I need to isolate some beautifully preserved pyritised sponge spicules from Ordovician mudstones, and assume that standard HF treatment will work... but wanted to ask advice, just in case. I'm not aware of many papers describing such a process (Tibbs et al. 2003 on Hunsruck plant remains is the best I've found), and am worried about the spicules breaking up after isolation, or whether particular procedures (eg. SCF processing methods) are particularly advisable.

Also, are there any oxidation or alteration issues to worry about during the process, and how unstable are the isolated microfossils likely to be? Will gold coating the spicules on stubs stabilise them sufficiently for long-term storage? (Initial samples are showing signs of gypsum growth within months, so I doubt it.)

I could just try it and see... but since you're all out there, I thought I'd ask first!

Many thanks for any suggestions,

Joe