KateObrien Posted March 29 Share Posted March 29 I found this today on the beach in southern Oregon. I have never heard of a fossilized nut but figure this would be the place to ask! Link to post Share on other sites
fifbrindacier Posted March 29 Share Posted March 29 Hi, all I can say is I don't think that's a fossilised nut. Can you be more précise about the location and give us the size of your item ? Link to post Share on other sites
Fossildude19 Posted March 29 Share Posted March 29 I would try the Flame test on this. Hold it to a flame, and see if it catches fire, smokes or burns in any way. This looks like a modern nut, seed, or fruit pit. 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites
KateObrien Posted March 29 Author Share Posted March 29 Ok. Well, the hollow area. smoked a bit but didn’t light on fire so I suppose it is just a modern nut that is partly calcified. THANK YOU!! 1 Link to post Share on other sites
dolevfab Posted March 29 Share Posted March 29 8 hours ago, Fossildude19 said: I would try the Flame test on this. Hold it to a flame, and see if it catches fire, smokes or burns in any way. This looks like a modern nut, seed, or fruit pit. Lignified fossils can also burn... As does amber 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Fossildude19 Posted March 29 Share Posted March 29 40 minutes ago, dolevfab said: Lignified fossils can also burn... But then are they really fossils? Or would they be considered "subfossils"? Link to post Share on other sites
dolevfab Posted March 29 Share Posted March 29 (edited) 3 hours ago, Fossildude19 said: But then are they really fossils? Or would they be considered "subfossils"? Depends on what you mean... Plant material can remain mostly unchanged chemically for tens of millions of years. Also many fossil bones are the original non recrystalized apatite. In my opinion this issue doesnt really matter, there are plenty of modes of preservation of biological remains. Their scientific importance doesn't depend on how thoroughly fossilized they are, and this, in and of itself isn't a reliable indication of age. Edited March 29 by dolevfab 1 Link to post Share on other sites
doushantuo Posted March 29 Share Posted March 29 (edited) The thing the poster has shown us fairly quickly struck me as being carpological. Some of you may want to look up "carpology"", the subdiscipline of (paleo)botany that concerns itself with the study of (fossil) disseminules. edit : leaf wax alkanes last a long time Edited March 29 by doushantuo Link to post Share on other sites
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