Heteromorphs

Thanks Kevin! I am slow.

Unfortunately not one found by me D and yes deliberately etched, probably in HCl. Round here there are silicified corals in Paleogene limestones that etch out nicely in white vinegar. A detail of one of these is attached.

Apparently silicifed fossils are far more abundant in the Palaeozoic than in the post-Permian (related to changes in abundance of siliceous sponges). The Permian of the Glass Mountains, Texas is a very famous example.

This has some interesting details on the mechanism of and controls on silicification of fossils.
 

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A vinegar bath would definitely be the way I would want to extract something and if I get stung by the Hulk (huge, aggressive antler anemone I have) I would have a ready dip available :biggrin2:. Are only very small specimens found that are so nicely preserved and removed?
 
I just (recklessly) tested my anemones and tube anemones and found they have no sting that I can feel. We do have vinegar ready for jellyfish stings in the sea though.

Sometimes large specimens are acid-prepared, like this complete 4 m dinosaur.
 
I just (recklessly) tested my anemones and tube anemones and found they have no sting that I can feel.
Hulk gets me once a month or so. I keep thinking I can get away without putting on gloves and still clean his corner of the glass. SOMETIMES this works. I have found that if I annoy him a with a feeding stick he will shrink away (most times) but he goes after my hand. For some reason he does not sting Neal but that may have to do with length of contact.

Speaking of dinosaurs, it seems we have a new one in Utah
 
These two are different enough that they are probably different genera. However, with a little more study and a few more specimens they may prove to be sexual dimorphs or even different ontogenetic stages of the same species. There was a talk in France about how maybe some heteromorphs are just different ontogenetic stages of the same species. (Ref: S.D. JORGENSEN, N.L. LARSON, N.H. LANDMAN, W.A. COBBAN Ontogeny of Didymoceras Hyatt, 1894, in the Late Cretaceous (Middle and Upper Campanian) U. S. Western Interior)


Putting these puzzles together is like a 2000 piece jigsaw with 1500 of the pieces missing. :heee:
 
I exposed the Spiroceras a little further and took a new photo. I can see at least three other individuals in the matrix.
 

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Come on D, surely you need something else to do in your spare time!:sagrin:
Seriously though, I can't wait to learn how to properly prepare fossils. I've been dragging home as much material as I can so this winter I'll have stuff to practice on!

Hajar, it would be great if you would post more pics. as you continue the process. Are you using vinegar or muratic acid?
 
Another Heteromorph found through the microscope eyepiece.



This may be the protoconch or a freshly hatched Allocrioceras. The thing is 1mm from top to bottom. The presence of a living chamber means this thing died when it was this small. :cool2:
 

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