KANE X. FAUCHER
  • READ
  • Travel
  • Fossil Blog
  • SPEAK
  • THINK

Fossil Blog

trips and finds 2016 - Present

Placoderm

6/10/2019

0 Comments

 
This is my second blog post today. I took the time to finally complete this placoderm I found in the Widder Formation back in April. I started it not long before I left for Bowmanville, and tidied it all up today. This is likely Protitanichthys sp. (cf. rockportensis), but more research needs to be done on these arthrodires.
Picture
This is an in situ photo of the arthrodire -- a completely discombobulated mess. To make matters more fun, it was situated in the iron-hard brachiopod layer, so the only choice for extraction was to use brute force and hopefully be able to collect all the pieces for reconstruction later. Apart from some of the bigger pieces, it is not entirely clear how this critter is oriented.
Picture
I had put it aside to deal with trilobite prep, but I knew at some point I'd have to do something with this so it wasn't just sitting and taking up space in the living room. I started assembling some of the bigger pieces; the smaller pieces were going to be a lot of trial and error -- a bit like doing a jigsaw puzzle without the completed image on the box. There is a lot of matrix to remove as can be seen above. These are otherwise thick pieces of bone that made up the head and dorsal shield of this Devonian fish.
Picture
At this point, after about ten hours, I've taken to abrading all the little pieces as well (not all pictured here). The matrix was very easy to remove in parts, melting away under baking soda... But some of the matrix was sticky and as hard as iron. Scribing was not an option when the matrix is this close to the bone as there may be pustules hiding underneath that could easily be knocked off with a far too aggressive approach. Slow and steady is required. 
Picture
Jump ahead another ten hours and it is done. This is pretty much solid bone. It is also of substantial size for the Widder at about 20 cm from the tip to tip, and this is just the posterior median dorsal plate of the trunk shield (the complete placoderm would have been over three feet long). I've glued it down to a piece of black construction paper and will likely clean up around the edges before pasting it down to a harder backing. There are three small pieces orphaned that I can't find a place for, and there is sadly some missing pieces that must have been lost at the site -- but none too shabby under the circumstances of its forced extraction by necessity. I'm somewhat proud of this one. 
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Trilobite Gallery
    FOSSIL ILLUSTRATIONS
    Picture

    Kane Faucher


    I'm an avocational fossil collector. This is what I'd do all the time if I could retire early. 

    I mostly collect within my region, with rocks that are predominantly Devonian in age. My collecting specializes in trilobites, but I also tend to pick up other interesting fossils along the way.

    Enjoy this blog? Consider a donation! Donations are used to cover equipment and trips. Unlike other blogs that use annoying pop-ups to get you to subscribe or donate, this little message should suffice so as not to interfere with the enjoyment of the content.

    ​Sponsor a trip today and you have an opportunity to be named as a Patron in a future blog post. See the PayPal donation button at the bottom, below "Categories." 

    Older entries in a non-blog format encompassing 2013-2016 can be found here.

    Categories

    All
    Amherstburg Formation
    Ammonite
    Ammonoid
    Arkona
    Belgium
    Best Of The Year
    Bois Blanc Formation
    Bolivia
    Bowmanville
    Brachiopod
    Brechin
    Bryozoan
    China
    Collection
    Coprolite
    Coral
    Craigleith/Collingwood
    Crinoid
    Cystoid
    Czech Republic
    Deep Springs Road
    Devonian
    Dinosaur Tooth
    Display
    Dundee Formation
    Eurypterid
    Fish
    Fitness
    Fossil Preparation
    Friends And Field Comrades
    Gastropod
    Germany
    Gifts
    Graptolite
    Hederellid
    Hypostome
    Illustration
    Jamaica
    Lichid
    London
    Ludvigsen
    Microscope
    Morocco
    Nautiloid
    Nevada
    Norway
    NY
    Oklahoma
    Onandaga
    Onondaga
    Ontario
    Ottawa
    Oyster
    Pelecypod
    Penn Dixie
    Photography
    Phyllocarid
    Placoderm
    Plants
    Portugal
    Postal Formation
    Prep
    Research
    Rochester
    Rostroconch
    Russia
    Shark Teeth
    Silurian
    South Korea
    Sponge
    Sweden
    Techniques
    Terataspis
    Terataspis Grandis
    Tools
    Trace Fossil
    Trilobite
    Trilobites
    Tyndall Limestone
    Utah

    Archives

    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    December 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016

    RSS Feed

Site Content Copyright 2009-2020 Kane X. Faucher
  • READ
  • Travel
  • Fossil Blog
  • SPEAK
  • THINK