Bone?

[Sonyamarcou]

Found this in a ditch in porter Washington. I think it could be bone. Is the brown on the outside some kind of skin and is the middle bone marrow? Would appreciate any information. Thank you

[Sonyamarcou]

Two more pics

[fifbrindacier]

Yes, this is a bone. If there is marrow it's a recent one. To know if it is fossil it must be heavy for its size and mustn't smell when you burn with a flame. To try the test of the flame choose a hidden part.

[jpc]

tough to say, but Porter does have crab concretions, so it could be a bone chunk in a concretion.  

[Sonyamarcou]

How would I go about finding out what animal it comes from

[Sonyamarcou]

Also can you tell me the dark and thin coating on part of the outside?

[jpc]

The only part that could be bone is the brownish part in the middle on the first photo.  The rest is a concretion.  It canbe tough to ID the animal unless you remove the concretion, which is a lot of work.  

[fifbrindacier]

And you'll take the risk to break it.

[Megalodoodle]

Here’s how to open the concretion:

 

1. Soak the concretion in a plastic tub or small bucket for at least two days, preferably longer. It takes time for the water to invade the concretion, and you need to penetrate the concretion’s inner bedding plane.

2. Place your tub, with water and the concretion still in place, into your freezer. Note that your container MUST be able to handle freezing, so light plastic probably isn’t a good idea. Also remember that water expands when it freezes (you don’t want a mess in with your food.)

3.Keep the tub in the freezer for at least a week. You are hoping to expose a hairline crack in the concretion.

4. Remove the concretion and let it thaw out for a day. 

5. Inspect to see if any cracks are starting. 

6. If you see a crack starting, tap it with a light geology pick several time. DO NOT try to crush the concretion- you are merely trying to help natural forces along. If your lucky the concretion should split in half.

7. Even if you do not see a crack starting to take shape, tap the concretion where you wish a crack was starting. You could get lucky, but stop after half a dozen attempts.

8. Repeat the freezing and thawing process as many times as your patience allows. Eventually you should see a crack starting to form.

9. Congratulate yourself on your hard work!

[JohnJ]

41 minutes ago, T. nepaeolicus said:

Here’s how to open the concretion:

 

1. Soak the concretion in a plastic tub or small bucket for at least two days, preferably longer. It takes time for the water to invade the concretion, and you need to penetrate the concretion’s inner bedding plane.

2. Place your tub, with water and the concretion still in place, into your freezer. Note that your container MUST be able to handle freezing, so light plastic probably isn’t a good idea. Also remember that water expands when it freezes (you don’t want a mess in with your food.)

3.Keep the tub in the freezer for at least a week. You are hoping to expose a hairline crack in the concretion.

4. Remove the concretion and let it thaw out for a day. 

5. Inspect to see if any cracks are starting. 

6. If you see a crack starting, tap it with a light geology pick several time. DO NOT try to crush the concretion- you are merely trying to help natural forces along. If your lucky the concretion should split in half.

7. Even if you do not see a crack starting to take shape, tap the concretion where you wish a crack was starting. You could get lucky, but stop after half a dozen attempts.

8. Repeat the freezing and thawing process as many times as your patience allows. Eventually you should see a crack starting to form.

9. Congratulate yourself on your hard work!

 

Unfortunately, this advice would Not apply to this kind of specimen. It would damage it.  

[caldigger]

5 hours ago, JohnJ said:

 

Unfortunately, this advice would Not apply to this kind of specimen. It would damage it.  

Agreed.  And what would prevent the water in hairline fractures and pores in the bone from expanding and ending up a hundred little bone shards everywhere?

[GeschWhat]

I'm not familiar with this formation; however, if that is bone, it could be a coprolite. Care to touch it to the tip of your tongue to see if it sticks? If not, touching it with wet fingers would work as well (just not as fun). If it feels sticking, it could be a coprolite. If not, I'm in the concretion camp.