Geochemical extraction of ceratopsian remains from ironstone ...

• Main Authors: Cross, Emily G., Surette, Clarence, Matheson, Carney
• Format: Dataset
• Language: unknown
• Published: Taylor & Francis 2023
• Subjects: Biophysics; Biochemistry; Environmental Sciences not elsewhere classified; Chemical Sciences not elsewhere classified; Biological Sciences not elsewhere classified; Cancer; Carbonic acid
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.24843552.v1; https://tandf.figshare.com/articles/dataset/Geochemical_extraction_of_ceratopsian_remains_from_ironstone/24843552/1

Ironstone surrounds many fossils and has a hardness that provides a significant challenge to fossil conservators globally. There are various forms of ironstone, with the carbonate forms of siderite and silicates most often containing vertebrate fossils and potentially preserved soft tissues. The ironstone itself is much harder than the fossils preserved within, leading to the mechanical preparation of the fossils––typically using pin vises or airscribes––being time-consuming and presenting the risk of damage. Existing chemical methods for softening ironstone to prepare the fossils have varied success and also pose a risk of damaging the fossil itself. Here we show that carbonic acid can soften ironstone without damaging permineralized bone or potentially preserved soft tissues. Carbonic acid treatments reduced the hardness of ironstone without causing any significant change in hardness, color, chemical composition, or weight to permineralized ceratopsian bones or a modern cervid bone that retained ...