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Science 29 June 1984:
Vol. 224. no. 4656, pp. 1425 - 1427
DOI: 10.1126/science.224.4656.1425
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Articles

Replication in Plastic of Three-Dimensional Fossils Preserved in Indurated Clastic Sedimentary Rocks

HENRYK T. ZAPASNIK 1 and PAUL A. JOHNSTON 1

1 Department of Geology, Australian National University, Canberra A.C.T. 2601, Australia

A new technique for replicating in plastic the fossils preserved in clastic rocks should now make available reliable morphologic and frequency data, comparable in quality to those derived from acid-prepared silicified faunas, for a major segment of the fossil record. The technique involves three steps: the dissolution of carbonate in fossiliferous rocks with hydrochloric acid, impregnation of resulting voids with liquid plastic, and dissolution of the rock matrix with hydrofluoric acid, leaving a concentrate of plastic-replaced fossils.

Submitted on August 29, 1983
Accepted on October 19, 1983

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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)