Vertebrate Palaeontological Techniques, Volume 1 Methods of Preparing and Obtaining Information

About this book

This volume fulfills a long-standing need of vertebrate paleontologists - whether amateurs attending their first excavation or preparators and curators - for a book that describes and explains modern paleontological techniques and practice. The authors of this volume are all exceptional technicians in their field and the book covers everything from field specimen collecting, through conservation methods, chemical preparation, molding, casting and painting, and mounting of vertebrate skeletons, to the final chapter devoted to the use of CT scans and X-ray methods. The book stems from the fact that, up until now, most preparatory techniques and skills have been passed down by example and demonstration, but they have rarely ever been standardized and set down in print. This book attempts to do this, and aims to enlighten workers on the most modern and successful methods that can be used in preserving and studying our fossil heritage.

Contents

Foreword John R. Horner; Preface; Acknowledgments; Introduction Patrick Leiggi and Peter May; 1. Conservation of vertebrate paleontology collections Sally Y. Shelton; 2. An evaluation of adhesives and consolidants recommended for fossil vertebrates Sally Y. Shelton and Dan S. Chaney; 3. Collecting taphonomic data from vertebrate localities Raymond R. Rogers; 4. Macrovertebrate collecting Patrick Leiggi, Charles R. Schaff, Peter May, Frederick Grady and Darren Tanke; 5. Microvertebrate collecting: large-scale wet sieving for fossil microvertebrates in the field Malcolm C. McKenna, Ann R. Bleefield and James S. Mellett; 6. Laboratory preparation Peter May, Peter Reser, Patrick Leiggi, William W. Amaral, Kathy Anderson, Judy Davids, Terry Hodoroff and Betty Quinn; 7. Chemical preparation techniques Ivy S. Rutzky, Walter B. Elvers, John G. Maisey and Alexander W. A. Kellner; 8. Heavy liquids: their use and methods in paleontology Russell McCarty and John Congleton; 9. Histological techniques James W. Wilson; 10. Molding, casting, painting Mark B. Goodwin, Dan S. Chaney, Michael Tiffany and Brian Iwama; 11. Mounting of fossil vertebrate skeletons Kenneth Carpenter, James H. Madsen and Arnold Lewis; 12. Methods and use of CT-scan and X-ray Sandy Clark, Ian Morrison and Jorg Harbersetzer; Index.

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