RE: Nasty shale processing (posted for G. Jones)

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From: "Jones, Garry D." <OLXEGDJ@region.unocal.com>
To: paleonet-owner <paleonet-owner@mailserver.nhm.ac.uk>
Subject: RE: Nasty shale processing
Date: Thu, 18 Jan 96 15:20:00 PST
Encoding: 38 TEXT
Status: O


Contact Dick Olsson at Rutgers University, Piscataway Campus, New Jersey,
USA.  Back in the early 1980's Dick had a grad student who perfected the
break down of tough, indurated Jurassic shales using a borate chemical in a
vacuum.  Regards, Garry Jones, UNOCAL, Lafayette, Louisiana, USA
 ----------
From: paleonet-owner
To: PaleoNet
Subject: Nasty shale processing
Date: Wednesday, January 17, 1996 12:37PM

I have already sent the following enquiry to the micropal. net, so those
of you who have already seen it, please forgive me for foisting it on
you again.


As most of you know, one of the major bugbears of fossil (and
particularly microfossil) preparation is breaking down hard indurated
and/or black shales to extract the enclosed beasts. In my time I've had
a go at most methods, without great success. I've just now been
presented with some hard grey graptolitic shale from the Welsh
borderlands. I've been asked if I can break it down to free the
graptolites. This stuff is immune to treatment with the usual chemicals
like Hydrogen peroxide, Petroleum ether and apparently all acids except
HF. I could in fact use HF and am aware that some methods have been
published, but I would like to avoid HF if possible.
   I was wondering whether out there in Palaeoland, anyone has come
across anything new that could chemically disaggregate this type of rock
without risk to life and limb.

Best Wishes to all,

Andrew Swift
Dept of Geology,
University of Leicester,
UK