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Mr.Baker

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I've not seen that, but I would think that the odds do not favour soft tissue preservation in most cases outside what are known as Lagerstatte-Konservat sites. 

...How to Philosophize with a Hammer

 

 

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Thanks Kane,

I’ll post a photo of what I’ve found and explain why I think it could be. I’ve explained it to a highly qualified geologist and she says it’s not impossible. Got to go,

back later...

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Welcome to the Forum.  :)      

 

"Not impossible" is half a step away from "Probably not".  :unsure: 

As Kane stated, it would require extremely precise conditions for that to happen. 

 

I look forward to seeing your pictures. :popcorn:

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It came from underground in a lead / zinc mine where the host rock is limestone. It was full of shells and coral etc. It came from a place called the Lennard shelf in nw west Australia 

07E6DAEA-E333-475F-925D-5DAFFB5E35F0.jpeg

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Looks concretionary in origin, to me.  

I don't believe it is a fossil, though. 

    Tim    -  VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER

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The geologist said that if the meat inside the shell was heated up over a period of time to where it was ‘cooked’, and ended up being somewhat harder than just a soft, wet oyster it may happen, but a lot of stars would have to align for it to happen. Possible...

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JohnJ yes I do but not with me. And it will be a while before I can get to them...

 

JohnJ, sorry no more photos but plenty of samples. Will post when I can

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In terms of the scientific method and falsification, could you enumerate the reasons this may not be a fossil?

...How to Philosophize with a Hammer

 

 

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@Kane that’s sort of what I’m trying to find out. I’m not educated in the field of fossils or geology but like I said in my first post, is it “possible” for the meat to become fossilized?

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2 hours ago, Mr.Baker said:

@Kane that’s sort of what I’m trying to find out. I’m not educated in the field of fossils or geology but like I said in my first post, is it “possible” for the meat to become fossilized?

Hello and welcome ro the forum. :) 

 

I think that the others have already answered your question, but maybe I can give it a go. Technically it is possible, however it is not likely. As yourself previously said, a lot of stars would have to align.

 

Generally speaking fossils themselves are a rare occurrence. The vast majority of things die and decompose, leaving little to no trace of their existence. While fossils themselves are rare, soft tissue preservation is the rarest of the rare. Most of the time it's the harder parts of the animal that fossilizes. Think shells and bone. Soft tissue is just too fragile to survive the fossilization processes. There are the rare occasions when it happens, but it's not likely. It would typically be like winning the lottery.

 

Basically, the odds are against you. It's far more likely to NOT be fossilized oyster meat, and based on the provided pictures I also believe you have something strictly geological in nature and not a fossil at all. Nature can be tricky, and the human mind is easily fooled. I would encourage you to get educated in the fields of fossils and geology (No offense intended. You said that you were uneducated in the fields...). Just learn some of the basics and you will see what I mean. A couple of quick internet searches should do the trick. ;) 

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The good thing about science is that it's true whether or not you believe in it.  -Neil deGrasse Tyson

 

Everyone you will ever meet knows something you don't. -Bill Nye (The Science Guy)

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Just to add to what FossilNerd has said, specifically, you should look into taphonomy, (the branch of paleontology that deals with the processes of fossilization.)

Search taphonomy and the location name. 

 

Also look into Lagerstatte.  If soft tissues preservation is going to happen, it won't generally happen on just one fossil in the area. It will happen in a specific area to many fossils. 

So unless you have a number of soft body preservation examples, it would be a longshot that this is the case with your item.

 

Possible, ... conceivably.  But highly or extremely unlikely.  ;) 

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"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks."

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I have a fossilized snail, so yes, soft tissue can fossilized under the right circumstances,  ie, salt water, sand, mud.

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May we see a picture of your fossilized snail ? It’s certainly the shell that is fossilized and nothing else. I have been collecting shells for years and I have never found a snail with the soft parts preserved !
 
Coco
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----------------------
OUTIL POUR MESURER VOS FOSSILES : ici

Ma bibliothèque PDF 1 (Poissons et sélaciens récents & fossiles) : ici
Ma bibliothèque PDF 2 (Animaux vivants - sans poissons ni sélaciens) : ici
Mâchoires sélaciennes récentes : ici
Hétérodontiques et sélaciens : ici
Oeufs sélaciens récents : ici
Otolithes de poissons récents ! ici

Un Greg...

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3 hours ago, curiousfinds said:

I have a fossilized snail, so yes, soft tissue can fossilized under the right circumstances,  ie, salt water, sand, mud.

A fossil is generally defined as something at least 10,000 years old. How old is your snail?

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Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 9/16/2020 at 7:25 PM, Mr.Baker said:

The geologist said that if the meat inside the shell was heated up over a period of time to where it was ‘cooked’, and ended up being somewhat harder than just a soft, wet oyster it may happen, but a lot of stars would have to align for it to happen. Possible...

There are very few places on earth where the soft tissue of an animal is preserved/fossilized. It requires quick burial and an anaerobic environment. If bacteria have access to the organism then it is eaten by them -- in other words it rots, putrefies or liquefies rather than turning into a fossil. 99.999% of everything that has ever lived, plant, animal and other, has rotted away without leaving a trace. Soft tissue preservation is extremely rare and known from only a handful of locations. Even a location like Mazon Creek, where soft-bodied worms and even jellyfish are common is only 1/100 of 1 percent of all the fossils that exist. I'm not saying that what you found is definitely not, but if soft-bodied animals were preserved there it would have already been common knowledge and there would be collectors from museums and amateurs as well standing in line to collect there. So the odds of it being the body of an oyster are not zero, but they are so slim that you have a better chance of winning the million-dollar lotto 10 times in a row than finding a fossil with preserved soft tissue there. Possible........yes, but extremely improbable. Very extremely. Really, really, really extremely.

 

 

Mark.

 

Fossil hunting is easy -- they don't run away when you shoot at them!

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