Vertebrate Paleontological Techniques: Volume 1

Everything that amateur and professional fossil hunters will ever need to know about modern palaeontological techniques and practice.

Patrick Leiggi (Edited by), Peter May (Edited by), John R. Horner (Foreword by)

9780521459006, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 2 June 2005

368 pages, 106 b/w illus. 6 tables
24.8 x 18.9 x 2 cm, 0.657 kg

This volume fulfils a long standing need of vertebrate palaeontologists, whether they be amateurs attending their first excavation, or preparators and curators, for a book that describes and explains modern palaeontological 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, moulding, casting and painting, and mounting of vertebrate skeletons, to the final chapter devoted to the use of CT scans and X-ray methods. This book aims to describe modern preparatory techniques and skills that have usually only been passed down by example and demonstration, and that until now have rarely been standardized or put down in print.

Foreword J. R. Horner
Preface
Introduction P. Leiggi and P. May
1. Conservation of vertebrate paleontology collections S. Y. Shelton
2. Adhesives and consolidants S. Y. Shelton and D. S. Charney
3. Collecting taphonomic data from vertebrate localities R. R. Rogers
4. Macrovertebrate collecting: field organisation and specimen collecting P. Leiggi, P. May and C. R. Schaff
collecting in caves F. Grady
site documentation D. Tanke
5. Microvertebrate collecting – large-scale wet sieving for fossil microvertebrates in the field M. C. McKenna, A. R. Bleefield and J. S. Mellett
6. Laboratory preparation: macrovertebrate preparation P. May, P. Reser and P. Leiggi
microscopic preparation W. W. Amaral
non-petrification preparation K. Anderson, J. Davids and T. Hodorff
fossilized eggshell preparation B. Quinn
7. Chemical preparation I. Rutsky, W. B. Elvers and J. G. Maisey
8. Heavy liquids: their use and methods in paleontology R. McCarty and J. Congleton
9. Histologic techniques J. W. Wilson
10. Molding, casting, painting: molding and casting M. Goodwin and D. S. Chaney
cast painting M. Tiffany and B. Iwanma
11. Mounting of fossil vertebrate skeletons K. Carpenter, J. Madsen and A. Lewis
12. Methods and use of CT-scan and X-ray: CT scan of fossils S. Clark and I. Morrison
radiography of fossils J. Harbersetzer
Index.

Subject Areas: Palaeontology [RBX], Zoology: Vertebrates [PSVW]