Fossil collecting describes the extraction of fossilised material for profit, pleasure, or scientific study. Fossils - the preserved remains of long-dead organisms - are found in many places where sedimentary rocks, such as claystones, shales, limestones, and sandstones, are exposed. FOSSIL is a standard protocol for allowing serial communication for Telecommunications programs under the DOS Operating system. Sedimentary rock is one of the three main rock types (the others being igneous and Metamorphic rock) Clay is a naturally occurring material composed primarily of fine-grained Minerals which show plasticity through a variable range of Water content, and Shale (also called mudstone) is a fine-grained Sedimentary rock whose original constituents were Clay minerals or Muds It is characterized by Limestone is a Sedimentary rock composed largely of the Mineral Calcite ( Calcium carbonate: CaCO3 Sandstone is a Sedimentary rock composed mainly of Sand -size Mineral or rock grains. Only certain sedimentary rocks harboured the appropriate environmental conditions to preserve and yield fossils, which are often concentrated along particular bedding planes within the rocks. In Geology, rock is a naturally occurring aggregate of Minerals and/or Mineraloids The Earth's outer solid layer the ‘ Lithosphere [1]
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Finding fossils
Fossils are generally found in sedimentary rock with differentiated strata representing a succession of deposited material. Sedimentary rock is one of the three main rock types (the others being igneous and Metamorphic rock) [2]
The occurrence of fossil bearing material depends on environmental factors before and after the time of preservation. After death, the first preserving factor is a rapid burial in water bodies or terrestrial sediment which would help in preserving the specimen. An ecoregion ( ecological region) sometimes called a bioregion, is an ecologically and geographically defined area smaller than a "realm" or " These rocks types are usually termed clastic rock, and are further subdivided into fine, medium and coarse grained material. Clastic rocks are composed of fragments or clasts, of pre-existing rock. While fossil's can be found in all grain typed, more detailed specimens are found in the fine grained material [3]. A second type of burial is the non-clastic rock, form where the rock is made up of the precipitation of compacted fossil material, types of rock include limestone and coal. Limestone is a Sedimentary rock composed largely of the Mineral Calcite ( Calcium carbonate: CaCO3 The third fossil bearing material is the evaporates, which precipitate out of concentrated dissolved salts to form nodular deposits, examples include rock salt and phosphate concentrations. Evaporation is the process by which Molecules in a Liquid state (e A nodule in Petrology or Mineralogy is a secondary structure generally spherical or irregularly rounded in shape Halite is the Mineral form of Sodium chloride, Na[[chlorine Cl]] commonly known as rock salt. A phosphate, an Inorganic chemical, is a salt of Phosphoric acid. The evaporates are usually associated with gastropod, algae, vertebrate, and trace fossils. The class Gastropoda or the gastropods, also previously known as gasteropods, or univalves, and more commonly known as Snails Algae ( sing. alga are a large and diverse group of simple typically Autotrophic organisms ranging from Unicellular to Multicellular forms Vertebrates are members of the Subphylum Vertebrata, Chordates with backbones or spinal columns The grouping sometimes includes Trace fossils, also called ichnofossils (ˈɪknoʊfɒsɨl ιχνος or ikhnos meaning "trace" or "track" are geological records of biological
After burial various factors are at work to endanger the current fossil's preserved state. Chemical alteration would change the mineral composition of the fossil, but generally not its appearance, lithification would distort its appearance, the fossil itself may be fully or partially dissolved leaving only a fossil mold. Lithification (from the Greek word lithos meaning 'rock' and the Latin -derived suffix -ific) is the process in which Sediments compact [4][3]
Areas where sedimentary rocks are being eroded include exposed Mountainous areas, river banks and beds and engineering features like quarries and road cuts. A mountain is a Landform that extends above the surrounding Terrain in a limited area with a peak A stream bed is the channel bottom of a Stream or River or creek the physical confine of the normal water flow A stream bed is the channel bottom of a Stream or River or creek the physical confine of the normal water flow Generally in appearance, a fossil will be either a different colour to the surrounding rock, because of the different mineral content, will have a defining shape and texture or a combination of both. [5] Dried up natural lake beds [6] and caves in the form of pitfall traps [7] also has an occurrence of a recent fossil fauna for the locality as is the case with Cuddie Springs and Naracoorte Caves in Australia. Cuddie Springs is a notable archaeological and paleontological site in the semi-arid zone of central northern New South Wales, Australia (near Naracoorte Caves is a national park near Naracoorte in the Limestone Coast tourism region in the south-east of South Australia ( Australia
Fossils are not to be found in areas of igneous rock (except in some beds between lava flows). Igneous rocks (etymology from Latin ignis, fire are rocks formed by solidification of cooled Magma (molten rock In rocks which have undergone metamorphism, they are usually so distorted that they are difficult to recognize or have been destroyed completely. Metamorphism can be defined as the solid state recrystallisation of pre-existing rocks due to changes in heat and/or pressure and/or introduction of fluids i
Artificial exposures, such as road cuttings or quarries, can often be good collecting spots, along with continually eroding river or coastal exposures. Coal mining operations often yield excellent fossil plants, but the best ones are to be found not in the coal itself but in the associated sedimentary rock deposits called coal measures. Coal mining is the extraction or removal of Coal from the Earth by Mining. Plants are living Organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. The Coal Measures is a lithostratigraphical term used mainly in the British Isles for the coal-bearing part of the Upper Carboniferous System
In hilly regions the best sections are often those exposed at the sides of streams that have cut into the bedrock. Bedrock is the native consolidated rock underlying the surface of a terrestrial planet usually the Earth.
Wave washed sea cliffs and foreshore exposures are often good places to search for fossils, but always be aware of the state of the tides in the area. Characteristics A tide is a repeated cycle of sea level changes in the following stages Over several hours the water rises or advances up a beach in the flood Never take chances by climbing high cliffs of crumbling rock or clay (many have died attempting it).
Exposures of softer rocks, such as clays and sands, can be good collecting spots. Sand is a naturally occurring Granular material composed of finely divided rock and Mineral particles However inland sections tend to degrade rapidly, becoming overgrown, and are lost forever.
Collecting ethics
To collect fossils, there are various legal realities that must be observed. Permission should be sought before collection begins on private land. [8]
Hammering the rocks in national parks and other areas of natural beauty is often discouraged and in most cases is illegal. A national park is a reserve of land usually declared and owned by a national Government, protected from most Human development and pollution
Equipment
It is important to have the right kind of field equipment when looking for fossils, and safety should always be an important concern.
A hard hat is essential protection from loose stones that may be dislodged from cliffs above, but will not protect the wearer from larger falling rocks. A hard hat is a type of Helmet predominantly used in workplace environments such as Construction sites to protect the head from injury by falling objects Hard hats are normally a requirement in operational quarries.
Safety goggles and protective gloves are also essential, as rocks can be sharp and dangerous; safety goggles will protect eyes from chips produced while hammering, and gloves protect the hands.
A collector need dress appropriately for collecting trips, taking into account the climate and terrain of the area. Sturdy footwear, such as walking or hiking boots with steel toes, are recommended. A hammer, chisel and wrapping materials are the basic equipment required for fossil collecting, along with a stout rucksack or canvas bag for carrying equipment and fossil finds. The steel of many ordinary hammers is too soft for use on most type of rock. Steel is an Alloy consisting mostly of Iron, with a Carbon content between 0 The steel may splinter, and the flying fragments cause injury to the person using the hammer, or others in the vicinity. The hammer should always strike away from the body. The head of a geological hammer or rock pick is made from specially hardened steel designed for use on rocks. A geologist's hammer is a Hammer used for geological purposes The head is either firmly attached to a wooden shaft, or the hammer have the head and the shaft formed from one piece of steel. The head may have any combination of a square face, a tapered point, or a straight chisel edge. The point of such picks are not meant for striking rock directly, but for tapping rock (such as shale) open along planes and for prying: the hammer end is used for striking.
A convenient weight for a general purpose geological hammer or rock pick is around 1 kg (2 to 3 pounds). A geologist's hammer is a Hammer used for geological purposes For breaking very hard rocks one may need a hammer of between 3 and 6. 5 kg (7 and 14 pounds) in weight, with a correspondingly longer and thicker shaft. A hammer that is too heavy is tiring to use and results in unsafe work.
For extracting fossils from harder rocks, a sturdy mallet and cold steel chisels may also be required. A mallet is a type of hammer with a head made of softer materials than the Steel normally used in hammerheads so as to avoid damaging a delicate surface Usually one needs a range of chisels in size from small ones with a sharp edge of about 1 cm (quarter of an inch), to much larger and heavier chisels. A broad-bladed chisel is often very useful for splitting rocks along their bedding plane.
Different types of rocks will break differently and a beginner should put in a little practice, getting the feel for a particular type of rock before he or she starts hammering out fossils. It is all too easy to ruin a specimen with one ill-placed blow of a hammer.
Extracting a specimen that is embedded in solid rock may prove to be a long and difficult process. Before attempting to extract a specimen, the collector should make sure that it is feasible to remove it without destroying or damaging it. Leaving sufficient rock beneath the specimen to protect it from fracturing; excess matrix can be trimmed at a later time.
For soft sediments and unconsolidated deposits, such as sands, silts and clays, a spade and a flat-bladed trowel or stout bladed knife may be the most useful tools for clearing the area around a fossil. Sediment is any particulate matter that can be transported by fluid flow and which eventually is deposited as a layer of solid particles on the bed or bottom of a body of Silt is Soil or rock derived Granular material of a Grain size between sand and clay A trowel is one of several similar Hand tools used for digging smoothing or otherwise moving around small amounts of viscous or particulate material A knife is a handheld sharp-edged instrument consisting of handle attached to a Blade used for cutting Brushes are also useful for removing loose sediment from around fossils. "Paintbrush" redirects here For other uses see Paintbrush (disambiguation.
A sieve is used to separate fossils from sands and gravels. Gravel is rock that is of a specific Particle size range In Geology, gravel is any loose rock that is larger than two millimeters (2mm A smaller mesh is required in order to avoid losing small fossils. One practical difficulty with using sieves in the field is that they easily become clogged, especially when the material sieved has a high moisture content. However, under dry weather conditions the more durable fossils, such as teeth and bones, can be quickly and easily sieved out of loose sands. Shaking the sieve is always liable to damage or destroy fragile fossils.
If there is water available, such as on a beach or next to a stream, the material containing the fossils can be sieved wet and the matrix gradually washed away. Wet sieving is a technique that is frequently used for the collection of small mammalian fossils, and by using this technique even the smallest specimens may be recovered. Mammals ( class Mammalia) are a class of Vertebrate Animals characterized by the presence of Sweat glands, including sweat glands
Preservation and documentation
A knowledge of the precise location a fossil was found greatly increases its scientific value. Details of the parent rock strata, the location of the find, and other fossil material associated with the find help scientists to place the fossil in context, in terms of the time, location and situation in which the organism lived. [9]
Logging, photographing, and sketching may accompany detailed field notes to assist in the locating of a fossiliferous outcrop; individual fossils are ideally labeled with a locality number alongside their specimen number for later identification. Data logging is the practice of recording sequential Data, often chronologically.
To avoid damage to fossils, collectors store them in a breathable bag, ideally made from a breathable fabric such as Tyvek, to avoid the growth of mold; suitable padding is also applied. Tyvek (TIE-veck is a Brand of flashspun High-density polyethylene Fibers a synthetic Material; the name is a Registered
Occasionally, large fragile specimens may need to be surrounded and supported using a jacket of plaster before their removal from the rock: This protects the fossil, protecting it from shattering. The term plaster can refer to plaster of Paris Lime plaster, or Cement plaster. If a fossil is to be left in situ, a cast may be produced, using plaster of paris or latex - whilst not preserving every detail, such a cast is inexpensive, easier to transport, causes less damage to the environment, and leaves the fossil in place for others to enjoy. The term plaster can refer to plaster of Paris Lime plaster, or Cement plaster. LaTeX (ˈleɪtɛ Subtle fossils which are preserved solely as impressions in sandy layers, such as the Ediacaran fossils, are usually sampled by means of a cast, which shows up detail more clearly than the rock itself. The Ediacara (ˌiːdɪˈækərə formerly Vendian) biota are ancient lifeforms of the Ediacaran Period which represent the earliest known complex
References
- ^ STRATIGRAPHY Fossil-Bearing Rocks. The Rochester Academy of Science. Retrieved on 2007-09-11. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 9 - The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest ends 506 - The Bishops of Visigothic Gaul
- ^ Where to look for fossils. San Diego Natural History Museum. Retrieved on 2007-09-06. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 3114 BC - According to the Proleptic Julian calendar the current era in the Maya Long Count Calendar started
- ^ a b Potts, Joanna (2003). Guide to Fossils. London: Phillips, 31-34pp. ISBN 0-540-08374-7.
- ^ How to look for fossils. San Diego Natural History Museum. Retrieved on 2007-09-06. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 3114 BC - According to the Proleptic Julian calendar the current era in the Maya Long Count Calendar started
- ^ How to look for fossils. San Diego Natural History Museum. Retrieved on 2007-09-06. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 3114 BC - According to the Proleptic Julian calendar the current era in the Maya Long Count Calendar started
- ^ Dinnertime at Cuddie Springs: hunting and butchering megafauna?. Judith Furby, School of Archaeology, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006. Retrieved on 2007-09-11. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 9 - The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest ends 506 - The Bishops of Visigothic Gaul
- ^ Development of the Naracoorte Caves. South Australian Parks Web. Retrieved on 2007-09-11. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 9 - The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest ends 506 - The Bishops of Visigothic Gaul
- ^ Do's and don'ts for fossil hunters. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved on 2007-09-06. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 3114 BC - According to the Proleptic Julian calendar the current era in the Maya Long Count Calendar started
- ^ Discover what you have. San Diego Natural History Museum. Retrieved on 2007-09-06. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 3114 BC - According to the Proleptic Julian calendar the current era in the Maya Long Count Calendar started
External links
- http://www.english.fossiel.net/ - Fossil collecting locations in Europe and the rest of the World
See also
- Mary Anning -- an early fossil hunter
- Fossil-collecting Code
- Fossil fuels
- Fossil park -- a protected fossiliferous area
- Geologic time scale
- History of geology
- History of paleontology
- Index fossils
- Invertebrate paleontology
- List of transitional fossils
- List of notable fossils
- List of fossil sites (with link directory)
- Macrofossils -- covers easily-visible fossils
- Microfossils -- covers microscopic life
- Paleobiology -- fossils and biology
- Paleobotany -- the study of ancient plants
- Paleontologists
- Paleozoology -- animal history
- Prehistoric life
- Pseudofossils -- false fossil-like rock
- Rockhounding
- Sedimentary rock
- Trace fossils -- indirect evidence of life
- Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology (1953 to 2006) -- a 50-volume reference
- Vertebrate paleontology
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