Help Identifying Bone Large Crystallization

[dadamski22]

This item here my mother bough years ago in arizona. large and heavy. looks like a bone. looks as if marrow has turned to crystal. any help with this would be appreciated thank you

[Carl]

Sorry, I don't see a fossil bone there.

[Auspex]

It is suggestive of worn bone in general form, but lacks the details of structure.

[Gen. et sp. indet.]

It is something. Porifera, perhaps.

[Ludwigia]

Hard to tell. Crystallized out in the middle. Quarz? Don't think it's a fossil although I agree it has the form of a sponge.

[jpc]

No bone structure.

[howard_l]

Looks like a geode to me

[dadamski22]

this item is the only one that was bought, it was bought by my mother at the big fossil/rock show near yuma az. at that time she was told the whole item was bone and the middle where you see the crystallized area we were told is old marrow? not sure if that is correct. i appreciate the answers and help this site is great! also this piece illuminates under a black light. i will get to a black light tomorrow and tell you colors or take a picture. my mother is saying she remembers it as pink and blue.

[howard_l]

Marrow is far to soft to fossilize

[dadamski22]

Could extra pictures help with this item?

[Carl]

Marrow is far to soft to fossilize

Although I would agree that marrow is a long shot in the fossil record, I have learned to never say never with regard to fossils. I have a huge file of descriptions of things that should "never" be preserved as fossils. If we can get jellyfish, we can get marrow.

Edited January 8, 2015 by Carl

[jpc]

... additionally, empty space where the marrow used to be is often filled with crystals, such as calcite, which tends to glow in UV. So, while not actual fossilized marrow, I can see why it would be called exactly that.