ElisabethN Posted January 13, 2014 Share Posted January 13, 2014 (edited) Hello, Found this fossil in the mountains of Lebanon - Middle East. 2,000m altitude I asked around and they told me that its just a mineral arrangement. However, I am pretty sure that it's was a living creature. To note that I found it in a limestone mountain. It has indeed a particular cone shaped rock with a central stem (check attached photos) It could be either a fossilized pine or reed Any thoughts? Edited January 13, 2014 by ElisabethN Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herb Posted January 13, 2014 Share Posted January 13, 2014 I believe it is the result of water action on porous stone. "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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpc Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 Very Cool. Looks mineral to me, not fossil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 It's a wonderfully fascinating specimen of I-have-no-clue! The fossil-chime is not going off for me, because I cannot place it anywhere among the living or dead, but as a mineralogical specimen it is also singularly unique to my experience. "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...
Herb Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 here is a specimen I have that is very similar to the one you have. It is not believed to be a fossil either. "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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plax Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 Herb and Elizabeth, Both of these objects look like fossils to me but not sure what. Elizabeth's looks to have a zone of attachment at the base and it could be a colonial marine worm that excretes calcareous tubes. The tubes may have become silicified and then etched out of the enclosing rock. Am surprised that we don't have any marine biologists commenting here! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jersey Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 (edited) First of all, welcome to the fossil forum. Regarding the specimen, I have mainly questions and the answers may be very helpful in identifying what it is. How did you come across it - was it weathering out of solid rock or was it in loose sediment? Were there any other fossils in the area and, if so, what type? Is the specimen as delicate as it looks? Do you know what rock formation occurs there and what its origin/age is? My gut feeling is that it is a fossil because the photos show hollow tube-like structures possibly representing tubes excreted by marine worms as Plax has suggested. But with additional information perhaps a more definite identification could be established by someone on this forum. Edited January 14, 2014 by Jersey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herb Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 Mine is not a fossil. It is some kind of unusual solution effect on dolestone, possibly cave in origin. Myself and 2 paleontologists checked it out. "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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 Mine is not a fossil. It is some kind of unusual solution effect on dolestone, possibly cave in origin. Myself and 2 paleontologists checked it out. Solution, or maybe evaporite? It's hard for me to envision the environmental circumstances that would have resulted in the spherical Lebanese specimen; it seems to defy gravity! "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...
Herb Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 It IS very cool. I can't even explain for sure the one I have. "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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scylla Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 (edited) Lebanon is famous for its cretaceous fossils and karst caves. My brother once found an echinoid in the mountains around Beirut. This looks to me like a crystalline formation from a cave pool though. Can we get a clear close up of the surface? Edited January 15, 2014 by Scylla Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herb Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 (edited) Lebanon is famous for its cretaceous fossils and karst caves. My brother once found an echinoid in the mountains around Beirut. This looks to me like a crystalline formation from a cave pool though. Can we get a clear close up of the surface? I agree also. Here is picture of a similar cave structure, Edited January 15, 2014 by Herb "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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jersey Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 (edited) I agree also. Here is picture of a similar cave structure,niagara-cave-harmony-mn-0379.jpg I'm not yet convinced. It appears to me that Elisabeth's specimen is different in that it has tubular projections radiating outwards in different directions from a central core. I don't see how that would form as a cave structure. [update - I've been staring at Elizabeth's pictures some more and it looks like some of the photos (especially the fourth one) show the projections, in cross section, to not be round tubes. Instead, they appear to have flat faces like crystals would. I'm not sure if the photos show this accurately or if it's the result of pixilated photos. Anyway - Elisabeth - are the tubes round in cross-section or are they more squarish in cross section and do the projections have flat faces? If they are squarish/flat faces, I would have to agree with some of the others here that this is not a fossil but instead a crystalline mineral structure. Please reply to this and my previous questions.] Edited January 15, 2014 by Jersey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lissa318 Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 Oh I like it Elisabeth!!! Definitely unique and hope you get an ID! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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