Potato Posted May 26 Share Posted May 26 Hi, I am new to fossil hunting. I found this today on uk beach where the rocks are from the triassic/jurassic period. It is quite large and is corrugated, similar to corrugated iorn. does any body know what it is? Many thanks Link to post Share on other sites
Ludwigia Posted May 26 Share Posted May 26 Looks like a piece of porcelain to me. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Din0 Posted May 26 Share Posted May 26 Maybe a shell piece but most likely porcelain. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Brett Breakin' Rocks Posted May 26 Share Posted May 26 (edited) 3 hours ago, Potato said: does any body know what it is? Many thanks I'm curious about the texture. It doesn't really scream porcelain when looking at the break/thickness/overall texture and surface deformities. I think it is essentially a trace of ancient ripples/ripple marks in sandstone. Not uncommon here in Colorado on the edges of the interior seaway. The rock does have the look of a nice sandstone. For reference. Image Credit: Geology Page Morrison Formation Image Credit: AGU https://blogs.agu.org/mountainbeltway/2011/10/01/ripple-marks-and-cross-beds-in-the-morrison-formation/ One closer to home: White Strand (near Killard, county Clare, Ireland) Cheers, Brett Edited May 26 by Brett Breakin' Rocks 4 1 3 Link to post Share on other sites
Randyw Posted May 26 Share Posted May 26 2 minutes ago, Brett Breakin' Rocks said: I think is what is essentially a trace of ancient ripples/ripple marks in sandstone. Not uncommon here in Colorado on the edges of the interior seway. The rock does have the look of a nice sandstone Zooming in on the broken edge i have to agree. Not porcelain. I think @Brett Breakin' Rocks hit the nail on the head… 1 Link to post Share on other sites
TqB Posted May 27 Share Posted May 27 I agree ripple marks. They're common in the UK late Triassic/early Jurassic. 2 Link to post Share on other sites
doushantuo Posted May 27 Share Posted May 27 THX, Brett and Tarq, for informed opinion. Brett: great documentation. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Harry Pristis Posted May 27 Share Posted May 27 Not porcelain, not ripple marks, I think it is stoneware with a slip glaze that is wearing on the high points. But, check for a curve to the pieces (slight in these small chunks). Stoneware may have a curve, ripple marks shouldn't have a curve. It seems to me that, if it were ripple marks, there would be many pieces in the area. These few small pieces suggest that is was a stoneware item. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Ludwigia Posted May 27 Share Posted May 27 When I wrote "porcelain", I actually wanted to mention some kind of ceramic. I'm not up to date on the different species, so I'll go along with Harry's stoneware assessment, now that I've learned a bit more. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Bobby Rico Posted May 27 Share Posted May 27 (edited) It wood be good to see the other side of it. Edited May 27 by Bobby Rico 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Tidgy's Dad Posted May 27 Share Posted May 27 I have a picture of you on my wall, Mr. Potato. Can you give us a more precise location of the find, please? I have seen a lot of the ripple marks in South Wales and the Somerset coast and this doesn't resemble what I know, but there are a lot of man-made objects on these beaches as well. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Potato Posted May 27 Author Share Posted May 27 (edited) Hello everybody and thank you for taking intrest in this. I found it near Cardiff laying on top on top of the stones, it was pretty big in that is was approximately 40x40cm (15"x15"). I did not take it home. To me, it appeared to be made of rock, similar in texture to the surrounding cliffs and scree. It was quite brittle also, maybe if it was stoneware it would have been stronger and broken into sharper fragments? Unfortunately, this is the only photo I have of it. The back of it was flat, but still irregular, similar to the surrounding rocks. the back was more uniform in colour. Personally I don't think that this was manmade, but I am new to fossils so I cant be totally sure. Many thanks Edited May 27 by Potato typo 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Tidgy's Dad Posted May 27 Share Posted May 27 Cardiff, or Caerdydd, the capital of Wales is the most populous place in the country, not particularly known for its fossils, but certainly for man-made objects for millenia. Cymru am byth! 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Potato Posted May 27 Author Share Posted May 27 (edited) Hi, I found it at Lavernock point which is in between Cardiff and Barry (https://ukfossils.co.uk/2002/09/20/lavernock/). Diolch! photo is from https://ukfossils.co.uk/2002/09/20/lavernock/dscf0006-28/ Edited May 27 by Potato Link to post Share on other sites
Tidgy's Dad Posted May 27 Share Posted May 27 Sigh. I do wish people would give at least a rough location. Lavernock does have ripple marks in the rocks. Link to post Share on other sites
Randyw Posted May 28 Share Posted May 28 When i blow up the picture the side of it exactly matches the stone its laying on. They don’t match any stoneware, ceramic or porcelain I’m familiar with and I ran a ceramics business for a few years when i was younger. I’m still going with ripple marks…. especially at 40 cm by 40cm Link to post Share on other sites
debivort Posted May 28 Share Posted May 28 The cross section shows markings consistent with cross-bedding, which boosts the ripple interpretation. Link to post Share on other sites
Brett Breakin' Rocks Posted May 28 Share Posted May 28 3 hours ago, Tidgy's Dad said: Lavernock does have ripple marks in the rocks. Indeed, there is a paper mentioning the different ways these ripple marks present themselves in the formation at Lavernock Point specifically. https://data.jncc.gov.uk/data/64d9db3f-284d-4a36-b67d-b91899fbb82c/gcr-v24-permian-triassic-red-beds-c4.pdf Juuust in case there was any lingering questions.... I also found a visual of the noted formation and the way the ripples are presented. You can see the mineral veins running through both specimens. https://ougs.org/files/ssi/news/Sab_Times_December_2012.pdf Cheers, Brett 2 Link to post Share on other sites
Ludwigia Posted May 28 Share Posted May 28 Ok. I concede to ripple marks. Link to post Share on other sites
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