ashcraft Posted August 6, 2009 Share Posted August 6, 2009 I am working a few sites that have leaf impressions in clay. I have gotten several pieces out, but not many whole specimens, usually because the fist sized chunks I am getting out break them up. I am looking to get cinder block sized chunks of clay out, then let it dry, and then split along bedding planes. I don’t want to reinvent the wheel, is there an easy, or accepted, way to do this? The three deposits vary greatly in age, one is Cretaceous, one is Eocene, and one is Pleistocene (I think), but all are fairly dense clay that forms bedding planes when it dries. Brent Ashcraft ashcraft, brent allen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shamalama Posted August 6, 2009 Share Posted August 6, 2009 You might have to excavate a much larger piece and then work it down to size since it's so soft. Have you tried to wet it more in the area you are working to see if that makes it more flexible? -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...
ashcraft Posted August 6, 2009 Author Share Posted August 6, 2009 You might have to excavate a much larger piece and then work it down to size since it's so soft. Have you tried to wet it more in the area you are working to see if that makes it more flexible? The material is plenty plastic, and I can cut a shelf to it, then cut blocks out, just wondering if there is an easier way.... Brent Ashcraft ashcraft, brent allen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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