Black Shale things

[cngodles]

Not sure what these are. There was loose shale near where I dig scattered on the ground. It had different things in it than I’m used to seeing. Maybe it was dumped from a different part of the strata, but shouldn’t be much further away.

 

I’m not great with fish parts, are they maybe fish parts? Should I scratch them out or maybe some vinegar?

 

There are a few other pieces that look tooth/horn shaped.

[Fossildude19]

@jdp

 

First item looks plant-ish to me.

Second items look like bone to me. 

[cngodles]

I got impatient and tore it apart. Actually, both of these are parts of the same thing. I'll have to submit another photo.

[Petalodus12]

To me the second image looks like pyrite. If these are from the same layer associated with the Brush Creek Limestone, then pyrite/iron modules make sense. This particular layer was deposited in quiet, anoxic conditions which form the perfect setting for pyrite deposition. Vertebrate fossils are only found in abundance in the conemaugh group in limestones, coal, and the shale above coals. The environment here would have supported fish but I have never found any of the characteristic Paleoniscoid scales that usually key me on to a vert. locality in this layer. Dunbarella can be found though, as well as other small invertebrates. 

[jdp]

Pics of the whole thing would be useful.

[cngodles]

These might not be Brush Creek. They were black shale pieces that seemed to be left as fill. It might be from higher up. I'm going to take a few more photos now.

[cngodles]

[westcoast]

Pyritized burrows would be my best guess

[Pemphix]

1 hour ago, westcoast said:

Pyritized burrows would be my best guess

+1 for that

[cngodles]

Sounds plausible to me. I'm not really good at picking out burrows yet, so that makes sense to me. One of my mentors as of late told me to look for some, I said burrows? I couldn't pick one of those out!

 

This is unlike most shale I've come across. One thing that is tricky, unless you physically detach it from a layer in the hill, you can't be entirely sure where it's from. They are widening a road along my commute to work, and I've watched them haul thousands of tons of rocks and soil down the hill, at least 150 feet from where it came from. I know the formation layout in the area, and I sigh thinking that if someone found something in the future, they would not be correct in identifying the strata.

 

Thank you all for the help.

[jdp]

I'd agree with pyritization of burrow infill. I don't see anything that shouts "bone" there