National Fossil Day!

 Its National Fossil Day in the United States of America today.  I put together an image of some ferns to mark the day. 

In other geology news, congratulations to Chile and the rescue of the miners from the copper and gold mine.  What an amazing accomplishment!

Here is a list of 230 fossil parks in the United States which five are listed in Indiana and Kentucky.

Waldron Shale Calymene Revisited

Regular readers to this blog know that I have been working on a Silurian Period Calymene trilobite.  It was found in the Waldron Shale of Clark County.  For those not reading the blog very often here are the posts relating to this fossil:

September 25, 2010: http://louisvillefossils.blogspot.com/2010/09/calymene-challenge.html
September 26, 2010: http://louisvillefossils.blogspot.com/2010/09/progress-on-calymene.html
September 30, 2010: http://louisvillefossils.blogspot.com/2010/09/calymene-update.html

After September 30, I suspended working on the fossil till I acquired some Gorilla Glue (based in Cincinnati, Ohio) to stabilize the crack that developed in the cephalon.  The Dremel engraving tool is excellect for removing sections of matrix that would take a long time using just a needle.  Its downside is the vibrations can cause fossil cracking.

I obtained the glue recently and applied it to the bottom of the cephalon.  After letting dry for several days I began using the engraver again with a focus of removing matrix around the left cheek side and start removing the cut marks in the rock.  Good progress was made and most of the left cheek is now exposed.  After using the engraver, I switched back to the needle to slowing remove matrix next to the cephalon and try to work matrix out of the ridges of the shell.  Progress was made but also a few mistakes.  Too much pressure was applied near the left eye stem and it broke off.  Also while working around the upper outer rim of the right cephalon pieces of it cracked off.  I need to glue those back on now.

The glue after drying turns white so it will need to be sand blasted off to return the area back to its natural brown and gray.  Also white vinegar will be used to start smoothing the matrix around the trilobite to remove the engraver lines

Maroon Dalmanella Fossils

Dalmanella multisecta (formerly Onniella multisecta) brachiopod found in the Kope Formation of  Carroll County, Kentucky.  This brachiopod existed in the Ordovician Period.  Learn more at the Dry Dredgers web site.  For some reason, these fossils are a maroon color.

It is 10^3 day!