Just got this house in the country, believe it’s loaded with fossils

[JordanPS]

How’s everyone doing this evening! I had to replace my water main and after having it excavated I realized I might be on a goldmine of fossils, I’m new to this for the most part and trying to figure it all out. I believe I may even have some truly amazing. I believe a lot is coral, along with possible walnuts or something, and maybe some other beautiful fossils. I wanna get everyone’s opinion before I worry about that other thing so I don’t sound/look like a complete dummy. Also found several geodes and some agated coral geodes I believe. Thank you! these aren’t even close to a small portion of what I’ve pulled.. 

[Rockwood]

I'm torn between feeling envy and sympathy for you.

They look like fossils that are preserved just well enough to tease you with what they would have been.

[Sagebrush Steve]

Not seeing any obvious fossils.  Pictures 6 and 7 look like some nice agates.  A lot of the rest look like the kinds of semi-precious stones a rockhound would collect.  You may be right about some of them being corals, hard for me to tell.

[Mark Kmiecik]

I can't say with any certainty that any of these are fossils, with the possible exception of one or two in the background of the second photo. The rest appear to be geological in origin for the most part. There may be some small fragments of fossil on some, but not enough to make a positive ID.

[JordanPS]

Yeah it is hard to say. I’m new to this 

[JordanPS]

I feel like if I cleaned them up a little and maybe choose better ones you could see it clearer but again I’m totally new to this 

[Sagebrush Steve]

2 minutes ago, Mark Kmiecik said:

I can't say with any certainty that any of these are fossils, with the possible exception of one or two in the background of the second photo. The rest appear to be geological in origin.

And the foreground rock in that photo might be a form of druzy quartz.

[JordanPS]

Ok so sine it’s possible and I’m not totally insane. i read that with the right conditions certain coral could be persevered in mud. I hve what I believe is coral. Bunch of it. One side being hard as rock and other muddy and soft. Some are rolled up and make that change a few times. But again it’s probably wishful thinking. Also have these weird cement looking ones. All over that are solid from ground up. First picture is one of the half and half. It was stuck to solid piece below it 

[facehugger]

Unfortunately, not really seeing any fossils among these specimens...

[KingSepron]

Not seeing any fossils sorry

[JordanPS]

no Need to be sorry. I’m confident if I find and clean some good ones maybe just maybe y’all will see something and if not it was fun anyway! Thanks for the feedback! I’ll be cleaning and posting some stuff soon! Hopefully with better luck! What is the walnut looking things and the brain looking rock? 

[grandpa]

OK, so here's the deal:

 

First, I'm not sure that I have seen your posts before and had a chance to welcome you to TFF, so - a warm welcome from Austin, Tx.

You have found a great forum for raising questions such as you are presenting and for getting answers from folks who really know their stuff to folks who, like you, are just starting on their adventure.  We are all on the same path of learning about this wonderful subject, just at various places along this exciting journey.  Your involvement and input along with the responses of our other members enriches us all.

 

Second, your first offerings that you have found and are curious to learn more about also look geological, not fossil, to my moderately experienced eyes.

 

Third, I love your enthusiasm and eagerness to learn more about your finds.  That attitude will accelerate your interest in learning more about this wonderful subject.  Keep bringing us more examples to challenge us all.

 

Enjoy being a part of this group - It's a real "trip"!

[Pippa]

Nothing wrong with rocks that get their cool looks through geological processes. I especially like #2 and #6, interesting rocks for sure.  For better help, take your rocks outside, light soft shade is best, it'll be easier to get photos that won't be blurry.  

#6 seems to be covered in beekite rings, no connection to either bees or kites. ;-) 

If you find rocks like these on your property, there's bound to be more and maybe better preserved material in the area. Talk to your new neighbors, they might know where to collect.

 

[JordanPS]

I really appreciate the welcome! I am a mason by trade and know other trades as well but I’ve always loved stone and that as well as having to dig up the water line at our new place I started seeing some different rocks and they are everywhere. I guess I’m not looking for fossils but something that has been fossilized maybe. I’ll send some pictures of what I believe to be fossils and then what I believe to be fossilized! Again this is some really neat stuff and it is insane to know my land was under water at some point in time! I have done days of research and haven’t hardly slept trying to find answers. Just today was it suggested I reach out to a fossil forum. I know these coral did exist in my area but it’s still thought to know for sure. I have been reading about how coral would make an exoskeleton, and how if the environment was just right,reefs could possibly heal themselves in a way and make a comeback adapting to their environment. Now I know this is very far fetched but I have similar looking specimens that are growing outside my house under the mud and once they get above ground they harden like the pictures I posted of the grey pieces. That’s the limb I’m holding on anyway just because that’d be pretty awesome. I also have several pieces that are mud and rock like I said all attached by the one piece and it goes from rock form to mud and back again a few times and is also rolled Up. Extremely weird. They have the same suction cup looking things as the coral as well. Pictures are hard to take and see it. But having found what I believe to be agated coral geodes, I’m thinking hey maybe I moved to this house for a reason, you never know. Be pretty cool anyway. But on the property I have limestone and quartz and I’ve read there is crystalline silica in dirt as well so the basement here is lined with calcium build up and destroying the foundation. Again found that out by mistake. Lucky me.. I’ll send you some pictures of my stairwell next to where, I’m thinking, I’ve found the coral as well. Also when I replaced this line the amount of rock was insane and towards the end of the driveway at the very bottom of the mountain we live in front of is shale everywhere. Extremely rough. And not to mention it will be 6-7 days after a rain before this other pipe of leach line will stop draining ridiculous amount of water and the hole it lies in for half the way had no water. We made a new path the other half. I’ll take pictures of that in a bit. I’m extremely interested in this stuff and when I found my first geode I thought it was the coolest thing haha and at the end of all that I’m hoping I have something because I should have had this line buried by now but I can’t help myself to comb the dirt a little more beforehand... but again I can just walk down the mounds of dirt and fill my pockets without hardly looking in now time with something I think is coral,geode,agate, petrified acorn. And we do have acorn trees around us as well. Pictures will be sent next! Sorry for the story but now you have an idea where I’m at with this!

[JordanPS]

YeH man they are all very cool! I’ve talked to the neighbors once and thought about going back to ask them about it, they very well mug have some good insight! I was wondering if being the only house on a hill with a high mountiN directly behind it would have anything to do with how/where these were formed and came from. Half way up the mountain or directly under my house/driveway. I’m thinking 50/50.. the beekite one was what had me puzzled and got me searching for answers. I’ll try to get some pictures tonight inside and if nothing else tomorrow during the day! 

[FossilNerd]

Hello and welcome from a fellow Kentuckian.  

 

Unfortunately, I have to agree with the others. I’m not seeing anything that is a fossil yet, but you do have some interesting geological pieces. Don’t be discourage though; you are in a great state to find fossils!

[JordanPS]

One piece I just walked out and grabbed in the lawn I seen earlier from some angles.

[JordanPS]

Another piece by it with soft “coral” still on it. I took picture before and after removing a few pieces of it and some skin or something behind it 

[Plax]

I agree with Rockwood. These look like chert or flinty rocks from a coarse gravel deposit. Fossils were in some of these particularly the flat brownish one a good ways up with the loose sediment pics. You might try breaking some of these to get a fresh surface. Be sure to wear safety glasses.

[JordanPS]

I will definitely do that! I spent most of last night cleaning some up and trying to find some others. I though I seen some fossils but I was thinking the pieces were of the actual coral possibly and not a fossil on them if you know what I mean. I’m about to comb through a few pictures I took and hopefully y’all will have a different opinion and if not, no worries I’ll keep giving it a shot! Thank you! 

[JordanPS]

[JordanPS]

[JordanPS]

[JordanPS]

[Shamalama]

55 minutes ago, JordanPS said:

I will definitely do that! I spent most of last night cleaning some up and trying to find some others. I though I seen some fossils but I was thinking the pieces were of the actual coral possibly and not a fossil on them if you know what I mean. I’m about to comb through a few pictures I took and hopefully y’all will have a different opinion and if not, no worries I’ll keep giving it a shot! Thank you! 

  

These two have fossils. The top photo looks like either a cross section of a rugose coral, or an impression of a bivalve or brachiopod. The second one has round crinoid columnals and lacy bryozoans.  Whereabout in KY are you located. A county at least would be helpful for determining the age of the rock under your new abode.