Gibbee Posted August 26, 2020 Share Posted August 26, 2020 Hello, my neighbour found this in her garden - is this some kind of anemone, if it is indeed a fossil? We live in West Hertfordshire, UK, on the Chiltern hills. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted August 26, 2020 Share Posted August 26, 2020 Hello, and a very warm welcome to TFF from Morocco. I guess you mean anemone? Or sea anemone? Anyway, no it isn't. I think it's just cochoidal fracturing of a flint nodule from the chalk. Keep looking, as some flint nodules do contain fossils, often sea urchins or sponges, for example. Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gibbee Posted August 26, 2020 Author Share Posted August 26, 2020 Thanks for your welcome and quick reply to my question. Although disappointed we'll keep looking - and we did discover this great site! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted August 26, 2020 Share Posted August 26, 2020 2 minutes ago, Gibbee said: Although disappointed we'll keep looking - and we did discover this great site! Many new members arrive here when they've found an intriguing rock (though the majority of times they turn out to be geological oddities and not fossils). There is a lot of fossil information stored in the older posts on this forum (over a million of them) and a little searching may turn up fossil locations near your area. Hunting for fossils can be a fun, informative (and highly addictive) hobby. If your interest is piqued, maybe you'll locate some places nearby where you can find some fossils and start building a collection. Cheers. -Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TqB Posted August 26, 2020 Share Posted August 26, 2020 (edited) Welcome to the forum! I think you do have a fossil there. The crystal lined cavities, central and branching, are probably the remains of a rather nice sponge. There are many types found in flints - I'll have a look at a few references tomorrow to try to narrow this one down. Sponges are often (usually!) difficult though and need microstructure and a specialist - overall shape tends not to be enough. (It's conchoidally fractured on the other side (first photo), with no fossil visible, as @Tidgy's Dad said.) Edited August 26, 2020 by TqB 2 Tarquin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted August 26, 2020 Share Posted August 26, 2020 2 hours ago, TqB said: Welcome to the forum! I think you do have a fossil there. The crystal lined cavities, central and branching, are probably the remains of a rather nice sponge. There are many types found in flints - I'll have a look at a few references tomorrow to try to narrow this one down. Sponges are often (usually!) difficult though and need microstructure and a specialist - overall shape tends not to be enough. (It's conchoidally fractured on the other side (first photo), with no fossil visible, as @Tidgy's Dad said.) I'll be quite happy to be wrong. 1 Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilDAWG Posted August 26, 2020 Share Posted August 26, 2020 I agree with TqB, although I certainly can see why Tidgy's Dad focused on the conchoidal fractures. Don 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abyssunder Posted August 26, 2020 Share Posted August 26, 2020 In my thinking it's a very nice flint nodule. I could be wrong, as well. 1 " We are not separate and independent entities, but like links in a chain, and we could not by any means be what we are without those who went before us and showed us the way. " Thomas Mann My Library Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gibbee Posted August 27, 2020 Author Share Posted August 27, 2020 13 hours ago, TqB said: Welcome to the forum! I think you do have a fossil there. The crystal lined cavities, central and branching, are probably the remains of a rather nice sponge. There are many types found in flints - I'll have a look at a few references tomorrow to try to narrow this one down. Sponges are often (usually!) difficult though and need microstructure and a specialist - overall shape tends not to be enough. (It's conchoidally fractured on the other side (first photo), with no fossil visible, as @Tidgy's Dad said.) I messed up with the photo order in my first posting - the 'interesting' side should have been at the top. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now