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Cayr

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Hello,

Can anyone identify this small fossil? Found on the shore of Lake Erie in western Pennsylvania, USA.  Approximately .56 inch/ 1.42 cm each side. 
 

Thanks in advance!

095AAB16-51AC-4786-AEC3-16AB32F73688.jpeg

2C3B4F2E-C229-4FE1-9128-65B30F5DDE5C.jpeg

F8A3420E-ED0F-4817-B9AE-3B3595C4B0C2.jpeg

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This could be a water worn pebble of crystallized slag with nice dendritic crystal growth.

Franz Bernhard

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Some crinoids have an intricate filter basket of feeding appendages. Could this be an example ?

Edited by Rockwood
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Thanks for the replies! It's definitely made of stone and doesn't seem man made.  It's very small and is not pottery of any kind.  I have a degree in Anthropology, and while I'm not adept at identifying fossils, I have lots of experience with artifacts. 

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No, it's not metallic. I did wet it for the first two pictures as it was easier to see the pattern when wet. It just feels like the same type of calcium carbonate stone as every other fossil I've found at the lake. I usually find coral- mostly horn coral. I've never found anything that looks like this before.

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1 hour ago, Cayr said:

It just feels like the same type of calcium carbonate stone

Please try an acid test!

Franz Bernhard

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22 minutes ago, Cayr said:

No fizz! But two other fossils I tested did. Does that mean it’s likely slag?

Very good, you did also a control test!

At least, the specimen in question is not composed of calcium carbonate.

At the moment, I am still sticking to my interpretation that this pebble is some kind of water-worn, crystallized slag.

Have you found any other slag, ceramic, pottery, glass etc. in that area?

Franz Bernhard

Edited by FranzBernhard
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A few small pieces of slag, but differently shaped- much thicker- and always a deep blue color. The only pottery I’ve found are pieces of broken china or pieces of basic red clay pots. I find beach glass, which is typical for Great Lakes beaches. 

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5 minutes ago, Cayr said:

A few small pieces of slag, but differently shaped- much thicker- and always a deep blue color. The only pottery I’ve found are pieces of broken china or pieces of basic red clay pots. I find beach glass, which is typical for Great Lakes beaches. 

So it is not uncommon to find quite a variety of man-made stuff there. Such crystallized slags are usually(??) not super-abundant, but I have some greenish slags with cm-long, interlocking crystals, but not as regular as yours. Most slag from that same heap is glassy, though.

Antimonschlacke_Neustift.jpg

Franz Bernhard

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Yes, there is quite a variety, but most falls into the category of garbage- especially the glass- broken bottles and dishes. Large number of animal bones and other natural things as well. 
 

I can see that there is some similarity with your pieces. I will say that this piece has such distinctive and textured surfaces, that it was easily spotted with the naked eye, even though it’s only 1.4 centimeters wide and I’m pretty old! There was industry in the area about 4 decades ago, but it was paper manufacturing, no steel furnaces anywhere near here I’m aware of. Thanks for your help!

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There are two possibilities in my thinking, one is geological the other is artifact.

" We are not separate and independent entities, but like links in a chain, and we could not by any means be what we are without those who went before us and showed us the way. "

Thomas Mann

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10 hours ago, Cayr said:

 pieces of broken china

Maybe it's some kind of high tech slag from a cooking pot that was forgotten on high for a bit too long ?

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