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Please help me identify this. I found it in my yard while digging up my garden. I'm located in central Texas. Thanks

With time running out before the start of the school year, I decided to spread my attention across three DFW formations to get a little taste of what each has to offer. Instead of shooting out a handful of smaller topics, I've decided to combine my trips into a single larger post. I wouldn't say any individual find is a jaw-dropper or museum-worthy, but they, all together, give a nice glimpse into what each formation can yield. In order from oldest to youngest: Goodland This adventure took place in Oliver Creek with the Dallas Paleo Society. It's a regular spot for the group on private property. The site is well known for its plethora of echinoids and highly sought after Oxytropidoceras (still working on the pronunciation) ammonites. A huge crowd of hunters arrived in Justin for the meet-up. I was worried it would be too crowded for the creek, but there was plenty of elbowroom and something for everyone. I'd say about half of the people spent the morning scouring the gravel beds whereas the others got to hammering away in the limestone ledges. Once my brother and I found the good layer, we were nonstop working out urchins and ammonites. The echinoids (A) were literally everywhere and preserved in great condition. We came out with a baggie full of them, but left many more behind. It was pretty easy to find ammonite fragments too. However, finding a complete ammonite with at least a little structural integrity was a tougher challenge. Luckily, fortune was on our side and we came away with four decent Oxytropidoceras's (B). The two pictured below are the largest and prettiest ones. Prepping them will be a challenge though. They are too fragile for the hammer and chisel, but a little too tough for my new dental pick (I bent it a bit already ). Along with these, we also got a neat selection of gastropods and bivalves (C). The Society continued on to a second location, but we decided to call it a day early since my brother was a bit tired of the heat and rock dust. A). Several Holaster whitei from the Goodland Limestone. The ones straight from the ground have amazing preservation. One urchin is covered in oysters (Plicatula?). A coating of b72 gave them a nice sheen. B.1). An Oxytropidoceras ammonite. B.2). The best Oxytropidoceras of the bunch. Its got an interesting feature that I am curious about. There seem to be some fragments of the original shell still attached in a couple of locations. These "shell fragments" have reddish orange splotches on a white base and have a distinct texture to them (I'm not sure if porous is the right word). I wonder if the red coloration is just staining or if they could be indicative of the shells original coloration. When I first noticed them I immediately thought of the red striped shells of modern nautiluses... but I am probably getting ahead of myself . C). An assortment of bivalves and Tylostoma snail. The two smallest clams appear to be Protocardia texana while the scallop is, I assume, Neithea. The largest clam is smooth and difficult for me to ID. Denton Clay Took a trip to a construction site. Didn't find anything and then got my leg cut on a rusty post. Got a tetanus booster and no lockjaw thankfully. 0/10 would not come back! Pawpaw I've been poking around a couple of construction sites located on the Pawpaw formation west of Ft. Worth. They've both been decently productive, though I wish I could've had more time to really look through them thoroughly. It's a really interesting layer with some notable dinosaur finds and shares some visual similarities with the Woodbine in my opinion. The sites I went to cut through I variety of levels in the Earth. I think they are all still within the Pawpaw, but I am honestly not sure. In a more elevated cut, I found the specimens shown in (A). I was super excited when I pulled my first Coenholectypus only to realize that it was very poorly preserved and covered in lots of matrix. I tried some vinegar on it which cleaned it a bit, but the way it's shattered and degraded on the other side makes me think this is as far as I'll go with it. In a lower layer, I found some really interesting fragments of purple ammonites and a bivalve (B). I tried hard to find something complete, but the best I could come away with was the tiny purple heteromorph I added additional pics of. I think the sites needs some rain as many of the fossils were covered in dust and hard to spot. Definitely places I will check out again when I'm back home. Lastly, I decided to include an updated pic of the micro Engonoceras that is seen in my pfp (C). I only just recently acquired paraloid b72 and have been enjoying it immensely. After applying some to my micro ammonite, it has obtained that beautiful "wet" look that really brings out its color and details. I've got some older pyrite ammonite encased in paraffin wax that I may try replacing with b72. I have a feeling they will look much better. A). Bivalve and damaged Coenholectypus urchin. B). Purple fragments of typical ammonites, heteromorphs, and a bivalve. A complete ammonite of this nature still eludes me despite my efforts. C). My Engonoceras with a fresh coat of b72. Eagle Ford Despite the fact that I've been actively fossil hunting for about a year, my experience with the Eagle Ford is focused mostly on only a couple of brief visits to Post Oak Creek. I decided that now was a good time to finally jump in and try to figure this famous formation out. I hit up a few spots at a local creek with huge exposures of bluish shale. Despite the urban sprawl immediately surrounding the area, the tranquility of the creek made me feel like I was out alone deep in the wilderness. There was plenty of foliage and animals to populate it. Something about the place made me wonder if I had somehow traveled back in time. I was quick to get to work, scanning the shale and splitting open some slabs. The matrix was loaded with tons of fragile fish parts. Every slab contained a smattering of scales (I think) and other miscellaneous fish parts. Most of the small things were so delicate they would poof away when exposed to the air. The bigger things were a bit stronger and I was thankfully able to stabilize them before they were mostly destroyed. Early on, I got lucky with a beautiful little Enchodus jaw (A). I believe it's a piece of the lower one. To go with it I always came across a couple of jaw sections with larger fangs (B). Unfortunately, the tips of them immediately popped off and disappeared into the ether before I could preserve them. One slab surprised me with a broken shark tooth that I assume is Cretoxyrhina mantelli (C). It was the only shark tooth I came across that day, but it gives me hope for future expeditions. Of the thousands of fish scales I found, I decided to try and preserve a larger one (D). These guys were very fragile so I'm happy he made it out mostly in one piece. Once again, a slab surprised me... this time with a tiny ammonite, something I don't usually associate with the Eagle Ford (E). And to round off the day, I noticed some protrusions jutting out of the shaly bank. When removing them, I noticed they were rounded orbs containing a concentration of fish parts. I assume that these are coprolites. I don't know much about these sorts of ichnofossils so please inform me if I'm wrong. If they are coprolites, are they from a fish or a reptile and how can you tell? A). Lower Enchodus jaw? B). Some Enchodus fangs and jaws. Tips broke off when revealed. These guys are both consolidated in b72 and were originally in multiple pieces. Reattaching the fangs was some tedious work. C). Cretoxyrhina mantelli? D). Fish scale preserved in b72. E). A tiny ammonite in the shale F). A crappy ending with some suspected coprolites. In Conclusion I had a nice summer break with plenty of time spent exploring the world of fossils surrounding where I grew up. It was a lot to take in, but I truly learned a great deal about the oceans that once swept over North Texas. The diversity of marine creatures is astonishing and it impresses me every time I split open that next slab of shale. With the school year starting up again, I am moving back to Austin. It's been a hot second since I've traveled to my usual Ozan spots and I am excited to get back into business. I'll take the sudden burst of rain today as a sign of good things to come. I can't help but think of all the freshly revealed marine fauna that have finally gotten the chance to take their first gulp of water in roughly 80 million years.

I found this weird rock around limestone of Paleogene age near Khurais east of Riyadh Saudi Arabia. is it a agate? and how does it form. thank you all for your time!

Hi all, hoping someone can tell me what these bits might be. The kids found them digging around/in a Cretaceous limestone chalk and greensand. Took them out there for a fun day, no idea what we were going to look for or where. Hoping someone can identify any of it. Thanks in advance

Hey there, me again (since my first ever post had great success)! The photos I am about to show you may depict one or two different animals, found in the Neuville Formation of the Trenton Group (Middle Ordovician). The host rock would be micritic limestone and all pictures were taken in Neuville, 30 km west of Quebec City (Québec Province, Canada). Stratas had a subhorizontal dip, slowly sinking into the Saint Lawrence River. Today, I have 6 pictures showing 6 different specimens. The photos might be showing the same animal, but seen from the top AND the bottom (which are quite different). In my opinion, those are probably encrusting bryozoans. The first three pictures would be the top of the animals, with the individual zooeciums (hundreds of small zooid holes) still preserved; whereas the last three ones would show the bottom. The thing is: I'm not sure and I never asked anyone knowledgeable. My second guess would imply two different animals. The three first pictures would show the top of encrusting bryozoans (or something else?), while the last three ones would be another animal (algae? stromatoliths? sponges?). I'm open to your feelings and diagnosis. Thank you very much!

Found near the Whetstone Mountains, near Tucson, Arizona. I am very curious about the long, orange tube structures I found. Some folks told me they are just chert nodules. Others seem to think could be fossils. So, I took more photos to see if I can get more information on them. They were found right near some other fossils--fenestellid bryozoans, rhynchonellid brachiopods, gastropods. The area is littered with fossils. Several of these structures reveal a tube structure, which I think would be unusual in geology. A lot of these structures have a very similar shape. Many of the tube walls seem to have a similar and uniform thickness. Most are about as thick as a finger or thumb and range from 4 to 18 inches long. They could be much longer but there's no way to tell as they are broken at the ends. There are dozens of them in the area. I really have no expertise and I sure don’t mind anyone telling me I’m wrong. But I wanted to give you an idea of my thinking. Please let me know what you think--thanks. #1 shows a typical one #2,3,4 show the far ends of #1 #5 shows another one with a hollow tube structure #6 and 7 show two other structures # 8 shows a far end of #1 #9 shows another structure end #10 shows two that seem to be crossing each other

My brother works at a rock quarry in Eastern Iowa and recently uncovered this fossil in limestone at a depth of 200 feet! It does appear to be hollow. This is a very heavy piece of limestone sitting against the tailgate of a truck for scale. Any input would be appreciated. Thank you!!

Hello! I found two pieces of Limestone in a forest in Germany. I broke them in half and there are some markings in them. Picture 1-2 shows grey lines. To my amateur eyes, this looks like some sort of plant or grass. Is it anything or is it purely geological? Picture 3-4 No idea what this is. Help is appreciated. Thank you!

Hi everyone. Thanks for allowing me the opportunity to share a find. I was searching for knappable material along a river in a limestone rich area of central Pa and I found this. It seems to be limestone or chert with tiny teeth or strangely shaped quartz crystals. I can’t be sure so I wanted to share and see if anyone has an opinion. The inclusions feel sharp and are pointy unlike any crystals I’ve ever seen. Thanks for taking a look.

Item 1 looks like a pretty large bivalve, but maybe it's just a rock with a cavity or seed pod? Item 2 seems like a fossil to me, and seems to have the right "look" of a fossilized bone. Item 3 was found in the same spot as 1 and 2, a fallen tree next to a creek in Southeastern Mercer County. Item 4 was found farther south in NJ, near the Delaware River in Burlington County. My 10-year old is convinced it's a fossil - the blue rock is very soft, the matrix seems to be reactive to vinegar. As a beginner with a youngster who is obsessed at the moment with finding fossils, I'd love to be able to confirm we are heading in the right direction - even if we can't positively identify. And if these are just rocks, that's totally fine too The fun is in the hunt and spending time together. Thank you for lending your insight. Really.

Hi all, would love your thoughts on what this might be. Found it in Tamala limestone aka Coastal Limestone that dates back to the Pleistocene Age. The circular parts about 1" in diameter.

Found these while having a stroll on the beach on the southwestern tip of lake Michigan, in Illinois just south of the Wisconsin border. I am about as novice as you can get, and found this site while trying to figure out what these are... I'm pretty confident that the rings are crinoid stems, unsure about everything else. Hope the pictures are good enough, hard to photograph small things with a phone camera. Mostly curious about the spike shape on this one The smaller one here is the backside of the one above I don't know if these two are fossils, they look kind of crystalline but I don't know enough to say. That same spike shape seems to be super common, there's lots of them This one I am near 100% sure is coral, just unsure of what family or grouping it belongs to

A few highlights from fossil hunting in the Amberg-Sulzbach county (Bavaria, Germany) in June 2022. There's small abandoned limestone quarries all over the place, picked a couple random ones and found these guys and dozens of more fragmentary bits.

Is this a fish scale? Or just a concretion? It's 14.5mm in length. Glacial erratic limestone, found near Jeziorsko, Łódzkie, Poland.

Recently found this fossil while on family vacation in South-Central Minnesota. The site is limestone and also had a lot of Brachiopods. I'm so tired of relatives joking its poo. Hoping someone can help me ID it, the internet was of no help so far.

Anybody can identify this Tooth? Found in cretaceous, turonian sandy-limestone in Poland (Tyniec, Cracow). I think it's a Shark Tooth, or other fish but I don't know which exactly.

What is this? Found in Raytown, MO.

I bought this piece online and it just looks too good to be true, especially for the price.

Well, probably not, but it looks like it. And forget the 'Point Pelee' tag, that's only where the rock was, definitely not the original location. After a lot of severe storms and erosion at the tip of the point, the shoreline has been buttressed with large limestone blocks from elswhere. In one of them we saw this protruding fossil, And took the normal crappy cel phone picture, which has been cropped and sharpened.

Found on surface in area with numerous crinoid stem sections. Stone appears to also have stem cross-section impressions. Friend notes this specimen does not have the five-lobed feature of crinoids. Western St. Louis County, Missouri. Near Rockwoods Reservation. Rocky clay soil is tens of meters deep with egg- to fist-size rounded stones throughout. Is this a cross-section or a negative impression? Vascular bundles? If not crinoid, what?

These pictures are all the same rock just different angles for texture and visual show, I haven't found anything else in the rest of the item, just the lump ( which my husband has dubbed.. the klingon mini crater)

As with the other most of this prep was done with a sharpened sewing needle. I finished it off with Paleobond.

Hi There, Another fossil find needing some help with its ID please. This was found at Llanymynech Quarry in Shropshire/Wales which the cliffs are Carboniferous limestone. I think it could be a coral of some type or at a push a section of a Crinoidea. Many thanks in advance. N

Can someone please help me identify this. I don't know how old it is. I found this in Rockford Illinois, I found this in a roadcut. A fossil I found near it lived in the Ordovician period.

Today I was on a trip in Mississippi and found these suspicious looking objects, the area has generally more mountainous rocks, but these stuck out to me. The first one might be limestone, the second I think is either a rock or a bone, and same with the third, I do not have the one I believe is limestone anymore, but I was just curious if it was limestone.