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A buffered formic acid technique for conodont extraction

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 July 2015

Lennart Jeppsson  and
Rikard Anehus
Lennart Jeppsson
Affiliation:
Department of Historical Geology and Palaeontology, Sölvegatan 13, S-223 62 Lund, Sweden
Rikard Anehus
Affiliation:
Klockarestigen 4, S-240 13 Genarp, Sweden
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Abstract

Formic acid must be buffered with both calcium carbonate and calcium phosphate to be suitable for extraction of conodont elements and other phosphatic fossils from dolomites. All unbuffered solutions and those buffered with only calcium carbonate or calcium phosphate destroy the phosphatic fossils. Experimental effects using different concentrations and different combinations of phosphate and calcium carbonate are diagrammatically illustrated. A 10 percent formic acid solution with 20 g calcium carbonate and 1.2 g tricalcium phosphate per liter leaves conodont elements undamaged even for a period of 129 days. One liter of this solution dissolves 95 g dolomite.

Type
Technique
Information
Journal of Paleontology , Volume 69 , Issue 4 , July 1995 , pp. 790 - 794
Copyright
Copyright © The Paleontological Society 

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