ThomasM Posted April 11, 2022 Share Posted April 11, 2022 (edited) A couple of years ago, It finally dawned on me that my property outside of Austin is actually an exposed fossilized coral reef. It was that day , I stopped looking up at the oaks, and started looking down at the rocks. Since then, I have found some great fossils, however none as unusual as this one. It was strange to see a rock with color standing out from all others which are almost exclusively white. It was the contrast that caught my eye. I acknowledge many have thought they found Ambergris, just to be disappointed. Thus, I would not make the claim here without first being unable to answer the question, "If not Ambergris, then what is it?" The specimen is composed of so many different layers and veins that I can not come to any normal identification. I look forward to someone with more knowledge and a better eye, posting a more educated opinion than the one I am able to offer. Best to all - TM Central TX Edited April 11, 2022 by ThomasM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grandpa Posted April 11, 2022 Share Posted April 11, 2022 Hello, Thomas and welcome to the forum from Austin. I think I'm seeing a chert nodule. The crypto-crystaline quartz vein I see in the 4th photo [LHS] would tend to support this id I'd think. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted April 11, 2022 Share Posted April 11, 2022 +1 for chert nodule. 2 Tim - VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER VFOTM --- APRIL - 2015 __________________________________________________ "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~ ><))))( *> About Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnJ Posted April 11, 2022 Share Posted April 11, 2022 Hi Thomas, As @grandpa and Tim @Fossildude19 said, you found an interesting chunk of chalcedony and chert or jasper. Here is a similar piece. 1 The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true. - JJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jared C Posted April 11, 2022 Share Posted April 11, 2022 Here in central texas, the ground below us comes from the Cretaceous period. Sperm whales, the producers of ambergris, didn't evolve until 20 million years ago, in the Miocene. The earliest whales in general didn't evolve until after the cretaceous as well 5 “Not only is the universe stranger than we think, it is stranger than we can think” -Werner Heisenberg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Kmiecik Posted April 11, 2022 Share Posted April 11, 2022 Ambergris is highly flammable. If it won't burn, it's not ambergris. Fossil ambergris is a dull grey color about 99% of the time, and when it isn't it's a dull beige color. 3 Mark. Fossil hunting is easy -- they don't run away when you shoot at them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FranzBernhard Posted April 12, 2022 Share Posted April 12, 2022 Welcome to TFF from Austria! As already stated, its most probably a chert nodule with some veining. 7 hours ago, ThomasM said: I have found some great fossils, Would you like to show off some of them? Many thanks! Franz Bernhard 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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