PaleoLab Thursday 12.22.16

This is just a quick update since we are all looking forward to Christmas festivities. 

Thursday's Paleo Lab brought us a new lab partner. Connor Schwartz has joined us and is going to be working on the large barosaurus block. We are thrilled to have him on the team!

Connor- Cleaning up his work space after working on his block.

My own time was spent clearing away more matrix between the vertebra. I discovered a discoloration and approached Rick (our paleontologist) about it. He seemed just as mystified as myself. Initially we thought it was a clay ball which Rick informs me has been previously noted to form in a body of water and then roll into the crevices between bones. He instructed me to continue excavation with caution.

Sara- Color variance in matrix detected.

Over the next few hours I attempted to isolate the material. It is a soft, nearly waxy substance and has hairline fractures in places. It presents itself to be roughly the size of a fifty cent piece. Nearer to the base of the object, there was evidence of bone. The sandstone matrix clears away with relative ease from the edges. If nothing else, when we remove this from the matrix I will have polished up my skills in fine detail and isolation work. It was nearly painful to leave the lab without having freed it from the location where it was found.

Merry Christmas to all of you wonderful people. We hope that your weekend is filled with wonder and love. We are sure going to be wondering about this week's discoveries until next Thursday!

Hope to see you then.