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At first I thought it might be the cross-section of petrified trunk but upon a closer inspection, I doubt it's petrified woods. It is not silicified. I wonder if it's a concretion or Liesegang rings? I don't think I have seen something like this in person before. I couldn't get it extracted because it's embedded in the bedrock.

Location: Missouri Geological time period: Pennsylvanian Formation: Muncie creek shale I believe it is some sort of cartilage or fish material but I honestly have no clue.

Location is in Missouri The area is dated to the Pennsylvanian Formation: Muncie Creek Shale I assume this could be some part of a fish, as I have found other parts of them inside a few of the concretions from the Muncie Creek formation such as cartilage, or it could be some sort of crustacean part but I do not know what this one could be.

Is this even a fossil? Ichnofossil? I'm stumped by this weird pattern. I found this ironstone in my parents' gravel driveway. Gravels were recently obtained from the local sand pit company here in Salina, KS., so I'm pretty sure this stone was transported in the river from Kiowa or Dakota formation (Albian) before being deposited.

Hi there! These two rocks were found in the Aguja Formation. Wondering if they could be coprolite, concretions, some kind of scutes (unlikely), or meteorites? Material from the Aguja formation is very foreign to me, so I’m at a loss! They are rounded at the top and flatter at the bottom. Found amongst very large dinosaur bones. Thanks very much! Lauren

I’ve had these in my substantial pile of ??? I saw a recent post that looked similar and pulled these three out. Roughly 1/4 inches. Are they drum fish or concretions or ??? Thank you

Location is in Missouri The area is dated to the Pennsylvanian most likely Raytown, Wyandotte Limestone Formation I have collected a lot of concretions and here are a few of which I have no idea what they could be My possible hunch is that some of these could be Fossilized Cartilage? Was really interested in knowing what this one was

Location is in Missouri The area is dated to the Pennsylvanian most likely Raytown, Wyandotte Limestone Formation I usually collect a few limestone concretions from a rock pile I go to and a few pieces of what appears to be bone popped out! Unfortunately when it did crack some of the pieces went flying and were unrecoverable While I do not know if it can be identified, I can hope it can somewhat be recognized. In the area I have found fossilized Cartilage through my Concretion cracking adventures and have found teeth from specimen of Eugeneodontida in the area. I also have come across the usual Brachiopods, Crinoid stems, Bryozoans, Rugose corals and petrified wood in the area. I believe this is some sort of fish bone, as to what it was? I have no clue. Below is the left side of the concretion

Hi I would like to ask if this is a concretion? The age should be Ordovician

Hi! I opened up this small concretion this morning. It looks like there is something inside, but I just can't make it out and I guess it could be anything really. Maybe some of the more knowledgeable people can see something. Was found in an area where I have found an ovulate scale. The concretion is blackish while the matrix it was in is a light Grey.

The Basic Dinosaur Egg Guide Many people often mistake a concretion for an egg, to help clarify what is a concretion, and what is a real egg, here is a guide. A quick overview with examples: How to spot a concretion: How are they different from eggs? A concretion is a rather common rock made of tightly compressed minerals. Typically, concretions are a smooth sphere or oval with little to no surface texture or just a few bumps. Often nearly a perfect sphere, sometimes more of an oval. In a concretion, there is no eggshell. If you cannot see eggshell then you do not have an egg. If it looks the same shape as modern egg, such as from chicken then you do not have an egg. Concretions may have fragments breaking off and these will tend to be smooth on both sides. They tend to be dull earthy colors with a different composition in the center, as seen by a change in color. A different color in the center normally means you do not have an egg. Often circular bandings can be seen around exterior of concretions. Sizes of concretions range from just an inch, or a few millimeters, up to more than 10 ft (3 m). Egg sizes, along one side, range from just an inch or a few millimeters and top out at around 8 in (20 cm). If you find an oval or round shape, which is larger than 8 in (20 cm) along a side then it is probably not an egg. For more information on concretions: https://www.priweb.org/index.php/education/education-projects-programs/earth-101/concretions http://tumblehomelearning.com/geologists-find-largest-dinosaur-eggs-in-the-world-another-fraudulent-fossil/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concretion In video form: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5IoyLEwkMY Example of concretions, these three were incorrectly given an ID as “dinosaur eggs” however they are clearly not: From Tumblehome Learning, link above Pseudofossils: There are some pseudofossils, which can have a similar appearance to an actual egg, right down to seeming like there are bits of eggshell. This pseudofossil does look similar to an egg and even seems to have eggshell, however it is not an egg and is actually geologic. The surface ranges too much in texture and composition. Pic from Montana State University, taken by P. Germano Trace fossils: Many times, an actual trace fossil can be mistaken for an egg, common examples of this are pupa cases and cocoons. As one can see below, they do tend to have an egg-like shape and are yet another perfect example of why shape alone should not be used when trying to identify eggs. The three below are important trace fossils, just not eggs. Pic by Tony Martin, Ph.D. How to spot a real egg: The best and only true sign you have an actual egg is eggshell actually being present. Eggs come in many shapes from a semi-rounded, elongated oval to a perfect sphere and many others. Shape is not a good indicator of an egg. It is useful but only when combined with other details. Eggshell often has surface ornamentation that gives it a unique texture which can be seen by the naked eye or with a hand lens. There are many such ornamentations and they are used to help distinguish one egg type from another. On the surface look for little bumps, ridges with valleys, river channels, and similar textures. Individual fragments of eggshell are rather common in some geologic formations so be on the lookout for a larger grouping of eggshell. From University of California Museum of Paleontology Also read: http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/topic/59654-dinosaur-eggs-lowell-carhart-guide/ Examples of real eggshell: Example of eggshell fragments: An eggshell fragment from Maiasaura, which is the oogenus Spheroolithus oosp. Pic by W. Freimuth. Examples of real eggs: A clutch of Troodon formosus eggs, which are the oospecies Prismatoolithus levis. Pic from Museum of the Rockies Do I have embryos inside this egg? Most likely no. Embryonic remains are extremely rare within eggs, and you add that with the rarity of eggs to start and it is a remote possibility. No fossilized yolks have been found and since they are soft tissue, it is near impossible for any to fossilize. I still think this is an egg! If you still think you have an actual egg, then please start a thread. Take close detailed pictures with something for scale such as a ruler and provide all the information you can about it--like where it was found. Good pictures will help greatly with a proper and correct ID. Below is an example of how to best photograph an egg or eggshell. There is clear lighting, a background which is clearly different than the eggshell in question and a scale bar. Lights can be as simple as a desk lamp; a scale bar can just be a ruler and the background can be very simple, in the example just a paper towel. Megaloolithus egg. Pic from Montana State University, taken by P. Germano If you would like to learn much more on eggs, here is the advanced egg guide which goes in depth. Also, see the advanced guide for sources. Eric P.

I'm guessing it's an iron concretion and not a fossil, but I would like to make sure. I have never seen anything like this shaped like a spikeball or flower, except in crystals. Fossil or not, I took it home because it's so interesting! Dakota formation and early Cenomainian. This formation are known for fossilized plants, leaf imprints, and petrified woods. Top view: Bottom view:

I found these in a creek near taughannock falls (Tompkins county, NY). Are these concretions? Do they possibly contain fossils inside? Thanks! 1. About 25-30 cm in diameter 2. About 40 cm in diameter, with an interesting protrusion on a side

While out in the Puerco, I smacked open a concretion to find an unfamiliar pattern. Any thoughts or ideas are greatly appreciated. The specimen is from the Upper Cretaceous (Turonian) Carlile Shale. It is layered and each layer has this pattern. I currently do not have a measurement but will do so. Thanks for taking a look.

Found in Purse SP, Maryland . Need help identifying

I live in Northwest Indiana and my mom found this concretion. One side of it is fossilized though and has these indentions in lines. Any help identifying would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Just some of my concretion landscaping. They were all found in Middle Tennessee. I’m curious what other kinds of fossils may occur in them besides gastropods? I have found several that nature cracked open containing Gastropoda.

My extraordinarily gifted fossil finding son found this in the bedrock of Brushy Creek (Williamson County, Tx.) and I can’t figure out what it is. Apologies for not using a proper scale or for poor picture quality but it is ~2’ in diameter and has well defined concentric rings. My son would love to show anyone in the Cedar Park area where it is and will offer a free Moonie’s hamburger to anyone who can help solve this mystery. Any help is greatly appreciated!

Amateur alert: i am NOT a professional paleontologist; I am a semi retired therapist who happens to be a paleontology hobbyist. I've seen several things advertised as gastroliths, and the prices seem easily doable. But HOW in the world is a rock determined to be a gastrolith, and not just a smoothish-rock that's a bit worn? A rock that has been inside a prehistoric animal (not just dinosaurs, I'm guessing?) is WILDLY cool, but a smoothed and tumbled rock is not.

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Hello, I found this rock, and it has this dipped area with a kind of pattern (I think it could be a concretion), and there's this fossil-looking thing on the back. Is anybody able to ID this? Thanks.

hello together, I saw this in an auction and am wondering if it may be something of interest? The blackish parts where it is broken looked somewhat bone-ish to me. No info but estate sale in the USA, 7.5” long, 5.5” wide and about 2” tall. Weighs 3 pounds Any ideas? Thanks and Best Regards, J

Found this at a undisclosed spot near Ventura, also found a large fossil shell deposit potentially from Pliocene. Will post pictures if people want me to. Btw if you have any clue or want pics of the other side of this please comment!