Figured out I was dating fossils wrong after a trip to a dig site in Colorado

I spent 3 years using the same old hand lens to look at bone surfaces at a site near Denver... kept coming up with conflicting dates on a bison skeleton. A volunteer from a university lab just casually mentioned I needed to check for manganese staining before reading the surface texture. That simple tip changed how I spot weathering in a dig. Now I always carry a UV light out in the field after that moment. Has anyone else run into a fieldwork habit that held them back for way too long?

3 comments

3 Comments

leodavis1d ago

Read somewhere that UV lights also show hidden claw marks on bone.

felix_black1d ago

@leodavis that could help spot tool marks vs natural wear patterns.

taylor1213h ago

UV light can be too unreliable for that kind of thing though. Lots of bones have natural fluorescence from minerals or grease that hide whatever else you're looking for. Plus claw marks on bone are usually pretty visible without any special lighting if you just clean the surface right. Seems like a solution in search of a problem to me. Anyone else think those UV light setups are more for the dramatic effect than actual science?