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abeski02

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My dad found this rock in the Vermillion River in Illinois last weekend during a camping trip. While my dad insists it's a petrified toe or a toe that was possibly covered in mud then compressed (or something of the like???? I'm not quite sure...), I personally think it's just a rock. Can someone please help officially determine what exactly it is? 

 

Thank you!

-Abby 

Rock-found Camp robert Drake.jpg

Back side of rock foud Camp robert Drake.jpg

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Hi Abby,

 

Based on what I can see I suspect this to be an iron oxide concretion (just a rock). They are fairly abundant in the Vermillion River Basin from what I've seen and sometimes form very odd and symmetrical shapes. There are many fossils found in the Vermillion River but are usually marine invertebrate fossils from the paleozoic era, things like corals, crinoids, and brachiopods (a shelled animal). I have found shark teeth and trilobites on the Salt Fork Vermillion River before.

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I can understand why your father believes that this is a petrified toe, since it looks like my big toe after a long downhill hike. However, the chances that something like that could be preserved are over a zillion to one. Therefore I'll go along with the concretion suggestion, also since the appearance of the reverse side gives it away.

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Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger

http://www.steinkern.de/

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GREAT Rock!!!!!!! I have a rock, actually a fossil,  that is a spitting image of the male anatomy. When friends see that on my shelf, it is often the first thing that is brought up. Make up some wild story about your toe to tell people about. It is a fun way of bringing interest to simply "a rock"!!!!! 

 

Mike

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14 hours ago, abeski02 said:

My dad found this rock in the Vermillion River in Illinois last weekend during a camping trip. While my dad insists it's a petrified toe or a toe that was possibly covered in mud then compressed (or something of the like???? I'm not quite sure...), I personally think it's just a rock. Can someone please help officially determine what exactly it is? 

 

Thank you!

-Abby 

Rock-found Camp robert Drake.jpg Back side of rock foud Camp robert Drake.jpg

Seems to be just a rock

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  • 2 years later...
On 10/25/2020 at 9:44 PM, Thomas.Dodson said:

Hi Abby,

 

Based on what I can see I suspect this to be an iron oxide concretion (just a rock). They are fairly abundant in the Vermillion River Basin from what I've seen and sometimes form very odd and symmetrical shapes. There are many fossils found in the Vermillion River but are usually marine invertebrate fossils from the paleozoic era, things like corals, crinoids, and brachiopods (a shelled animal). I have found shark teeth and trilobites on the Salt Fork Vermillion River before.

 

Are you familiar with what species your shark teeth are from the salt fork? Ive never been on this river but I live fairly close.

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1 hour ago, jforbes said:

 

Are you familiar with what species your shark teeth are from the salt fork? Ive never been on this river but I live fairly close.

To be absolutely specific it is a petalodont shark, or rather a holocephalan. It is Peripristis semicircularis.

Edited by Thomas.Dodson
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