Pseudogygites Posted May 27, 2018 Share Posted May 27, 2018 Hello TFF members! I have just found several strange circular rocks on a fossil hunt a few minutes ago, which I believe to be either nodules or concretions. What should I do to split these rocks? I know that I should probably not try to break them with a hammer and chisel, and instead use the freeze-thaw process. This is my first experience with nodules or concretions, so I am not very knowledgeable on this topic. Is there a specific recommended length of time I should leave them in the cold? How long should I thaw them for? How many times should I put them through the process before seeing cracks? How cold should the environment be for the freezing to work? If they are in fact nodules or concretions, I will post pictures of my finds (or lack thereof)! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted May 27, 2018 Share Posted May 27, 2018 This is a well covered topic here on the Forum. A quick search should get you what you need. 1 Tim - VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER VFOTM --- APRIL - 2015 IPFOTM -- MAY - 2024 _________________________________________________________________________________ "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~ ><))))( *> About Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pseudogygites Posted May 27, 2018 Author Share Posted May 27, 2018 48 minutes ago, Fossildude19 said: This is a well covered topic here on the Forum. A quick search should get you what you need. Sorry about that. I didn't even think to search! Thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ynot Posted May 27, 2018 Share Posted May 27, 2018 2 hours ago, Pseudogygites said: This is my first experience with nodules or concretions, Keep in mind that most concretions do not have fossils in them. Few places have the quality that is found at Mason creek. A good indicator is finding broken concretions on site with fossils showing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted May 27, 2018 Share Posted May 27, 2018 There is a Devonian site I visit in Upstate New York, that has concretions throughout the exposures. They can sometimes be as large as if not larger than a basketball. Sometimes they don't have anything, but other times, there can be trilobites in the center. I would whack one or two to see if they have anything in them. You might get lucky. Good luck. Tim - VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER VFOTM --- APRIL - 2015 IPFOTM -- MAY - 2024 _________________________________________________________________________________ "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~ ><))))( *> About Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted May 28, 2018 Share Posted May 28, 2018 I agree. Just bosh two or three first to see if it's going to be worth the trouble of anything more complicated and time consuming. Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ynot Posted May 28, 2018 Share Posted May 28, 2018 21 hours ago, Pseudogygites said: ! I have just found several strange circular rocks on a fossil hunt a few minutes ago, which I believe to be either nodules or concretions. What should I do to split these rocks? I Can You post some pictures so We can see what You are working with. There are different types of concretions/nodules and they can require different methods to expose any possible fossils in them. Thank You, Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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