Hobbies And Interests
Shovels
Flat-head or rounded shovels, of the common garden variety with handle grips, perform very useful functions when used in paleontology. Sharp or rounded shovels have tapering blades for cutting into the ground and rock material. Lips on the uppermost parts of the blades provide footholds for exerting pressure with the boot and leg. Paleontologists use sharp shovels to dig out small tracts of dirt. They use flat-head shovels to pick up loose overfill that has been softened. Sharp shovels dig; flat shovels load and transport.
Jackhammers
Paleontologists use jackhammers, which require compressed air from a generator, to remove very hard surface layers. A paleontologist uses the pounding effect of the large chisel end of the jackhammer to drive deep and split heavy rock, which can then be transported out of the area. Paleontologist also use jackhammers to speed up the material removal, which takes less effort and less personnel.
Rock Hammer
Steel rock hammers, sometimes called pick hammers, have a rounded or square blunt end and a sharp pick protrusion on the opposite end. They come in various handle lengths and weights, depending upon the hardness of the excavation material. Paleontologists use the pick end of the hammer to break and split layers of rock. They use the rounded or square blunt end of the hammer to strike a chisel into the rock material.
Full-Sized Pick Hammer
Full-sized pick hammers have large, beveled blades on both ends of the head. Sometimes one blade has a lateral orientation while the other has a vertical position. Full-sized pick hammers have longer and thicker handles than a smaller pick hammer. They come in three different handle constructions: wood, wood and fiberglass composite, and plain fiberglass. Paleontologists use large pick hammers to dig up mounds or excavate through the side of rock banks and walls. Paleontologists use large pick hammers when a jackhammer can not be obtained.
Sledge Hammer and Pry Bar
Sledge hammers have short, thick handles of wood or fiberglass. They have large square heads that come in various weights, such as 3 and 5-pound sizes. Pry bars, used in paleontology, typically have a striking head and a sharp beveled prying tip. Paleontologists set pry bars at an angle and strike them with a sledge hammer, to loosen sand or rock layers -- a process similar to shaving. Pry bar tips come in flat-head designs, with narrow or wide blades.
Probes
Probes have a long steel shaft with a pointed end. Probe handles are T-shaped for downward pushing and twisting . Paleontologists shove them down through the topsoil to give them an idea of how soft or hard the matrix is before they excavate. Paleontologists can judge the depth of the overburden topsoil down to the existing rock layer.
Gloves and Goggles
Paleontologists' gloves can come in cotton, burlap or leather. They use them to protect against blisters when handling picks and hammers or digging with shovels. Paleontologists use safety goggles, which have shock-proof Plexiglases lenses and headbands. They afford eye protection against flying rock slivers and chips.
Brushes
Ordinary paint brushes see use in paleontology. Brushes can come in various widths and bristle stiffness, with stubby or long handles. Typical paint brushes have wooden or waterproof fiberglass handles. A paleontologist uses a brush to remove very fine overburden sand or gravel from the tops of fossils, or between the joints of fossils.
Steel Points and Magnifying Glasses
Steel points resemble ice picks or scratch awls. They normally have a thick or rounded handle end, with thin, sharp probes at the other end. Paleontologists use them to scratch and pry away small bits of matrix surrounding a fossil. Sometimes a large-lens magnifying glass, used with a steel point, comes in handy for very delicate fossil excavations. Magnifying glasses come with tripod stands which can sit directly over a work area. Paleontologists use magnifiers to differentiate between the matrix and the actual fossil.