The recent great weather has inspired me to deal with a long standing personal issue – tackling the many large piles of fossil laden rocks that surround my studio. It’s a problem of my own creation and it is way out of hand!
The upside of such an issue is that I have a seemingly endless supply of material to re-explore and discover favorites both old and new.
The down aide is that each new trip to the quarry or creek has me returning with bags full of fresh new prospects and the piles of rocks grow larger and larger.
So, before paring things down, I chose to crack open those rocks headed for disposal – one last chance for them to show me something new.
And these are some of the last minute finds.
All of the fossils shown are locally found brachiopods (with the exception of the partial gastropod that appeared in the lead image).
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These two are positive and negative from the same fossils – both well delineated and as crisp as could be.
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A new (and permanent) exhibition opens this week at the Florence Museum of Natural History. Tales of a Whale is the product of nine years of effort which began with the discovery of a ten meter long, three million year old whale skeleton in the hills of Tuscany.
The beautifully designed exhibit, seemingly set in a deep blue sea, centers around the whale skeleton which is surrounded by fossils of other marine life that were found in the same field. All this makes for a fascinating and informative look at that local ecology with a strong nod to contemporary ecological issues. (The image above comes from Museum files. The following image comes from a slide show on the website of La Repubblica Firenze where more images of the exhibit can be found).
My congratulations and best wishes go out to Dr. Stefano Domenici and Dr. Elisabetta Cioppi for their brilliant work and long time efforts – efforts that have resulted in a brilliant exhibition and a greater understanding of our world. Should you find yourself in Florence, put this destination on your list!
Thanks as always for your visit here today.
