[NHCOLL-L:4476] Re: Mould on fossils

[John E Simmons]

Are you positive that this is mold?  Mold needs a nutrient base to grow, as
well as high humidity (>65% for most species).  There are very little
nutrients on fossils, unless the mold is eating some organic-based
coating.   You might be seeing a salt efflorescence or crystallization of
minerals in the rock matrix (e.g., pyrite disease) rather than mold--try
scraping some off and looking at it under a microscope.

--John

John E. Simmons
Museologica
128 E. Burnside Street
Bellefonte, Pennsylvania 16823-2010
simmons.johne at gmail.com
303-681-5708
www.museologica.com
and
Adjunct Curator of Collections
Earth and Mineral Science Museum & Art Gallery
Penn State University
19 Deike Building
University Park, Pennsylvania 16802-2709
jes67 at psu.edu

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Dr Heidi Fourie <hfourie at nfi.museum>
Date: Sat, Aug 29, 2009 at 7:36 AM
Subject: [NHCOLL-L:4474] Mould on fossils
To: nhcoll-l at lists.yale.edu


 I've discovered mould growing on fossils we stored in our basement.  These
are invertebrate fossils in blocks mounted in wooden frames.  Both the frame
and fossil are covered in mould.  The mould is  whitish grey wooly and round
in pattern.  It even grows on the Glyptal.
My question is, what is the safest chemical to clean this with or is water
and soap safest.  The storage room that it is going to has a very low
humidity so I don't think the mould will reappear and how safe is the fossil
plants in the same basement storeroom?

Heidi
Dr H. Fourie
Curator: Vertebrate Palaeontology
Transvaal Museum
Tel: 012 3227632



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