Need some help identifying if it’s a fossil (Collected from Rhode Island)

[veenasaur]

Just came back from a fossil hunting trip. Most of my findings are on softer shale rocks so they’re very delicate. Really would appreciate your help to identify whether they’re a fossil or just a cool looking rock. I have tried my best to take good pictures but I am willing to post again if anyone wants a different angle.

[Fossildude19]

Were these found at Cory's Lane?

Some of them could be decorticated bark/tree ferns.

[veenasaur]

Yes I found them at Corys lane. The shale is very delicate. Do you have any suggestions on how to preserve them so that they don’t crumble. One of the fossils the fern one slightly rubbed off when I tried to clean it. Is it beyond saving?

Edited January 29, 2023 by veenasaur

[Fossildude19]

Unfortunately, yes.  The material there is very much like graphite, and just as fragile. Some people use art fixative or hairspray to try to preserve the fern type fossils from there. @Bguild has a lot of experience at that location - maybe he will weigh in.

[veenasaur]

I’ll look into it. Thanks a lot anyways.

[Mahnmut]

Hi,

good luck with the preservation!

I just want to add a personal observation: although I am often in the "could be something"-camp, I would not have recognized any fossil here and labeled it all metamorphic shale structure. 

That just shows how much knowledge (or my lack of it) of a specific region can contribute to recognition of delicate fossils.

best Regards,

J

[Rockwood]

I think a lot of the shale at that location was essentially a slurry of plant fiber and clay. Kind of like a natural pencil lead.  

[veenasaur]

Yes that gives me more perspective on why the rocks in that part are so delicate. I will try going when it’s low tide so that I can get more access to the rocks that were not crumbling and would preserve the fossils better but I think it was a good trip for it being my first.

[Pseudogygites]

This is not related to the fossil-content of these pieces, but I just wanted to say that the scratch marks in picture #5 look a bit like glacial striations (marks left by glaciers/rocks under glaciers as they advanced or retreated across the landscape) to me! If that is the case that's also pretty cool!

[Rockwood]

Sorry. I do see the similarity, but the shoreline at that site has almost certainly been eroded past the point where striations would have been seen. 

[Bguild]

Hey guys - late to the party! @veenasaur I frequent Cory's Lane and am quite familiar with the rock there. You do indeed have a fossil . The one below is a tree fern pinnule. The preservation doesn't show any veins so we can't definitively ID it further, but if I were a betting man this would be pecopteris sp based on the shape alone and the fact that it's the most common fern I find at this location.

The others you found look like suggestive rocks vs fossils. As mentioned the shale at this spot is quite fragile. What you actually want to do is avoid the fragile shale on the surface and dig down into the beach a few inches to a foot to find a layer of darker gray shale that's quite hard. That's where you'll find abundant fossils and better preservation! Avoid anything that flakes! 

 

Check out my profile for examples.

 

In terms of preserving these fossils I take a bit of Polyvinyl beads (can be acquired online) and mix them into a bit of Acetone. This essentially creates a diluted clear glue. From there I'll take a brush and paint over the fossil on the rock. It does a good job of highlighting and preserving the fossils. I only do this for my better finds as it is a little bit of a process.

Edited February 2, 2023 by Bguild

[Bguild]

Ah these are fossils as well! They're cyperites

[Rockwood]

12 minutes ago, Bguild said:

Ah these are fossils as well! They're cyperites

Could be all right. The flakey stuff has fossils in it, but they are not usually plentiful or very complete.

[veenasaur]

23 hours ago, Bguild said:

Hey guys - late to the party! @veenasaur I frequent Cory's Lane and am quite familiar with the rock there. You do indeed have a fossil . The one below is a tree fern pinnule. The preservation doesn't show any veins so we can't definitively ID it further, but if I were a betting man this would be pecopteris sp based on the shape alone and the fact that it's the most common fern I find at this location.

The others you found look like suggestive rocks vs fossils. As mentioned the shale at this spot is quite fragile. What you actually want to do is avoid the fragile shale on the surface and dig down into the beach a few inches to a foot to find a layer of darker gray shale that's quite hard. That's where you'll find abundant fossils and better preservation! Avoid anything that flakes! 

 

Check out my profile for examples.

 

In terms of preserving these fossils I take a bit of Polyvinyl beads (can be acquired online) and mix them into a bit of Acetone. This essentially creates a diluted clear glue. From there I'll take a brush and paint over the fossil on the rock. It does a good job of highlighting and preserving the fossils. I only do this for my better finds as it is a little bit of a process.

Thanks a lot for the info. This was my first time and we went somewhere between high and low tide so we couldn’t access much of the beach and picked up whatever didn’t look much like a rock. The shale we pulled from the cliffs was crumbling down and this fern fossil was the only one that was a bit sturdy than the rest. It has been a great learning experience so far and I’m learning and looking forward to another visit where I am hopeful to find a decent specimen.