Specimen 59142 – myFOSSIL

David Hanes posted a new specimen. 4 years, 1 month ago

4 years, 1 month ago

4 years, 1 month ago

David Hanes has contributed specimen mFeM 59142 to myFOSSIL!
- David Hanes replied 4 years, 1 month ago
  
  Max Jones did not submit this specimen.
  - Jennifer Bauer replied 4 years, 1 month ago
    
    Hi, @david-hanes – this was likely @mjones testing something as he is our primary web developer. He often uses a recently uploaded image to test various aspects of the site. Usually not on the live version though… I’ll make sure he looks into this.
  - Max Jones replied 4 years, 1 month ago
    
    Hi David, my apologies for the confusion. There was a bug that caused the activity post to be overwritten with the administrator’s information, in rare circumstances, instead of the user who submitted the specimen. I’ve fixed this bug and your activity post.
    - David Hanes replied 4 years, 1 month ago
      
      Max, I appreciate your help in correcting the issues around the image uploads…

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- If you are concerned, it is a good idea to post an image in the forum “What is it? And more experienced collectors and professionals can examine the specimen and help you with your identification. You can also look through some online resources. For invertebrate fossils the Digital Atlas of Ancient Life has several projects from different time periods across the continental United States with pictures to help guide you through finding fossil species.
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Why do we need to include phylum, class, order, family, if the species is the important part?
- The Linnaean classification system is used to aid in communication about different groups of life on Earth. There are several organizations such as the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature that provide guidelines for the usage or complications with the naming of animals. Similarly, there is a different organization that has guidelines and rules for the naming of plant life.

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How do I go figuring out the age and name of the rock I was collecting in?
- A starting place would be to ask the group or organization that you went collecting with for information on the outcrop you visited. There are also several apps for your mobile phone or other devices that can help you better estimate where you are in geologic time. Mancos costs $2.99 through the Apple Store and provides you with data on your location including geologic age, the rock formation, description of the rock, what units are above and below, and what sort of fossils you should expect to find in the rock. Rockd is free and available in the Apple Store and on Google Play. Similarly, Rockd tells you where are with latitude and longitude data, elevation, what age, what the rock type is, what rock unit you are on, and the functionality continues. You are able to check in at outcrops, use a compass, examine ancient continent arrangements, and learn about different rock forming minerals within the app.
- Post in the Ideas for New Forums forum and suggest a new forum for geologic time and/or stratigraphy to get a community discussion going and get input from experts.

How do I get latitude and longitude data?
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- On Apple devices, you can go to the Compass app (comes pre-downloaded on your device) and it has your latitude/longitude and elevation information
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What is the difference between a group, formation, and member?
- Similar to Linnaean classification, there is a hierarchical structure to rocks. A member is a distinct part of a formation. A formation can be made up of many members. Formations form the primary basis of subdivisions of a sequence and can vary in thickness (centimeters to kilometers). A group is several formations that share similar features or characteristics in the rocks they bear.
- Click here for more information from the British Geological Survey.

What tags are useful for my specimen?
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I’m concerned my specimen is not research grade material, does that matter?
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