Fossils, Rocks, & Akiko Video

Fossils, Rocks & Akiko from The Field Museum on Vimeo.

The Field Museum of Chicago, Illinois has released a video (about 2 minutes in length) of a behind the scenes in the preparatory lab. This video highlights Chief Preparator in the Fossil Vertebrate section Akiko Shinya. She shows some of the work process of preparing a Psittacosaur from Mongolia.

After seeing the video, I should be wearing hearing protection along with my eye and airway gear during fossil prep. Maybe padded gloves might help as the engraver makes my hand tingle or numb after continuous prolonged use.

This dinosaur existed in the Cretaceous Period (130-100 million years ago).  Learn more at Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psittacosaurus

Platyrachella Devonian Brachiopod

Look at the wingspan on this fossil brachiopod, it is not fully intact yet measures about 7 cm. Yeah baby!

This brachiopod is a Platyrachella sp. found in the Cedar Valley formation of Benton County, Iowa. It lived in the Middle Devonian period. This is one large Devonian brachiopod that I have not found an equivalent genus to in the fossils of the local Jeffersonville or Silver Creek limestones.

The brachiopod was photographed wet and was cleaned with a Dremel tool - stainless steel rotary brush and Dremel engraver 1-2.5 settings.

This fossil was bought from eBay seller timfossil2001 who has some nice deals on Minnesota and Iowa fossils: http://www.ebay.com/sch/timfossil2001/m.html?item=370559137286&viewitem=&_trksid=p4340.l2562

Acrocyathus Mississippian Fossil Coral

These rugose coral fossils were found in Floyd County, Indiana in the St. Louis Limestone.  This limestone dates back to the Middle Mississippian (Carboniferous) period.  The corals appear to be Acrocyathus floriformis? also referred to as Lithostronchia or Lithostrotion or Lithostrotionella. These coral fossils also are found in Kentucky, Missouri, West Virginia, and maybe Alabama. Thanks to Alan for help with identification.

See a Lithostronchia specimen on the KYANA Geological Society web site: CLICK HERE

UPDATE (2019-06-15): website link below has changed to this: http://www.uky.edu/KGS/fossils/fossil-coral-rugose-corals-mound-shape.php

Learn more at the Kentucky Geological Survey web site: http://www.uky.edu/KGS/fossils/rugosecolonial3.htm

See other Lithostrotion corals on Plates XXXVI and XXXVII: CLICK HERE