Pyrite Coated Brachiopod + Crinoid

Picture of a Silurian Period brachiopod and crinoid stem coated in pyrite.  I am guessing this would be a concretion?  Fossils found in the Laurel Dolomite of Nelson County, Kentucky.

 Next picture shows the gray dolomite on the other side of the pyrite concretion.

Eospirifer With Partial Bryozoan Coating

An Eospirifer radiatus brachiopod with one half coated in bryozoan.  Fossil was found in the Waldron Shale of Clark County, Indiana.  This layer dates it to the Middle Silurian Period.

Video of Fluorescence Spectra Analysis of Minerals

This YouTube video (8:26 minutes) by the Antwerp Mineralogical Society (MKA)of Belgium showing how they use the Ocean Optics USB4000 Fiber Optic Spectrometer. The host Axel Emmermann gives an overview of their society and then introduces the spectrometer. A review of the LED lighting system, the fiber optic cable/lens, and the test chamber. The software is then demonstrated analyzing scheelite that contains disulfide iron fluorescencing. Other examples shown are apatite from Jumilla, Spain and sheelite from China.

I find this research very interesting and a device like that would be great to analysis the Louisville collection with. It could be of great help determining the origins of the fluorescent specimens that lost their labels long ago.  The USB4000 appears to cost about $2500 + $200 for software.

Ocean Optics founded in 1989 by a researcher at the University of South Florida.  Its equipment is used for medical diagnostics, environmental sciences, consumer electronics, and life sciences.  In addition, their equipment was used for the Mars Rover and Mir space station.  The company is headquartered in Dunedin, Florida but also has offices in The Netherlands, Germany, and China.  Over 100,000 spectrometers have been sold worldwide.