Rockhead Posted August 31, 2008 Share Posted August 31, 2008 Greetings, I am new to this site, I like it. This was found by my wife on a recent petrified wood gathering excursion in Central Texas. I believe this is definitely a fossil bone. It is about an 1-3/4” in length and a little over an 1” wide. It was found in two pieces and fit together. It is dense and fairly heavy. It appears to be hollow and have a ridge to one side. These are not the best macros for viewing and I tried to improve some focus problems to bring out some details. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MOROPUS Posted August 31, 2008 Share Posted August 31, 2008 Greetings,I am new to this site, I like it. This was found by my wife on a recent petrified wood gathering excursion in Central Texas. I believe this is definitely a fossil bone. It is about an 1-3/4” in length and a little over an 1” wide. It was found in two pieces and fit together. It is dense and fairly heavy. It appears to be hollow and have a ridge to one side. These are not the best macros for viewing and I tried to improve some focus problems to bring out some details. Yep, looks like bone.Similar to long bones (Femur?). Try to do burn a llittle piece, and you would see if it is fossil.If it stincks like burn hair, no fossil! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted August 31, 2008 Share Posted August 31, 2008 The cross section shows concentric structure lines; not very bone-like. Could it be ivory? Wood? "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phoenixflood Posted August 31, 2008 Share Posted August 31, 2008 I thought it was wood when I first saw it. But I could see how it may be bone as well. A bone fragment that size though would have holes for blood vessels and I don't see any. I don't think it's ivory either, just because of the S shape of the piece. Anyway, nice find The soul of a Fossil Hunter is one that is seeking, always. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Nicholas Posted August 31, 2008 Share Posted August 31, 2008 Looks bone like to me, not sure what it is though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracer Posted August 31, 2008 Share Posted August 31, 2008 t Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockhead Posted August 31, 2008 Author Share Posted August 31, 2008 The cross section shows concentric structure lines; not very bone-like. Could it be ivory? Wood? I thank all for their replies. Ya’ll have fueled my excitement and I now must quest to solve its origin. I think that the Ivory descriptions are interesting. The object is stone like. I have added a few more pics. I’m glad you pointed out the ring structure of the object. They are not as easy to see with the naked eye. Besides wood and clam shells, what other fossils have “growth rings”? Are rings found in teeth or tusks? I think this might be a really wild guess, but what about the saber toothed cat. This object does seem to have some likeness to a mid section of the fangs I viewed from the Wikipedia sites skull models and also some other online photos. They are closest things in similarity I have found so far. What do you think? Btw, we have found a lot of wood over the years, there and elsewhere, and none of it looks like this, not even close. This is slightly tapered like a tooth or claw section might have. I know that it really helps to be the one holding it when speculating on what it might be too. I do have a chunk of Alaskan Mammoth tusk with similar properties. (i.e.; ivory w/ring structure) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Nicholas Posted August 31, 2008 Share Posted August 31, 2008 I change my vote to wood now. These pictures are much better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted September 1, 2008 Share Posted September 1, 2008 Are rings found in teeth or tusks? No rings in teeth, only tusks. The broblem with tusk in this case is the wierd "recurve" in the cross section; I don't know how to reconcile that. "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracer Posted September 1, 2008 Share Posted September 1, 2008 t Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted September 1, 2008 Share Posted September 1, 2008 it isn't a tusk. No argument there, Tracer I just hate it when I've eliminated everything that something isn't, and there's nothing left for it to be! "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockhead Posted September 1, 2008 Author Share Posted September 1, 2008 No rings in teeth, only tusks. The broblem with tusk in this case is the wierd "recurve" in the cross section; I don't know how to reconcile that. When I first saw it I thought it was a (“femur”, etc…) long bone section too. It appeared to be 1/3 of the circle of a soup bone with the marrow cavity/hole in the center and a structural ridge to one side. The micro details that pop out in the photos are not easily distinguished without some optical assistance. The whitest exterior surface seems to have an enamel shine, or polish, to it. (Anyone notice was appears to be micro pores on the interior and exterior surface?) The cross section where you pointed out the rings is only 3/8” thick at the thickest point. I’m just guessing that the rings are near the .01” thickness. Some appear thicker and some thinner. Also, there are three holes (one slightly larger than the other two) exposed from a chip in the interior hollow that appear to travel lengthwise of the specimen, (Blood vessels?), except they do not appear to reach the brake. I’m beginning to think I should have titled this topic; “Woody, or ?” =) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracer Posted September 1, 2008 Share Posted September 1, 2008 t Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted September 1, 2008 Share Posted September 1, 2008 It's wood replaced by SI02 or CaCO3 or EIEIO. I've found wood replaced almost identically to that. It's a pseudomarshmallow of silicate after ligninousity. Yeah.............what he said. "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracer Posted September 1, 2008 Share Posted September 1, 2008 t Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted September 1, 2008 Share Posted September 1, 2008 I was in Selma yesterday for a couple of hours. If I had only known, I could have gotten a look at it. I would say from the pictures, that it is petrified wood. If you could narrow down the part of central TX that it was found (town or county), that might help with the ID. Ha! I just noticed that your avatar had 2 lizards in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockhead Posted September 1, 2008 Author Share Posted September 1, 2008 I was in Selma yesterday for a couple of hours. If I had only known, I could have gotten a look at it.I would say from the pictures, that it is petrified wood. If you could narrow down the part of central TX that it was found (town or county), that might help with the ID. Ha! I just noticed that your avatar had 2 lizards in it. Mike, This piece was picked up in a watermelon patch/oil field near Luling where very sandy soil and lots of petrified wood are to be found. I now agree with the consensus of it being replaced wood. At a glance it looks like a bone but the more I look at it the less bone like it is. It just stood out in the crowd with color and texture so I had to ask. Thanks to all here this mini mystery is solved and I learned something too. If you are back in the area and have time for a quick visit maybe we can do that. PM me and I’ll give you my number. Thanks, Richard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracer Posted September 1, 2008 Share Posted September 1, 2008 t Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockhead Posted September 2, 2008 Author Share Posted September 2, 2008 Claiborne Group - Eocene. tracer, Thanks for the very informative reply(s). And I for one would love to see some of your petrified wood. R Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted September 2, 2008 Share Posted September 2, 2008 Mike,This piece was picked up in a watermelon patch/oil field near Luling where very sandy soil and lots of petrified wood are to be found. I now agree with the consensus of it being replaced wood. At a glance it looks like a bone but the more I look at it the less bone like it is. It just stood out in the crowd with color and texture so I had to ask. Thanks to all here this mini mystery is solved and I learned something too. If you are back in the area and have time for a quick visit maybe we can do that. PM me and I’ll give you my number. Thanks, Richard Pet wood it is then. I found a piece today on the Brazos that looks a lot like like bone. Of course I was looking for bones and everything was starting to look like bones until I picked it up. I'll PM you next time I'm headed that way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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