Seahorse fossil

[Rowan]

Hello. Happy to be included in the group. Thank you.

I found a rock that appeared to have a fossil inside. Driving back to Toronto last summer we pulled off the highway at a rest stop in the mountains of Pennsylvania. I spotted the interesting piece in relatively new crushed rock that was placed along an embankment. I assume placed to to help with erosion.

After a vinegar bath to soften the rock, I have been using my Dremel to carefully expose the seahorse. I presume the fossil must be very old to find it in the Appalachian mountains, but I cant find much information online about the fossil itself.

Any info provided would be greatly appreciated. 

I have attached a few pics of the very slow progress to date.

Regards

[Kane]

This looks as though the Dremel carved a seahorse into a stone. 

[bssd12000]

I would take to your local natural history museum. It appears that seahorse fossils are extremely rare and have so far only been found in 2 places and neither of them anywhere near “north america” the sites I read said most apparently seahorse fossils are man made. But that is not to say yours is. If in fact it is an actual seahorse fossil you have a prize! But it needs to be physically looked at by a professional 

[Top Trilo]

Welcome from Colorado USA, Kane is right, this is not a sea horse. The shape has been carved by the Dremel and most rocks in Pennsylvania are way too old especially since sea horses are a relatively young group.

[Fossildude19]

Welcome to the Forum.  

Topic moved to FOSSIL ID. 

 

Seahorses did not evolve until the Miocene era.  There are no Miocene deposits in Pennsylvania.

 

 

 

The majority of sediments exposed in PA are Carboniferous and Devonian in age - WAY too old for seahorse fossils to have been around.

In fact, the rock looks like Carboniferous aged black shale to me.

 

It looks like you did what any good carver does, and followed the shape of the rock while carving with the dremel,  to  expose what you imagined was inside.

Not a half bad attempt, but not a real seahorse fossil.

 

For example:

 

 

 

 

[Fossildude19]

42 minutes ago, bssd12000 said:

 ... It appears that seahorse fossils are extremely rare and have so far only been found in 2 places and neither of them anywhere near “north america” the sites I read said most apparently seahorse fossils are man made....

 

Syngnathidae fossils (Seahorses, seadragons, and pipefishes) HAVE been found in Mexico and California, just for your information. 

[Rowan]

Thank you for your feedback.

So basically I understand I am carving a seahorse out of stone with artistic talent? I am not that talented, but thank you for the compliments.

I think I will contact the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) and see what they suggest.

I have also attached a map of the convergent genetic adaptations in seahorse evolution.  

I will update you as I hear.

 

[Ludwigia]

6 minutes ago, Rowan said:

I think I will contact the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) and see what they suggest.

Good idea. I'm sure that they'll confirm what you're being told here, but it's always good to get a second opinion.

[rocket]

for me it´s a nice piece of art, seahorse carved in stone. Well done! but not fossil

[Fossildude19]

1 hour ago, Rowan said:

I have also attached a map of the convergent genetic adaptations in seahorse evolution.  

I will update you as I hear.

 

 

 

This image really has no bearing on whether your item is a fossil or not. 

 

Also, you may have more talent than you thought.

 

Also of note - the fact that your item is 3 dimensional.

All the seahorse fossils I have ever seen have been compression fossils, found in limestones or shales.

 

[Troodon]

This is a new one on me. 

How do you rationalize that the rock was found in a deposit that is around 300mya and seahorses did not exist until around 25 mya, unless its a hoax.  It also looks nothing like those shown in Tim's examples.

 

The ROM is a great place to go since it would fit nicely in their gift shop.  You do have talent.

 

[Randyw]

I have to agree with the others. Not a sea horse but you have carved it into a nice impressionistic approximation of one!

[jpc]

I would not take it to the ROM.  The advice you are getting here is very high level.  It is not a seahorse, do please, as a museum person who knows the people at the rom, no need to waste their time.

[Mahnmut]

This reminds me of the bonmot about how easy it is to be a sculptor: just take a rock and cut away anything that does not look like a lion.

 

With fossils there is the additional task of not cutting away the fossil. If this had been a fossil, it would be destroyed now.

As it is, you took a rock resembling a seahorse and turned it into a beautiful little sculpture.

Cheers,

J

[FranzBernhard]

15 hours ago, Rowan said:

I have been using my Dremel to carefully expose the seahorse.

I consider your post as poking a little fun at us. No problem with that .

 

13 hours ago, Rowan said:

I am not that talented, but thank you for the compliments.

You are!

 

Franz Bernhard

[Mahnmut]

[RuMert]

This is a whole new level - lots of people claim their rock is a rare fossil, but nobody has yet prepped it into one