, 2022 (edited) Hey, So I was just reading about radioactivity in fossils and I'm paranoid. I just got a smallish (8 inches, by 6 inches matrix) from the Moroccan phosphate beds. How likely is it to be dangerous? And how best should I store it? Edited March 29, 2022 by GarethGP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilhunter21 Posted March 29, 2022 Share Posted March 29, 2022 It is VERY unlikely that it would be dangerous. I would just display it on your desk or a shelf or some place like that, there is no need to store it somewhere. But if you want to store it you could just put it in a container or something. Hope this helps, -Micah Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted March 29, 2022 Share Posted March 29, 2022 https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/dec/16/toxic-shadow-phosphate-miners-morocco-fear-they-pay-high-price You are not being exposed to dust or gas in anything but a negligible quantity. You are not being exposed to the phosphogypsum waste which has the radiation danger. I think having a specimen or a collection of fossils from the phosphate deposits in my country is not going to do you any harm. Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GarethGP Posted March 29, 2022 Author Share Posted March 29, 2022 (edited) Thank you for the reassuring responses! I'll keep it tucked away in a box until I can get it in front of a Geiger counter in the future - just to be safe! But I'm less worried, so thank you. Tidgy's Dad, you're from Morocco - very cool. My wife spent a lot of time there and said it's a beautiful country full of beautiful people. I hope to go some day. I am also fascinated by the Fossils coming out of Kem Kem and the phosphate beds. Maybe you can speak to this. Are the fossil discoveries there usually just a byproduct of mining, or do locals search specifically for fossils? Despite my love for the fossils coming out of your country, I'm always worried about the health and wellbeing of the people mining and collecting them, so ethically I've avoided them because I just don't know (as your article showed, it can be unhealthy dangerous work). The one specimen I do have was second hand from a retailer I trust. Edited March 29, 2022 by GarethGP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted March 29, 2022 Share Posted March 29, 2022 14 minutes ago, GarethGP said: Tidgy's Dad, you're from Morocco - very cool. My wife spent a lot of time there and said it's a beautiful country full of beautiful people. I hope to go some day. I am also fascinated by the Fossils coming out of Kem Kem and the phosphate beds. Maybe you can speak to this. Are the fossil discoveries there usually just a byproduct of mining, or do locals search specifically for fossils? Despite my love for the fossils coming out of your country, I'm always worried about the health and wellbeing of the people mining and collecting them, so ethically I've avoided them because I just don't know (as your article showed, it can be unhealthy dangerous work). The one specimen I do have was second hand from a retailer I trust. I'm actually Welsh / English but have been here 17 years and consider Morocco my home. You are right; it's very cool (but often hot) and a beautiful country with many lovely people. As I collect mostly Palaeozoic fossils and brachiopods are my speciality, I have never been to the Kem Kem or the main phosphate deposits at Khouribga, though I do have a few specimens from both these famous localities. In the case of the phosphate deposits, the fossils are mostly a by product of the mining and I shudder to think how many valuable specimens have been crushed up to make fertilizer. But people do go to the spoil heaps or get permission to visit some of the mines to collect fossils. Though the safety of miners both in the phosphate deposits and even in the case of pits where fossils are mined, is not always the best it provides poorer areas of the country with essential income. In the south, including the Kem Kem beds, fossil and mineral collecting for sale to tourists and collectors abroad is a vital source of income. https://archive.aramcoworld.com/issue/200902/morocco.s.trilobite.economy.htm The article is a little old, but the fossil trade has become even more important since this was written. As far as I know, Kem Kem is not commercially mined for anything other than fossils, it is of immense scientific and economic importance to the region and the country as a whole. Conditions are often pretty ghastly, but are slowly being improved and many of the dangerous mines have been closed but that doesn't stop people breaking in to them to collect specimens in some instances leading to unfortunate deaths. By purchasing Moroccan fossils in the country, or from Moroccan dealers, is supporting the poorest people in the most deprived areas of the country. 7 Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Kmiecik Posted March 29, 2022 Share Posted March 29, 2022 4 hours ago, GarethGP said: Thank you for the reassuring responses! I'll keep it tucked away in a box until I can get it in front of a Geiger counter in the future - just to be safe! But I'm less worried, so thank you. I sincerely doubt that it would register anything on a Geiger counter. 1 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...
GarethGP Posted March 29, 2022 Author Share Posted March 29, 2022 5 hours ago, Tidgy's Dad said: I'm actually Welsh / English but have been here 17 years and consider Morocco my home. You are right; it's very cool (but often hot) and a beautiful country with many lovely people. As I collect mostly Palaeozoic fossils and brachiopods are my speciality, I have never been to the Kem Kem or the main phosphate deposits at Khouribga, though I do have a few specimens from both these famous localities. In the case of the phosphate deposits, the fossils are mostly a by product of the mining and I shudder to think how many valuable specimens have been crushed up to make fertilizer. But people do go to the spoil heaps or get permission to visit some of the mines to collect fossils. Though the safety of miners both in the phosphate deposits and even in the case of pits where fossils are mined, is not always the best it provides poorer areas of the country with essential income. In the south, including the Kem Kem beds, fossil and mineral collecting for sale to tourists and collectors abroad is a vital source of income. https://archive.aramcoworld.com/issue/200902/morocco.s.trilobite.economy.htm The article is a little old, but the fossil trade has become even more important since this was written. As far as I know, Kem Kem is not commercially mined for anything other than fossils, it is of immense scientific and economic importance to the region and the country as a whole. Conditions are often pretty ghastly, but are slowly being improved and many of the dangerous mines have been closed but that doesn't stop people breaking in to them to collect specimens in some instances leading to unfortunate deaths. By purchasing Moroccan fossils in the country, or from Moroccan dealers, is supporting the poorest people in the most deprived areas of the country. Thank you for the informative response, I really appreciate it! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Pristis Posted March 29, 2022 Share Posted March 29, 2022 I have been to Khouribga. Fossil collecting is a huge local industry. In a little village without electricity, I bought teeth from children and from their parents and from the broker -- everyone seemed to have fossils to sell. Radioactivity? Here's the Florida phosphate story: 2 http://pristis.wix.com/the-demijohn-page What seest thou else In the dark backward and abysm of time? ---Shakespeare, The Tempest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpc Posted March 29, 2022 Share Posted March 29, 2022 I did not know this about phosphate mines in FL. Casper, Wyoming, where I live, is built on the late Cretaceous Cody Shale which also leaks Radium. Radium mitigation is fairly new around here. I have bought two houses here and each time I have had to install a radium system. Pretty smple and not terribly expensive, but many houses here have them. But this is getting way far away from the question of radioactive fossils. I live in a town that also did some uranium mining so it is easy enough to find a geiger counter around here, and importantly someone who knows how to interpret the results. You might try to find a borrowable (with driver) geiger counter or scintillometer where you live. People who have these things lying about love to get them out and actually use them. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted March 29, 2022 Share Posted March 29, 2022 22 minutes ago, Harry Pristis said: I have been to Khouribga. Fossil collecting is a huge local industry. In a little village without electricity, I bought teeth from children and from their parents and from the broker -- everyone seemed to have fossils to sell. Yes, the fossils from Khourigba can be found for sale in many places all over the country and, of course, internationally. A village near Khouibga with no electricity? How interesting. Which one, please? Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Pristis Posted March 29, 2022 Share Posted March 29, 2022 This was a long time ago. I didn't get the name of the village. I remember someone was watching a soccer game on a small TV powered by a 12volt battery. The battery was charged using a generator on a motorbike. I was impressed considering the infrastructure of the village at the time. I'm sure that things are improved now. I always felt safe, even welcome whenever it came down to business. I never got back to Morocco, though it was a good adventure. I wouldn't drive south into the country from Spanish Ceuta again. I'd land in one of the western tourist destinations and drive inland. 1 http://pristis.wix.com/the-demijohn-page What seest thou else In the dark backward and abysm of time? ---Shakespeare, The Tempest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilDAWG Posted March 29, 2022 Share Posted March 29, 2022 A bit of a tangent, but radon pops up in a variety of locations, including areas with granite bedrock (so obviously not related to fossils). Much of Atlanta and its southern suburbs are built on a massive granite pluton (think Stone Mountain) with high radon levels. I have read that nationally in the US radon is thought to account for around 4,000 cases of lung cancer/year. It's easy and worthwhile to get your house checked to see if you have a problem, or not. Don 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted March 29, 2022 Share Posted March 29, 2022 (edited) I am sure Harry's story from 'a long time ago' regarding a nameless village is true, but I would like to point out that by 2011 the rural electrification of our country was 97.4 %. https://energypedia.info/wiki/Morocco_Energy_Situation#Installed_Capacity_and_Generation Since then, our very advanced solar energy companies have supplied most of the remaining areas and isolated farmhouse with electricity. We are not some primitive society. (which I know that Harry was not trying to imply.) The UK has 75,000 to 100,00 houses not connected : https://www.simplyswitch.com/ofgem-seeks-information-households-not-connected-electricity-network/#:~:text=Previous estimates have pegged the,in remote or rural locations. Edited March 29, 2022 by Tidgy's Dad 1 Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted March 29, 2022 Share Posted March 29, 2022 27 minutes ago, Harry Pristis said: I was impressed considering the infrastructure of the village at the time. I'm sure that things are improved now. I always felt safe, even welcome whenever it came down to business. I never got back to Morocco, though it was a good adventure. I wouldn't drive south into the country from Spanish Ceuta again. I'd land in one of the western tourist destinations and drive inland. It makes me happy that you have added this to your post in edit. Thank you. Though we would say Sebta, not Ceuta, and argue against colonialism. Did you get to visit Fes Medina? Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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