Rant: I used to think you had to clean every rock you found in the field

For years, I'd bring back samples from places like the Black Hills and scrub them with a toothbrush and mild acid, thinking that was the 'right' way. I changed my mind last fall after a trip to a shale outcrop near my home. Cleaning a piece removed all the tiny fossil fragments that made it special, turning it into just a plain gray rock. Now I only clean stuff if the dirt is hiding key features, and even then I'm super careful. How do you all decide what to clean and what to leave alone?

3 comments

3 Comments

jason_stone591d ago

You mentioned scrubbing rocks with mild acid. That's a strong step. What kind of acid were you using, and how did you learn that method? I've seen people ruin good specimens by going straight to acid when a soft brush and water would have shown them enough to stop.

danielm801d ago

It's like people skipping straight to power tools for a simple screw...

nancy_king291d ago

Oh man, I feel called out. I totally jumped to acid once and learned my lesson the hard way, kind of like what jason_stone59 said. Sometimes you just get excited and skip the basics, you know? Now I always try the simple stuff first.