Categorization

[Fullux]

Howdy all,

 

I'm wanting to categorize a collection of fossils from a certain formation within my collection and I'm wondering how I should go about categorizing them (like giving them each ID numbers).

[Wrangellian]

Not sure what you mean, but I would give each fossil its own number and then enter those numbers into my notebook along with the ID (which may be only general/tentative) and location and other pertinent info for each one. It doesn't really matter what order they are entered, the main thing is they each get a number and the info is recorded. I gather some collectors will group a handful of specimens of the same taxon into a group, and give the group a single number, at least if they are found in the same spot (i.e. in association) on the same day, but I don't usually do that. You might find that one or two of those will turn out to be a different species from the rest, and would then deserve a new number, presumably.

Edited July 27 by Wrangellian

[Ludwigia]

I group my fossils according to phylum, class, subclass or order, depending on their common names, giving each a defining letter first and then a number, eg. A21 for Ammonoidea, E20 for Echinoidea. Then I add all pertinent information to the data sheet. Of course that requires that one can at least get an identity down to the respective classification level. Otherwise one would need to have a special marking for unknowns.