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Finds Today That I Can't Id


Roadrunner

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And then there is this guy....which I can't even guess at.

Sizing

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Last one;

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Apparently, I need to clean my nails too. :blush:

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That last one is interesting, I'm not sure but it looks corally to me. The one before it is definitely coral - the radiating lines would indicate the center of the thing.. it's not complete - so they could both be the same.

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That last one is interesting, I'm not sure but it looks corally to me. The one before it is definitely coral - the radiating lines would indicate the center of the thing.. it's not complete - so they could both be the same.

What would it look like if it were complete? I had no idea that it wasn't.....

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It's hard to say, there is such variety in corals, but the basic pattern is a giveaway that it is a coral of some sort. Do an image search for tabulate coral, horn coral, Paleozoic coral or something, and look for that pattern, you'll see what I mean.

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Thank you for your help. I'll look some more - it seems different than the horn coral, and I haven't found anything with quite that pattern.

I appreciate your input, with your guidance at least I know that I'm on the right track.

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I know that this is a fossil forum, and there is a small what looks like a bivalve here. But I'm also very interested in what makes this geologic process.Does anyone know what this rock is and what causes it to erode in rectangles and squares?

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The photos by the cell phone, labeled "no clue", are solitary rugose corals. The "nautilus" (also called an ammonite by some) is certainly a section through a snail (gastropod), as there is no evidence of internal division into chambers (called "camerae"). Also the "nautilus" in post #10 is a chert (flint) nodule.

Overall, with the corals, crinoid stems, gastropods, and chert in massive limestone, I suspect you are looking at the Lake Valley Formation, which is Mississippian in age. Some parts of the formation, such as the Nunn Member, are more shaley and have lots of fossils, including crinoid calicies, that weather out completely. There is also Permian limestone in the area, but the fossils are different, mainly fusilinids.

I don't see any fossils in the first photo, I think that is probably a cool mineral specimen.

You live in an area with a lot of diversity in therms of ages and types of fossils to be found, once you start to learn the geology. I believe you are close to some Cambrian, and lots of Ordovician, Devonian, Mississippian, Pennsylvanian, Permian, and Cretaceous fossils. If you have not yet seen the book "Paleontology of New Mexico" by Barry Kues, I recommend picking up a copy or seeing if your library has one. You'll probably want a copy of your own though once you have a look at it.

Don

What Don says>

"Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence"_ Carl Sagen

No trees were killed in this posting......however, many innocent electrons were diverted from where they originally intended to go.

" I think, therefore I collect fossils." _ Me

"When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."__S. Holmes

"can't we all just get along?" Jack Nicholson from Mars Attacks

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So, your crystals in the first picture are most likely calcite. You can take hydrochloric acid or high strength white vinegar, and it should react when you place it on the crystal. Hydrochloric acid will react with any rocks that contain calcite(although you have to grind dolostone up to get a reaction). If it doesn't react, it's something else. Limestone will react as well, so break off a crystal, and try it on a different surface. The square "checkerboard" pattern appears to be from frost-wedging. Frost-wedging occurs when water seeps into cracks of the rock, freezes, and pushes the cracks apart. This usually occurs in arid to semi-arid environments; Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico are few good places. There's a geological structure near Springdale, Utah called "Checkerboard Mesa." That structure holds up to it's name with a checkerboard pattern. This process can also lead to hoodoos natural arches(For example, delicate arch and Bryce Canyon). As far as what kind of rock, I would like to say that it may be dolostone. Just grind a chunk up, and hit it with the acid (or vinegar). If the powder reacts, and the solid pieces don't, it's dolostone.

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So, your crystals in the first picture are most likely calcite. You can take hydrochloric acid or high strength white vinegar, and it should react when you place it on the crystal. Hydrochloric acid will react with any rocks that contain calcite(although you have to grind dolostone up to get a reaction). If it doesn't react, it's something else. Limestone will react as well, so break off a crystal, and try it on a different surface. The square "checkerboard" pattern appears to be from frost-wedging. Frost-wedging occurs when water seeps into cracks of the rock, freezes, and pushes the cracks apart. This usually occurs in arid to semi-arid environments; Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico are few good places. There's a geological structure near Springdale, Utah called "Checkerboard Mesa." That structure holds up to it's name with a checkerboard pattern. This process can also lead to hoodoos natural arches(For example, delicate arch and Bryce Canyon). As far as what kind of rock, I would like to say that it may be dolostone. Just grind a chunk up, and hit it with the acid (or vinegar). If the powder reacts, and the solid pieces don't, it's dolostone.

Will do, I'm happy to apply the test to the first sample....and thank you for the "checkerboard" explanation. :)

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  • 1 month later...

I ran across a lion today.

No fossil, but a carving that appears to be malachite. It appeared in this hole after we had floodwaters.

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Cleaned up;

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It looks like a bad version (possibly a knock-off) of the below that I found while perusing the internet;

https://www.onekingslane.com/vintage-market-finds/product/1105124

Another one here;

https://www.onekingslane.com/vintage-market-finds/product/1494454?or=1&utm_campaign=objects&utm_content=pla&utm_medium=feed&utm_source=google_shopping&utm_term=vmf&adwords_producttargetid=18283950120&device=c&keyword=&gclid=CNiL3YzhzrkCFexDMgodOHYAnw

I have no idea how old it is - though I'm guessing that it is machine carved instead of hand carved - I'm no expert.

He has a small chip at the end of his nose.

Does anyone know someone who might have any idea(s) or experience with such items?

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Ha!

Never found anything like that while out collecting!

I must admit it is rather unique. I figure it took a 100-year flood rains to have it appear in a hole in a side of a wall. B)

Later, I double-backed and walked above it to see if there were any houses around - but there weren't.

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I'm pretty sure this was....

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rock-spiral-dog-foot.jpg

.

.

This looks like it could be a trace fossil know as 'Ichnofacies' and if I was to narrow it down I would say it could be a spiral pascichnia (Spirorhaphe).

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.

This looks like it could be a trace fossil know as 'Ichnofacies' and if I was to narrow it down I would say it could be a spiral pascichnia (Spirorhaphe).

Thank you! I keep thinking of trying to clean it up - but I don't know where to start.

With this information I can look it up to see what I might expect. :D

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  • 3 months later...

I'm sure someone will be able to ID this. I'm thinking some type of coral? I was struggling with taking pictures in the afternoon sun.

Side;

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Another side;

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What looks like the top.

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Another of the top;

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In the view below, the top is lying face-down, and the bottom is facing up.

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And what looks like the bottom;

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And another of the bottom;

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Coral yes. More specifically, a solitary rugose coral. It appears to be silicified.

Context is critical.

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It could be Dibunophyllum, but it is often very difficult to identify rugose coral down to the generic level. In many cases, it would require cross-sectioning of the specimen to know for sure. At least yours is naturally sectioned, so a confirmation of id could be more likely. It would also help to find out which genera are reported from certain strata.

In our upper Pennsylvanian rocks around Kansas City, there is one type (Lophophyllidium) that tends to be rather common and widespread geographically and stratigraphically. A couple other types (Caninia and Neokoninckophyllum) are easy to id because they are reported from a certain stratigraphic horizon (Caninia) and area (Neokoninckophyllum). One other type (Geyerophyllum) has an unmistakable, widely flaring aperture. Any others are hopelessly obscure until I can figure out how to identify them.

Context is critical.

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Thanks.for all the information.

I'm still finding my fossils where there is a lot detritus rock, although there is a pretty solid rock cropping not too much further. The outcropping may be more obviously on someone's property, in which case I'll have to ask for permission. I went a mile or so further uphill today than where I typically hike.

I'll see if I can find more specific information on how to identify the coral more specifically, using what you stated.

I really love having the time to wander around looking. My dogs enjoy the walks, too!

You've been very helpful.

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Here are some for which I have little ideas. The first one especially, is a mystery to me. I'll bet someone here will recognize it.The bottom seems to have a coral on top of the original fossil.

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Below was probably a simple shell with the "fan-type" fossil (I forget it's name) around and over it.

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I'll have to retake the others - all on the same rock, as they came out blurry. I was struggling with afternoon shadows and a prickly pear cactus that was poking me to the right of the rock.

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This rock is still out on the field.

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And finally, this little guy was on a rock buried in the arroyo very close to the "My 1st Mystery" Boulder that the fella's came out to see.

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That's my little finger pointing at it in the shadows, and the host rock is still also still in the field. I have no idea how large the entire rock may be.

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The first one is a horn coral with a bend. These usually form when the coral polyp topples over and then resumes vertical growth. The size and length of the coral indicates Caninia torquia.

The second image shows a productid brachiopod of some kind (possibly Reticulata), along with a fenestrate bryozoan.

The third is probably a crinoid stem in cross section.

Context is critical.

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