Irradiatus Posted July 9, 2009 Share Posted July 9, 2009 So I finally got around to checking out one of the few fossil sites in central North Carolina. After an hour of searching, I finally found a very small layer of shale with fossilized critters in it. Unfortunately, the shale is insanely brittle (I can barely touch it without it falling apart - it took forever just to find a couple chunks that didn't crumble). Anyone have any recommendations for preserving brittle shale? Finger nail polish? Anything? So here are two chunks I found. They're not much to look at - but wait till you see the microscope pics! Within the two pieces are many Cyzicus clam shrimps, hundreds of tiny Darwinula ostracods, and a single plant root. Luckily, as a biologist I have access to some pretty spiffy microscopes (the next shots were taken on a Leica stereoscopic dissecting scope). The Cyzicus clam shrimp closeups: Here is what a modern clam shrimp looks like: The Darwinula ostracods: The plant root (you can even make out the cell structure) : These all came from the Durham sub-basin of the Deep River basin, at a site which Paul E. Olsen and Philip Huber have described as being in the Norian stage of the Late Triassic (217 to 204 million years ago) [link]. They also described the fauna (which is how I figured it out). So how do I keep these things from falling apart? "The fact that we live at the bottom of a deep gravity well, on the surface of a gas covered planet going around a nuclear fireball 90 million miles away and think this to be normal is obviously some indication of how skewed our perspective tends to be. " - Douglas Adams Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted July 9, 2009 Share Posted July 9, 2009 Thin-down some Duco with acetone and flood it on so that it soaks in; this should stabilize it. "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irradiatus Posted July 9, 2009 Author Share Posted July 9, 2009 Thin-down some Duco with acetone and flood it on so that it soaks in; this should stabilize it. Hey thanks! Any idea what ratio to thin it down to? 1:1? 1:10? Gracias. "The fact that we live at the bottom of a deep gravity well, on the surface of a gas covered planet going around a nuclear fireball 90 million miles away and think this to be normal is obviously some indication of how skewed our perspective tends to be. " - Douglas Adams Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverphoenix Posted July 9, 2009 Share Posted July 9, 2009 1 part duco 2 parts acetone you can get the glue for 79 cents at walmart--green tube. Acetone I'm not sure where to get that besides Home Depot or Lowes--most hardware stores should have it though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracer Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 Unbelievable Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 Interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shamalama Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 Neat stuff... We get some exposures of Triassic basin material around where I live and not much is found it. Every now and again someone will find foot prints or some bones but that is very rare. I've found some Pseudoestheria layers that are just covered in the shells and occasionally some fish poops that show scales and maybe bone. Congrats on your finds and research! -Dave __________________________________________________ Geologists on the whole are inconsistent drivers. When a roadcut presents itself, they tend to lurch and weave. To them, the roadcut is a portal, a fragment of a regional story, a proscenium arch that leads their imaginations into the earth and through the surrounding terrain. - John McPheeIf I'm going to drive safely, I can't do geology. - John McPheeCheck out my Blog for more fossils I've found: http://viewsofthemahantango.blogspot.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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