Paleo Dude Posted August 16, 2013 Share Posted August 16, 2013 I have been interested in Marine (Algae) Microfossils from the 500 to 550 million period for about 2-1/2 years now. Rhyne Chert and Orsten-Type are the ones most fascinating to me. I searched your site to see if anyone has posted pictures, info, blogs or forums on these two subjects, and came up empty handed. Nothing that I could find at least. Normally I don't post Microfossil pictures anywhere for several reasons. 75% of the people have no idea what they are looking at so just make fun of the pictures, The other 25% say that Southern Oregon can't have Microfossils of this nature. So it's not worth the time and effort. What the heck; I will post a couple of pictures I took. These just happen to be recent and from the same rock. I have been working on this for a very long time, have thousands of pictures and several thousand rocks to still look at. Very hard on the eyes! Have fun looking at them! All pictures are anywhere from approximately 250X to 1500X. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted August 16, 2013 Share Posted August 16, 2013 Terrific topic, in an obscure field of study You are breaking new ground for the Forum here; our experience is that there are others 'out there' with similar interests, and they will find this discussion via search-engine and join in. The more specialized and obscure the subject, the longer it may take to gain traction, but the more pleased all involved will be at having found a locus for sharing. "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...
Paleo Dude Posted August 16, 2013 Author Share Posted August 16, 2013 Terrific topic, in an obscure field of study You are breaking new ground for the Forum here; our experience is that there are others 'out there' with similar interests, and they will find this discussion via search-engine and join in. The more specialized and obscure the subject, the longer it may take to gain traction, but the more pleased all involved will be at having found a locus for sharing. Thanks so much. I appreciate the comment. Everything I have is "Obscure" (a very good word, BTW) and normally rejected as not possible. A very sad situation for a community that should want to learn, but refuse to take off their blinders. It will be good if people link to this; as you realize only China and Sweden (maybe some in Scotland) have Orsten-Type fossils. Not to mention Oregon. Keep in mind these are all 3-D. If a fossil is near the edge of the specimen, the rock can be turned to see the side and back of the fossil. Everything from above was captured from a 1/2" x 3/4" rock. I will post more pictures with recognizable subject matter. The first two pictures below are normal Microfossils from the exterior of normal rock. Both are approximately 1000X. The rest are Orsten-Type. Thank you again and best wishes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plantguy Posted August 17, 2013 Share Posted August 17, 2013 Hi Paleo guy, thanks for showing us the photos! Can you tell which photos correspond to what formations/locales? Are these all Oregon shots? If you have any or if any of these are from the Rhynie Chert from Scotland I'd be especially interested in seeing what they have all been about . Last year I tried unsuccessfully to acquire an inexpensive sample from ebay on a number of occasions as a matter of curiosity about older plant types preserved in that siliceous material. I dont have a scope to pursue/view microfossils on my own but have seen photos of the Rhynia fossils/reconstructions and 3D stuff is always interesting. Thanks for the post. Welcome to the forum! Regards, Chris . 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paleo Dude Posted August 17, 2013 Author Share Posted August 17, 2013 Hi Chris, All of the above are from rocks on my property in southern Oregon. All fossils on my property are surface finds so digging is not necessary. And all of the above shots just happen to be from three very small rocks. I have many more pictures but I liked these and wanted to share. Since the area I live in went through a massive amount of faulting, volcanic activity, shallow warm seas, etc., and all finds are on the surface, it's hard to define a formation. Applegate is what everyone says, but what I have on my property does not match that conclusion. As you probably realize, these Orsten-Type rocks are from the Paleozoic Era. Probably. I am going to include a couple of more photos. The first one is of some sort of larvae and does not seem to match anything they have found in China and Sweden. It looks like a "devil" to me and is strange. The first and second picture are from the same rock as most of the above pictures. That one rock gave me hundreds of shots and I have not yet processed them all. The last picture is from a different rock; don't have notes in front of me and I have forgotten which one. I don't think it's Orsten. Thanks so much; enjoy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcoSr Posted August 17, 2013 Share Posted August 17, 2013 Very interesting topic and outstanding photos. Have you tried discussing what you have found so far with any museum folks? I can maybe understand average fossil folks not appreciating what you are finding. They are more interested in the much larger fossils. However, there should be marine algae experts who should be extremely interested in what you are finding in Oregon. With thousands of pictures, what you have must be of great value to science and fossil marine algae knowledge. Marco Sr. 1 "Any day that you can fossil hunt is a great day." My family fossil website Some Of My Shark, Ray, Fish And Other Micros My Extant Shark Jaw Collection Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AgrilusHunter Posted August 17, 2013 Share Posted August 17, 2013 Hi Paleo Dude, These are interesting. I do see the structures you are mentioning and they do resemble algae, though I'm not sold on 'larvae' for the first image in your last post. I'm most interested in your methodology for taking these images. Are these thin sections of the rock you mention? The photographs are quite impressive! I'm also interested in the mineralogy of the hosting rocks. What is their composition? Are they a cryptocrystalline material? 1 "They ... savoured the strange warm glow of being much more ignorant than ordinary people, who were only ignorant of ordinary things." -- Terry Pratchett Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted August 17, 2013 Share Posted August 17, 2013 Hi Paleo Dude, These are interesting. I do see the structures you are mentioning and they do resemble algae, though I'm not sold on 'larvae' for the first image in your last post. I'm most interested in your methodology for taking these images. Are these thin sections of the rock you mention? The photographs are quite impressive! I'm also interested in the mineralogy of the hosting rocks. What is their composition? Are they a cryptocrystalline material? The other question begging to be asked is "what is the age of these rocks?". You mention a figure of 500-550 MYBP in your topic opening post; is this the known age of the rocks you are sampling? 1 "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...
Paleo Dude Posted August 18, 2013 Author Share Posted August 18, 2013 My ISP just came back up; sorry for the delay in answering. I am going to answer all questions with one simple statement. Please do not take my "generalization" as applying to everyone in southern Oregon, or against the people interested in fossils and artifacts. I am not posting this to debate the subject or start an argument. This reply will probably be deleted by the Administrator in very short order. When you live in a depressed, under-educated, unemployed, very religious and radically-conservative area such as I live in now (I retired here from a life in Silicon Valley) there is no interest in "fossils" from the general population, academia or the "Experts." I am clumping all Professors, Doctor's, Museum's, Universities, Rock Clubs, Geologists, State hired Professionals, Rock Shop Owners, people on forums that think they know everything, Paleontologists and everyone else in this game in the "Expert" category. I have spoken to all the above, plus many more you can't even imagine, in the past several years. I have sent pictures, letters, e-mails, etc. to literally hundreds and hundreds of people. I invited SOU and every School/University to come and dig on my property. One can't walk 5 feet and not tread on a Marine Fossil on my land. What I get back from the Experts is ridicule, hatred, insults, accusations of lying, laughter, condescending remarks and everything else imaginable. I am told that no one, especially an Engineer from California, has ever found a fossil in this area of Oregon. Yet, not one person will step foot, even when personally invited, to verify my claim. Bottom Line: I have been told I have no fossils, PERIOD. I have been told, by the Geologist for the State of Oregon no less, no not bother them with "Fossil-Talk" any longer. I have been threatened by a religious neighbor that believes the Earth is 6,000 years old to stop my madness, plus he reminds me that he prays for me daily. I have been banned from The Fossil Forum three times now for claiming I have fossils, so I now have to join under false names. One Administrator insinuated I was making my fossils. I always remained polite; I have never once argued with anyone. Yes, I go out to my wood-shop and whittle-away with my tools in my spare time to make all fossils... If something does not look like it's supposed to, it's outright rejected. It you have rocks and minerals on your land that are not normally in that area, it is rejected. If you pursue an issue after being told to stop, or after being banned, then you are insane. And breaking all "Rules and Regulations." Not one person has helped me this past almost three years. Not one. I have had rocks misidentified and have been told every single rock in my area is Metamorphic. If I am finding things on the surface, they can't be fossils. Fossils are brown and can't have "color" like some of mine do. And my all time favorite: "All quartz you see on the outside of a rock has been formed by water action." You don't have Nephrite and Jadeite is also a great observation from people who know little to nothing about it. Hopefully my long-winded reply answers some questions. Of course these pictures are no help to the scientific community. Yes, they have been sent to C.O.R.E. but I am sure they will be ignored. Bitter? Yeah, you bet I am. I will include a few more pictures for your enjoyment prior to my FOURTH banning. The 1st Picture is a compilation of images from several rocks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted August 18, 2013 Share Posted August 18, 2013 Where in this discussion did anyone say anything to get you up on your soapbox? Is it your purpose and intent here to incite "ridicule, hatred, insults, accusations of lying, laughter, condescending remarks and everything else imaginable"? Think before you answer: herein we have been curious, supportive, and have tried to ask helpful questions; that you come back with this diatribe, railing against persecution by those from whom you sought help, suggests a pattern of behavior that is not that of someone looking for answers. Well, which is it? 2 "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...
Auspex Posted August 18, 2013 Share Posted August 18, 2013 I see by your IP address that another alias of yours was finefossilfinder, and that you were banned for good cause: <LINK> Is this "your" work too (same IP)? LINK "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...
Auspex Posted August 18, 2013 Share Posted August 18, 2013 Well, I see you've passed on your chance to speak to my inquiry, which I take to be your answer. My advice is that you find another hobby, one that does not take advantage of folks whose nature it is to help when asked. "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...
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