TIPS & TRICKS

I was trying to clean up my newly collected fern tree fossils, but was breaking some of my test pieces—they are so fragile!! So I asked for help. John Anderson is the CCGMS Field Trip Co-Chair, a retired geology professor, and VP of the Paleontology Association of Georgia. He said I could share this advice with our members. Thank you, John!

Because shale is clay, it is often held together by water in its pore space, so gently rinsing the rock will clean the mud off the surface and re-hydrate the rock. To clean the fern tree fossil, simply allow a gentle stream of water to flow over the surface. Gently rinsing the rock in a pan of water might be best. Then let the rock air dry until the fossil surface is dry. Then place the fossil face down on a dry paper towel and spray the back of the shale with a clear spray paint. The paint will seal the rock and help to “glue” the shale together. You can paint the back side a couple of times allowing it to completely dry between coats of paint. Then turn over the fossil and lightly coat the side with the fossil. If the shale is dark like the fossil, then try painting a not so great fossil first to test how the clear coating will affect your fossil. It is likely that the clear paint will darken the test rock and the fossil may become hard to see; often the fossil will darken, too. If the test piece darkens too much, just go with painting the back side of the rock. The dry fossil being a film of carbon may be easily smeared if touched.