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All, While on a field trip in western Kansas with George F. Sternberg in 1952, Walter Sorenson (AMNH) found the tip of large caudal fin eroding from the chalk. Sorenson gave the fossil, sight unseen, to Sternberg who excavated a 14 foot long, Late Cretaceous fish (_Xiphactinus audax_) with a smaller fish inside as stomach contents. http://www.oceansofkansas.com/images2/gs-xip2.jpg The specimen is currently on display in the Sternberg Museum at Hays, KS, and is regarded as one of the "most photographed" fossils in the world. http://www.oceansofkansas.com/Sternbrg/xiphact2.jpg Over the weekend, I came across a brief paper written by Myrl V. Walker, George Sternberg's successor at the Sternberg Museum, and published by Fort Hays State University. The paper, entitled "The Impossible Fossil" is a very detailed account of the excavation, recovery and preparation of this famous specimen (FHSM VP-333 / FHSM VP-334. Besides being interesting from a historical standpoint, the article is a very good, step-by-step account of how to take large fossils out of the ground already mounted in plaster, and ready for exhibit preparation. While this is "old technology" to be sure, it is also classic George F. Sternberg at his best. If you are interested, I have made a .pdf file (1 MB) of the article and will send it on request: . Walker, M.V. 1982. The Impossible Fossil. University Forum, Fort Hays State University 26: 4pp. Regards, Mike Everhart Adjunct Curator of Paleontology Sternberg Museum of Natural History Fort Hays State University, Hays, KS www.oceansofkansas.com
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