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All, I’m starting to cut/polish some of the suspect dino/aquatic dino bones found in woodbine formation this year. most are full of pyrite/fools gold and are coated with this sulfuric deteriorating substance. once I start cutting past dusty stuff I seem to hit the pyrite or some other metallic like rock that replaced bone marrow ? Goin through wood cutting scroll saw blades like crazy and going to get some ceramic metal saw blades. I was successful and made it through one bone so far. And included A pic. dino correct on the one I cut all the way through? here are specimens I’ve started cutting the grey pyrite one is very nasty and sulfuric and yes I’m wearing a mask now. Powder is pungent and no telling what would do to your lungs. also here is a tooth I beleive that’s not shark but from some creature from the woodbine it’s broke but here is some pics. Possibly this tooth is from the creature the bones come from and the vertebrae I found in the past at the site. any recommendations in cutting bones and tooth id would be much appreciated. tooth looks nothing like the few shark teeth I found at site. ps I found several of these claw looking things I glued back together. Are they anything bone/very deteriorated teeth/claws or just worm calcified borrows. very fragile and have selenite encrusted on most of em. Have very little knowledge on dino bones etc and don’t look for em just came to this spot looking for Indian stuff and selenite gypsum crystals. fyi cutting and polishing possible bones for a custom knife I’m making and jewelry for daughter and wife.

Hello! I would need help to figure out if this special type of calcite mineralisation reflects the structure of the coral or it is just something that comes with de disolution of calcite and therefore would not be a source of info on the coral morphology. Thank you in advance Best wishes Pierrette

L.S., Fossils form via various processes, such as permineralisation or petrifaction. These can all be considered a pseudomorphic replacement of the original matter by one or more mineral phases. Under "normal" taphonomic conditions, common fossil-forming compounds are silica (silicification) and calcium carbonates. In principle, however, fossilisation could involve various other minerals, given a right, yet more unusual set of circumstances. Pyritisation is a better-known example. There are much more exotic mineralisations still, which are interesting from both a palaeontological and a mineralogical point of view. Below, I'll list a few that I know of... Do you have more examples? Please share your knowledge and/or specimens! Tim 1. Analcime, heulandite and stilbite replacement in shells from the Oligocene-Miocene of Eugene, Oregon, USA 2. Barite replacement in shells and pine cones of the Lower Meeresand Fm. (Oligocene) near Steinhardt, Germany 3. Fluorite petrifaction in wood from the Leukersdorf Fm. (lower Permian) of Chemnitz, Germany 4. Heulandite and stilbite replacement in fossil wood of the Denver Fm. (Cretaceous-Paleogene) near Golden, Colorado, USA 5. Natrolite replacement/petrifaction in wood from the Miocene of Mt. Elgon, Uganda 6. Vivianite replacement in bivalves and gastropods from the Kerch iron-ore deposits (?Pliocene) on Crimea, Ukraine