Lone Hunter Posted May 21, 2021 Share Posted May 21, 2021 (edited) I have several peices of Cretaceous Lens from Eagle Ford and decided to investigate it further, dissolving in vinegar and picking at it and so far came up with these. The one in the matrix looks like tooth or claw maybe, the base of it turns to white but it's eaten away and hard to see in picture. The other things are different, there are quite a few I can see in the big peices some are so small I can't photograph them. Urchin spines are the closest things I've seen to these but really don't know. The pen tip is next to objects for size comparison. Edited May 21, 2021 by Lone Hunter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpc Posted May 21, 2021 Share Posted May 21, 2021 Neat small fossils... can't help with the ID. What do you mean by Lens? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas.Dodson Posted May 21, 2021 Share Posted May 21, 2021 5 minutes ago, jpc said: Neat small fossils... can't help with the ID. What do you mean by Lens? I believe she's referring to flattened concretions or, most likely, lenticular bedding. They all appear to be teeth to me. The ones outside of the matrix look like fish teeth to me. They seem to have a typical Enchodus like curve but it might be difficult to say for sure without better pictures. Any noticeable striations? 2 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lone Hunter Posted May 21, 2021 Author Share Posted May 21, 2021 Thomas is correct, here's a picture of it. Yes there are some kind of striations or marks, in the 5th picture enlarged you can barely make out something on the largest one. They appear to be hollow which is why I considered spines. I've got larger ones still soaking and I'll try to get better images, it's a challenge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnJ Posted May 21, 2021 Share Posted May 21, 2021 I agree with @Thomas.Dodson. The longer ones remind me of small Enchodus teeth found in the Eagle Ford Formation. 1 1 The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true. - JJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lone Hunter Posted May 21, 2021 Author Share Posted May 21, 2021 Yep I checked them out and as far as I can tell they are. Must have been a baby, guess they hatch ready to kill. What could the other tooth be? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lone Hunter Posted May 21, 2021 Author Share Posted May 21, 2021 Another little thing that I don't recognize, it's 1cm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lone Hunter Posted May 21, 2021 Author Share Posted May 21, 2021 (edited) Ok I just split off a layer and was not expecting this. What the ?? I tried to rub and gently wash it off. Edited May 21, 2021 by Lone Hunter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plantguy Posted May 21, 2021 Share Posted May 21, 2021 I'm just guessing but the general pink color reminds me of the mineral Cinnabar (Mercury ore) we used to have in NorCal in geothermal areas. Are those crystal faces? Do you have any geothermal stuff going on there in that part of Texas? I'm not sure how it degrades and maybe others can comment on messing around with it if that . The teeth are tiny but are pretty neat--congrats....like seeing what comes out matrix samples! Regards, Chris 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lone Hunter Posted May 21, 2021 Author Share Posted May 21, 2021 Far as I know Cinnabar is only found with ore deposits in west Texas, don't know how it would end up in sediment here. Don't see any crystalization. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lone Hunter Posted May 22, 2021 Author Share Posted May 22, 2021 Additional teeth and pictures, found another of the unidentified tooth conveniently leaning on an Enchodus tooth maybe that will help with ID. Have no idea what's in last picture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plantguy Posted May 22, 2021 Share Posted May 22, 2021 16 hours ago, Lone Hunter said: Far as I know Cinnabar is only found with ore deposits in west Texas, don't know how it would end up in sediment here. Don't see any crystalization. I also see the mentions that there were significant cinnabar deposits associated with the Eagleford in West Texas but dont see any mention of it the Dallas Fort Worth area. I dont know the geology of that part of Texas but since it can be deposited geothermally that could possibly explain it but it also looks like there other depositional types in the western area. I even saw an article about possible placer deposits. Was your specimen found in Dallas County? . This thesis describes some of those western locales. 1938 Mercury in the Terlingua District of Texas William Woodhouse Kay https://scholarsmine.mst.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1174&context=professional_theses Regards, Chris Nice additional bits and teeth! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lone Hunter Posted May 22, 2021 Author Share Posted May 22, 2021 Yes it's from Dallas co. but barely, Tarrant co. line is only about a mile away. It looks too pink however I did an acetone test and it transferred the color. Not sure if that positively means it's Cinnabar. I can't find any record of it being found in this area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnJ Posted May 22, 2021 Share Posted May 22, 2021 Are there any surfaces (tools, boards, tables, crayons, etc.) that could have transferred this color during splitting? My 'pareidolia' makes it look like numbers...or transfer streak. 1 The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true. - JJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DPS Ammonite Posted May 22, 2021 Share Posted May 22, 2021 25 minutes ago, Lone Hunter said: Yes it's from Dallas co. but barely, Tarrant co. line is only about a mile away. It looks too pink however I did an acetone test and it transferred the color. Not sure if that positively means it's Cinnabar. I can't find any record of it being found in this area. I do not have a piece of cinnabar handy, but I do not think that it dissolves in acetone. Acetone tends to dissolve organic oily substances. EVERYONE: put acetone on a piece of cinnabar and let us know what happens. 1 My goal is to leave no stone or fossil unturned. See my Arizona Paleontology Guide link The best single resource for Arizona paleontology anywhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lone Hunter Posted May 22, 2021 Author Share Posted May 22, 2021 I split it on the table right in front of me and immediatly took picture, I did wonder about some kind of transfer but since it wouldn't rub or wash off it was hard to imagine how it would transfer so easily. I read about the acetone test, apparently people use that method when trying to determine if Chinese things made with Cinnabar are real or not. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThePhysicist Posted May 22, 2021 Share Posted May 22, 2021 I have Cinnabar, but no acetone handy. From a visual inspection, I don't think you have Cinnabar. Even for a massive habit, there are crystals interspersed which create a "sparkling" effect. So if it ain't sparkling, it ain't Cinnabar. Also considering Cinnabar's formation, it's extremely unlikely to have formed in the Eagle Ford. IMO, it doesn't look like a mineral. 1 "Argumentation cannot suffice for the discovery of new work, since the subtlety of Nature is greater many times than the subtlety of argument." - Carl Sagan "I was born not knowing and have had only a little time to change that here and there." - Richard Feynman Collections: Hell Creek Microsite | Hell Creek/Lance | Dinosaurs | Sharks | Squamates | Post Oak Creek | North Sulphur River | Lee Creek | Aguja | Permian | Devonian | Triassic | Harding Sandstone Instagram: @thephysicist_tff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kane Posted May 22, 2021 Share Posted May 22, 2021 When I first saw this, my first impression was that a crayon was streaked across it (although you did indicate it was a fresh split). 1 ...How to Philosophize with a Hammer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DPS Ammonite Posted May 22, 2021 Share Posted May 22, 2021 It is not cinnabar per Mindat. The mineral cinnabar does not dissolve in acetone. Don’t confuse carved cinnabar in sculpture and jewelry which contains laquer and probably will dissolve in acetone. https://www.mindat.org/mesg-180318.html 2 My goal is to leave no stone or fossil unturned. See my Arizona Paleontology Guide link The best single resource for Arizona paleontology anywhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plantguy Posted May 22, 2021 Share Posted May 22, 2021 Glad to see others thoughts/input. You got me scratching my balding head at the moment as to what the pink is... Regards, Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plantguy Posted May 22, 2021 Share Posted May 22, 2021 So I'm asking some folks in the UT Bureau of Economic Geology...they asked me does any pink come off/wash off with just wiping (on the area that acetone wasnt applied)? Regards, Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lone Hunter Posted May 22, 2021 Author Share Posted May 22, 2021 No it doesn't, and it don't sparkle, and I don't own any crayons . It looks like powdery mildew or mold, is there anything that could make something like that change color? I am just as curious about the unidentified tooth, it looks similar to Mosasaur teeth, any chance it's a baby tooth? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plantguy Posted May 23, 2021 Share Posted May 23, 2021 OK thanks. Will let you know if they come back with anything more... I defer to the fish/vert folks for the additional tooth/teeth/fragment questions... Regards, Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnJ Posted May 23, 2021 Share Posted May 23, 2021 Looking at it under magnification, does it flex like lichen? No mosasaur teeth. All I'm seeing are fish teeth and bones. The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true. - JJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lone Hunter Posted May 23, 2021 Author Share Posted May 23, 2021 (edited) I know what lichen are but you lost me after that, how can you see flex on a stable object? What I can see that I can't get an image of is that it is made up of teeny tiny individual clumps. That is as far as my magnification goes. I put it through more 'testing', if I rub so hard grains come off a small amount of color comes with, the picture is results of washing it under hot water while rubbing it with dish soap. Edited May 23, 2021 by Lone Hunter 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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