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My husband and I like to go on walks along the wooded dirt trails behind our home. Last winter, we stumbled upon a particular stretch of path. It was constructed using refractory bricks smack dab in the middle of the woods. It wasn’t until recently when we decided to revisit the area. One does not simply stumble upon an old brick path in the middle of the woods. It had to have once led somewhere. We did, in fact, find an old stone well nearby. Across from the well, there’s the foundation of a house that’s nothing but rubble. I also found an A&W Root Beer can amongst the rubble. It was the 1968 to 1995 A&W logo. 
 

Most of the bricks were branded, but I could hardly make out the wording. The name Louis was clear as day on quite a few of the smaller fragments, but the more intact bricks had lettering that was harder to read. I managed to find a single brick that wasn’t so weathered. I knelt down to read what was branded on it, but this little coral fragment caught my attention. It was wedged between the bricks in the center of the path, almost as if it were placed there intentionally. I don’t see how else it could have gotten there. 


After further inspection, the coral (a honeycomb coral) appears to be fused to an unidentifiable species of mollusk. Fossilized oysters and clams are common finds in my area, but this is the first fossilized coral I’ve found.

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This looks more like a historic coral fragment... possibly a treasure acquired on a coastal trip or an old aquarium decoration. 

 

I love old house sites.  

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The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true.  -  JJ

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3 minutes ago, JohnJ said:

This looks more like a historic coral fragment... possibly a treasure acquired on a coastal trip or an old aquarium decoration. 

 

I love old house sites.  

I thought it an odd place to find it. One of the very first things I did when I got home was Google whether anyone else in my area has found fossilized corals. Nothing popped up. Just a few posts about the usual finds. Maybe you’re right. If so, I wonder how it got there. The area is heavily wooded. I also wonder how someone was able to build a house there. There aren’t any roads or nearby houses/communities. 

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1 hour ago, Chelsie said:

The area is heavily wooded. I also wonder how someone was able to build a house there. There aren’t any roads or nearby houses/communities.

You would be amazed how heavily wooded an area can become in 40 - 50 years.  Dirt or gravel roads can silt in and be filled with trees and shrubs.  There's probably one around somewhere.

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5 hours ago, Chelsie said:

Maybe you’re right. If so, I wonder how it got there. The area is heavily wooded. I also wonder how someone was able to build a house there. There aren’t any roads or nearby houses/communities. 

Any LIDAR / ALS maps freely available of your area?

Franz Bernhard

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9 hours ago, FranzBernhard said:

Any LIDAR / ALS maps freely available of your area?

Franz Bernhard

Not that I could find, but I’m not entirely sure where to start looking. 

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55 minutes ago, Chelsie said:

Not that I could find, but I’m not entirely sure where to start looking. 

You know already this one?

GIS Maps and Data Texas

(Have not checked it out, though)

Franz Bernhard

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20 hours ago, Chelsie said:

I thought it an odd place to find it. One of the very first things I did when I got home was Google whether anyone else in my area has found fossilized corals. Nothing popped up. Just a few posts about the usual finds. Maybe you’re right. If so, I wonder how it got there. The area is heavily wooded. I also wonder how someone was able to build a house there. There aren’t any roads or nearby houses/communities. 

I forgot to ask! Why do you think that maybe this specimen didn’t originate where I found it? Is jt because it was mixed in with the brick path, or does something about the appearance make you question where it actually came from?

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On 1/17/2023 at 6:06 PM, Chelsie said:

I forgot to ask! Why do you think that maybe this specimen didn’t originate where I found it? Is jt because it was mixed in with the brick path, or does something about the appearance make you question where it actually came from?

 

It closely resembles modern specimens of honeycomb coral.  Further, there are no coral fossils like that in the Sherman, Texas geologic region.  The fact it was found at an old house site just helps explain why it is out of context.

The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true.  -  JJ

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54 minutes ago, JohnJ said:

 

It closely resembles modern specimens of honeycomb coral.  Further, there are no coral fossils like that in the Sherman, Texas geologic region.  The fact it was found at an old house site just helps explain why it is out of context.


There is a species of Cretaceous coral at Sherman that grows on the fossil Cameleolopha oysters.

 


“Although unidentified, this coral looks a lot like Hindeastraea discoidea  (which occurs in the yellowish calcite-cemented sandstone layers in the upper part of the Arcadia Park Formation) as found in this reference: 

 

Perkins, Bob F. 1951. Hindeastraea discoidea White from the Eagle Ford Shale, Dallas County, Texas. Fondren Science Series 2: 1–11. 

 

Try this link for the pdf copy:”  https://sites.smu.edu/shulermuseum/publication_pdfs/fondren_sci/v2-Perkins1951a.pdf

 

 

 

 

 

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My goal is to leave no stone or fossil unturned.   

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@DPS Ammonite

 

Thanks, John.  I mistakenly assumed @Chelsie's coral was just very dirty, and I forgot about your find.  It would be great to see her find cleaned a bit to see if there is evidence it is younger than the Eagle Ford coral.  Otherwise, I must admit there are similarities with your specimen and this one posted by @galaxy777.  

 

There are Eagle Ford strata in the Sherman area.  So, it could be the home site is near those strata or the old owners enjoyed finding ancient fossils.  Either way, I stand corrected.  :fistbump:

 

 

The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true.  -  JJ

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14 hours ago, JohnJ said:

@DPS Ammonite

 

Thanks, John.  I mistakenly assumed @Chelsie's coral was just very dirty, and I forgot about your find.  It would be great to see her find cleaned a bit to see if there is evidence it is younger than the Eagle Ford coral.  Otherwise, I must admit there are similarities with your specimen and this one posted by @galaxy777.  

 

There are Eagle Ford strata in the Sherman area.  So, it could be the home site is near those strata or the old owners enjoyed finding ancient fossils.  Either way, I stand corrected.  :fistbump:

 

 

We do live by Post Oak Creek, which actually cuts through the woods nearby where it was found. That’s why we went out walking that day, but got distracted when we rediscovered the brick path. We have been trying to find another access point to the creek closer to home due to there being construction at our usual spot. We’re also hoping to find a spot that isn’t so picked through by the public. As for the specimen needing cleaned up, that’s as good as it’s going to get. I let it soak and scrubbed it with a toothbrush several different times. What looks like dirt is actually solidified. Any suggestions?

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11 minutes ago, Chelsie said:

What looks like dirt is actually solidified. Any suggestions?

Leave it as is. It has more detail than most of the corals from there.

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My goal is to leave no stone or fossil unturned.   

See my Arizona Paleontology Guide    link  The best single resource for Arizona paleontology anywhere.       

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I agree with @DPS Ammonite.  A toothbrush and water are sufficient to clean it.

 

Congratulations on a local, unusual find.

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On 1/18/2023 at 10:48 AM, DPS Ammonite said:

Leave it as is. It has more detail than most of the corals from there.

My thoughts exactly! I looked at the pictures that you shared. Mine also seems larger than most, on top of being more detailed. If people are finding them IN the creek, that’s probably why those specimens are smoother and worn down. Just sucks that the oyster on mine is so damaged. You can’t even tell it’s there unless you flip the whole thing upside down, but that’s okay. I’m still fascinated by it. I was so surprised when I realized that it was a two-in-one! 

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Chelsie, there are also branching bryozoans that attach themselves to the oysters along Post Oak Creek. Someone needs to officially describe them in a publication.

 

http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/topic/35683-coral-from-post-oak-creek-in-texas/

 

 

 

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My goal is to leave no stone or fossil unturned.   

See my Arizona Paleontology Guide    link  The best single resource for Arizona paleontology anywhere.       

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@DPS Ammonite I wish that there was more information online about finds from Post Oak Creek in general. Up until now, I just thought that people were finding shark teeth and oysters. That’s pretty much all I’ve been able to find. I’ve heard rumors of mammoth and bison teeth/bones and arrowheads, but I’ve yet to come across anything other than butchered cow and pig bones that were dumped here back in the day. I also know that there’s tons of septarian in the creek. It’s hardly talked about. I can’t even find proper identification online for the shark teeth that I’ve found. You’d think that someone well-versed in this kind of stuff would have published something about the shark teeth that even newbies could use to identify what they’ve found. 

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You have to look in many different publications and websites to see all the fossils that have been found at Post Oak Creek. I think that the area would be a prime subject for a fossil guide similar to  the “Fossil Collector's Guidebook to the North Sulphur River Volume 4” that the Dallas Paleontological Society published. (Hint, hint.)

https://www.dallaspaleo.org/Sys/Store/Products/144548

 

The “Fossil Collector's Guidebook to the North Sulphur River Volume 4” will help ID some of the Quaternary fossils found at Post Oak Creek. 

 

Sign up for membership in the Dallas Paleontological Society; they have lots of info on the fossils in Sherman.

 

For Texas shark teeth check out The Collector’s Guide to Fossil Sharks and Rays from the Cretaceous of Texas by Walton and Farish.

 

Lance Hall’s North Texas Fossil website is useful:

http://northtexasfossils.com

 

 

Search for fossils from Sherman by looking at fossils found in the local rock units such as: Eagle Ford Formation/Group; Arcadia Park Formation; Austin Chalk Group/Formation and possible the Atco Formation which occurs to the south in Plano.

 

Lastly, search in the Fossil Forum using terms in previous paragraph; we have lots of info. 

 

 

 

 

 

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My goal is to leave no stone or fossil unturned.   

See my Arizona Paleontology Guide    link  The best single resource for Arizona paleontology anywhere.       

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On 1/19/2023 at 2:29 PM, DPS Ammonite said:

Chelsie, there are also branching bryozoans that attach themselves to the oysters along Post Oak Creek.

I have one of those, I think! Not sure what the wavy specimen on the bottom is, though.  

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8 minutes ago, Chelsie said:

I have one of those, I think! Not sure what the wavy specimen on the bottom is, though.  

CC464579-1944-4DE0-A08C-F13DA4080345.jpeg

Show us more views, top, bottom and other side of the “wavy specimen”. What is it made of: sandstone; calcite etc?

My goal is to leave no stone or fossil unturned.   

See my Arizona Paleontology Guide    link  The best single resource for Arizona paleontology anywhere.       

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12 minutes ago, DPS Ammonite said:

Show us more views, top, bottom and other side of the “wavy specimen”.

Not sure what it’s made of, but it does resemble calcite. Light refracts off of what appears to be crystals where I’ve circled. You can’t tell from the images, though. I can’t get a clear video of it either. It’s hardly noticeable. 

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If calcite, (put in acid to see if it fizzes) it probably is part of an inoceramid oyster hinge.

 

 

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My goal is to leave no stone or fossil unturned.   

See my Arizona Paleontology Guide    link  The best single resource for Arizona paleontology anywhere.       

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