Muffinsaurus Posted July 28, 2022 Share Posted July 28, 2022 A few weeks ago I went along AA Highway here in Kentucky and collected a number of mortality plates from the side of the road. I had cleaned up this plate and had it sitting to the side as I tried to figure out how I was going to display it. One of my cats knocked it over last night and split off a chunk that exposed this concretion looking thing that was hidden beneath the top layer of crushed brachiopod shells. Unfortunately when I picked it up to examine it, the top of this concretion looking thing fell off. It sent little fragments everywhere. When I looked back to the main part of the mortality plate I saw this shape. I'm not sure if this is anything of any importance or just an anomaly of the rock. My brain keeps telling me that it looks like bone of some sort (well impression of bone), but I know I'm not experienced enough to know. I collected the top of the concretion looking thing and what fragments I could find and took a picture of them as well. I couldn't pick up the other fragments as they just crumbled in my fingers. Also, I guess it's would be important information this concretion looking things is a little over 3 inches long and about an inch and a half wide. Did my cat just find something of importance in my mortality plate? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted July 28, 2022 Share Posted July 28, 2022 I think this may be an imprint of an ichnofossil - an infilled burrow, to be more precise. 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...
Rockwood Posted July 28, 2022 Share Posted July 28, 2022 Or a poorly preserved/weathered bryozoan ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilNerd Posted July 28, 2022 Share Posted July 28, 2022 Definitely not a bone if from the AA. What it is, I’m not sure, but ichnofossil or weathered bryozoan could be possibilities. So too could mineral deposit or staining I think. Hard to say for sure. 1 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) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muffinsaurus Posted July 29, 2022 Author Share Posted July 29, 2022 Thank you all for clearing that up for me. I was so worried that there was a fish or amphibian bone in this and my cat destroyed it. I was 99% sure it wasn't, but just that 1% chance had me freaked out. So it's a relief to know its not bone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockwood Posted July 29, 2022 Share Posted July 29, 2022 Accidental breaks are responsible for many informative discoveries, and in general are not taken as a big problem. They can usually be repaired if need be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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