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Can anyone tell me if these are actual fossils or just geological formations, although they look like fossilize plants to me, it would be very surprising to find fossilized plants from the late Ordovician period. both rocks were found in the Nicolet River Formation on the banks of the Richelieu river

None of the leaf tips are clearly visible and I also was undecided among three species of Annularia, therefore the question mark as well as the question marks on the other plants also. All of these specimens are from 1 to 2 centimeters, including the unknown which has at least 1/2 centimeter in thickness as well. I was hoping you or one of the other MC collectors would say "Oh yeah, that's definitely a . . . .", but I guess that's not about to happen. Thanks for taking a look.

The plants look pretty good, although it's hard to see the first Mariopteris. I like them because the pinnules look more ornate than others. Cheers, Rich

Retallack, G.J. 2022 Damaged Dickinsonia Specimens Provide Clues to Ediacaran Vendobiont Biology. PLoS ONE, 17(6):e0269638 pp. 1-26 OPEN ACCESS PDF

I’m thinking this is Stigmaria. Scale bar = 1 cm. Found in the shale below the Brush Creek limestone, a zone with many plants.

Unsure on specific IDs for plants, bad at these. As to your last unknown, I don't see any defining features. I am thinking it is an Essexella.

Ah, ok, didnt realize you talked about fossil plants.

Geosciences is one way to go, but biology is just as good. You will certainly need to get some background classes in either or both as part of your plan. It may be a long but rewarding trip. i would actually talk to a few professors whose work you find intetesting be it dinosaurs or brachiopods or plants. They would be able to tell you what you would need to persue your dream.

Yes, I didn't think of the Permian as a stumbling block but it can be. You can find Early Permian terrestrial vertebrates from the southwest U.S. and Germany and some plants that age here and there. It's tough to get Late Permian material. Some ammonites have come out of Russia and Timor.

Thanks yeah I keep all oddities. Sometimes get lucky that it's more than an oddity. I collect mostly plants for 90% of area around here is Carboniferous. Some areas devonian and some in 10,000 yr range hence petrified wood for it takes 10,000 yrs to petrify. But going gold panning in areas of drift material has me stumped on materials for it's not something I usually come across. Sadly I couldn't put an age on that stuff for glacial deposit hit area twice 10,000 and 70,000 yrs ago. New ball game but will get the hang of it. Just got to listen and learn for I can be very stubborn when I'm sick for my head isn't clear. Thanks.

Hi Petrified, you found a stone that stuck out from the ones around it, you took a close look at it and described what you saw, you learned something. Just that it is no fossil egg (which are exceedingly rare) does not mean its junk. Ironstone concretions are not rare, and they are among the most common pseudofossils to get asked about on the forum. But they are often interestingly shaped and nicely coloured. I have collected many just because I liked their look. Plants are great, but dont turn your back on the stones just because the ones you found yet are not museum stuff. They may look good in a garden or flowerpot, like mine do. Best Regards, J

It was the stuff sticking out of end that caught me off guard. Otherwise would of tossed it right away. But after all the replys and information all three are labeled as junk lol. I need to go back to plants everything else is a headache and a half. Learning but slowly in that area but will get there just need to be more interested in it. If interested I learn real quick but not as interested as I should be at the moment. Just a phase. Oh well thanks everyone.

Hi everyone, I am pretty new to fossil hunting, and have just started going for plants. Recently, I visited a site in Ambrige, PA, and found abundant plates containing neuropteris and calamites. I split some leftover shale when I got home and found what looked like dried leaf veins tightly sandwiched between the shale. There are several of these structures that consist of a central vein with smaller veins that branch off. These are not fossilized, and are not a part of the rock, as they can be easily brushed off. I just find it hard to believe that an entire modern leaf could get wedged in there. Are these fossils in the making? Has anyone else encountered this? Thanks in advance!

Always interested in prehistoric things. Found out what was available near me. Started researching and looking hard. Was lucky, and found a few places nearby. Specialized in the local Early Jurassic areas nearby, and collected what I could. (Fishes and plants.) But interest in other fossils grew and have now expanded my collection from what was available locally, to making trips out and about, to find what I like to find. Trilobites, phyllocarids, gastropods and other invertebrates.

Both great points! Virtually all of the hollow enamel-only fossil shark teeth that I have in my collection are teeth that were forming when the shark died. As Coco mentioned shark teeth form "inside out" with the enameled surface being created before the dentine is added inside and completed with a root. Given the number of teeth that a mature shark may have lost in its lifetime--I've seen numbers like 20,000-30,000 (or more) bandied about--finding teeth that were forming in the jaws when the shark died account for a very tiny percentage of the total. Though they are not as impressive as a "complete" tooth, I think they are extra special as you have a little more information available in teeth like these. So there is no possible confusion, the "root marks" as Al Dente mentioned are plant roots (not tooth roots). The scrawled markings on the enamel are where plant roots were in contact with the tooth after it had left the shark's jaw. This is an extra bit of taphonomic information indicating that at one time this tooth was likely buried high and dry where plants could reach their roots down to the tooth and leach some minerals out of the enamel. Actually, it is the symbiotic mycorrhizae that work with the plants to extract minerals from the environment. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mycorrhiza The tooth is not very tall as you can see the discolored edge where the enamel was stopping and the root would likely have attached so this seems to indicate this might have been a more posterior tooth. Lots to tell from a simple tooth. Cheers. -Ken

You are right; the Cameleolopha bellaplicata oysters occur in the Arcadia Park Formation of the Eagle Ford Group. The upper part of the Arcadia Park Formation from Dallas north to Sherman contain flaggy sandstone layers that often contain oysters, shells and shark teeth. I suspect that the largest sandstone layers are related to the Bells Sandstone Member of the Arcadia Park Formation east of Sherman. The lowest part of the Austin Group is not very productive near Sherman although I did find a fish jaw with teeth in west Plano in what sort of looked like the Atco Formation that is better developed south of Dallas. I don’t remember seeing a single outcrop near Sherman where you could clearly see the Eagle Ford/Austin Group contact. The contact is covered with slope wash and plants. Just south of Center Street in Sherman, the Austin Group is at the top of the bank of Post Oak Creek. The creek bed is in the Arcadia Park Formation. Hike south in Post Oak Creek from Center Street and you will see lots of sandstone with teeth and shells in it; this is probably the source of the teeth in Post Oak Creek further south. In the oyster beds note the colonial corals and the ramose bryozoans that grow on the oysters. South of Sherman and below the Austin Group rocks in McKinney, Frisco, Prosper and Plano you can find multiple flaggy layers with teeth and shells, but very few oysters. A few miles west of Sherman along Choctaw Creek there is a large ledge of Cameleolopha bellaplicata oysters, but the shark teeth in the flaggy layers are nearly absent. I did find a layer of some freestanding lacy bryozoans a few feet below the oyster layer.

This is from my own collection. I like it very much and it is like a peaceful painting to me (a fish swimming in the beautiful water) I know the “plants” are not plants, they are dendrites of manganese. But yesterday I was told that the fish is not a fish either, it might be an impression of some kind of insect Want to know what your guys think. Thank you in advance. (it is from Liaoning, China)

Nice ones! Clean the plants a little. This one may be a rarer one like Mariopteris. Cheers, Rich

Compare with: Cardiospermum terminalis color figure from: Smith, D.M. 2008. A comparison of plant-insect associations in the middle Eocene Green River Formation and the Upper Eocene Florissant Formation and their climatic implications. In: Paleontology of the Upper Eocene Florissant Formation, Colorado. Geological Society of America Special Paper, 435:89-103 PDF LINK gray scale figures from: MacGinitie, H.D. 1953. Fossil Plants of the Florissant Beds, Colorado. Carnegie Institution of Washington Publication, 599:1-198

Yes, it looks like a crinoid holdfast to me, though I'm interested to know what it was holding onto? Love the plants.

Hi John I should know in about 10 days when the first batch comes out of the vibe. The road grader had broken up larger pieces into nice tumble size pieces on the county road. Some will certainly polish as it is highly silicified and glass like. Other material is grainy but tough and should do well polishing. And there is plenty that is fairly obviously poorly silicified. Much of it has natural fractures along the grain making lots of small cubes and rectangles that are fracture free exceptional tumbles. This will be the first batch to be polished. The gravel road cuts thru the upper section of the ~ 50 foot deep deposit and is lighter colored than the lower damper layer of the deposit. The second photo is a comparison. The darker material was collected from the damp zone. The clay layer above may be volcanic ash based clay that is believed to be in existence throughout south Alabama. Probably washed down from the Morrison formation. This may contribute to the western color scheme. It is a tough ID. If from a cold era it would likely be conifer or ginkgo family. If from a warm era likely palm/vascular/wood perhaps. There are only a dozen or so palm types in N America yet over 400 fossil palm varieties have been ID'ed in Texas alone so the tropical era had a massive variety of plants.

Hi, For more than 10 years (13 I believe), I read on this forum that all animal remains, plants etc... "of more than 10,000 years" is considered a fossil for you, Americans. In France, we clearly distinguish between paleontology and archaeology. Archaeology begins with the appearance of humans. We don’t call human remains, even old ones, fossils. And for example a bear’s jaw found in a cave inhabited by Cromagnon or Homo sapiens will be considered as an archaeological object (as it is assumed that the bear was eaten by Cromagnon) and not as actually a fossil. I think that each country or continent has its own definition according to its history... Coco

wow all y·all have 0 imagination or appreciation for fantasy eh Sa i think that if i got suddenly called to action for really any reason whatsoever , the first things i would grab would be my scrapers and my brushes . my scrapers consist of anything i could make work , like dentist·s tools , crochet hooks , even cannabis pipe-cleaning tools (it·s legal here in Canada (home of the Allosaurus!)) while for brushes i find that makeup brushes tend to be super soft and lux , so whenever i·m brushing the dust off of cool plants that i transplanted or neat artifacts i find in abandoned factories it doesn·t damage whatever i find and of course , as a Nun , i·ve always got my Habit . it·s a scarf when it·s cold , a parasol when it·s sunny , and not to mention is super fashionable

On Sunday, Sara and I took part in an excursion with the Cedar Valley Rock and Mineral Club of Iowa. We met up with "Marv", our club's commander in chief, early that morning and listened to the extensive instructions on safety protocol that needed to be followed to hunt in this area. Marv explained hardhats and steel toed shoes are a must to join in the fun. Sara looked so sad when she heard this, knowing she failed on both accounts. As can be seen, Marv and Sara had a long discussion about the issue. And as can be seen from the smiles on Marv's and Sara's faces, Sara was allowed in. It was determined her hoofs were as tough as steel toed shoes and her boney frill will deflect any falling rocks as well as a hard hat, if not better. The fossils present at this site include brachiopods, Atrypa very common. Sara wanted this picture taken to show @Tidgy's Dad that she enjoys brachiopods too. I explained to her, we will fair better on brachiopods in the afternoon. But I relented and took these pictures for her (and Adam). Large spirifers are what brachiopod loves come for. My best samples are needing to be prepped. But here is Sara frolicking through some loose partials. Many Devonian fish pieces were discovered on this trip. This one is of particular interest. If someone recognizes what bone this is, feel free to tell!!! Maybe after some prep work, the identification will become more likely. Next up is a gastropod that I have yet to identify in the Devonian Cedar Valley Formation. I had posted one of these in the ID section a year or two ago and recieved no valid responses. So........... if anyone knows the genus or species of this, I would be thrilled!!! Trilobites are always everyone's favorite. Sara enjoys them too. Sara made many friends that morning and requested a group photo be taken. Sara is in there somewhere, but I can't find her. Unfortunately, we only could hunt for 3 hours since the club was to change locations and spend the afternoon collecting agates. Sara was not interested in this. In addition, I had to stop on the way home, at a group of Mennonite greenhouses that we frequent, and select plants for the garden. Coincidently, the Rockford Fossil and Prairie Park was only a few (25) miles out of the way. Guess what, Sara wanted to detour to the park. And she didn't need to twist my arm! The park visually is much like the badlands in states such as South Dakota or Nebraska. I was disappointed in Sara when we arrived at the park. She forgot all of the safety instructions learned at our first stop. Here she is dangerously close to the cliff's edge. After a refresher course on safety, we were off to hunt fossils in the Devonian Cerro Gordo Formation. Brachiopods erode out of the hill sides and are in such great shape. Sara can be seen showing off her finds in this picture. Sunday was a long day for us and we were a bit tardy arriving home. But had we not been late, we would have never taken in this fabulous moonrise on our way home. Unfortunately, Sara's time in Minnesota is coming to a close. I did want to share one more fossil piece with Sara that is very special. It was given to me by a Fossil Forum member the first year I joined the group. It represents the special friendships that can develop with members of this forum. But it also brings tears to my eyes knowing the sender was no other than Doren, better known as caldigger. Rest in peace!! So tomorrow, Sara will be on her way to visit a special person in a special location. I have not told Sara where she is going so that it will be a suprise for her. But here is a hint.

Howdy! Just posting some of my finds for ID. Feel free to correct or specify. I can provide dimensions if needed as it's hard to get good pics with a measure of some of these. The first two look like Asterophyllites to me. The third, fourth and fifth, I'd guess Sphenopteroids (the fourth is only 1 cm from top to bottom). The sixth I think is Annularia. The rest I believe are Neuropteroids.