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A Manual of Practical Laboratory and Field Techniques in Palaeobiology pp 318–330Cite as

Extraction Techniques for Phosphatic Fossils

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Abstract

The extraction and preparation of phosphatic preserved macro and microfossil material requires the careful use of acidic solutions in controlled etching techniques. In the area of micropalaeontology the application is widely known in relation to the extraction of conodont elements (e.g. Collinson 1963, 1965, Stone 1987) and other phosphatic microfossils (Bengtson 1977). Acids used in the extraction of conodonts are familiar to vertebrate and invertebrate palaeontologists in the preparation of phosphatized bones and shell material respectively. Their use in the extraction of large fossils creates additional problems in that exposed surfaces must be protected from contact with fresh acid (Converse 1989).

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  1. Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, Holt, Norfolk, UK

    Owen R. Green

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© 2001 Owen R. Green

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Green, O.R. (2001). Extraction Techniques for Phosphatic Fossils. In: A Manual of Practical Laboratory and Field Techniques in Palaeobiology. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-0581-3_27

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-0581-3_27

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-90-481-4013-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-017-0581-3

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