truceburner Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 An acquaintance found this on a ranch outside of Roscoe, TX. I presume it's some sort of fern. Any chance we could narrow it down further? It's a lovely specimen with a special remembrance for the collector. Appreciate any help you can offer. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 It certainly is a beautiful specimen! What size is it? Looks small... "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...
FossilDAWG Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 Wow, what a beautiful specimen. I had not heard that Carboniferous plants could be found in Texas, though that would not be a complete surprise as marine horizons of that age are well known. Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old bones Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 That is absolutely exquisite ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 ...I had not heard that Carboniferous plants could be found in Texas... Do you recognize this as a Carboniferous species? "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...
Fossildude19 Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 (edited) What an extraordinary fossil! It looks to me like the pinnae of some species of Pecopteris. The alternating pinnulet position on the midvein, along with the fact that the pinnulets are attached directly to the midvein (no stem) speaks of Pecopteris to me. To narrow down the ID to species level, we would need to see close up pictures of the veining of the pinnulets. Exquiste fossil, ... thanks for posting it! Regards, EDIT: - It looks to me like the area around Nolan County has some Upper Pennsylvanian and Permian exposures,... according to this geological map. Edited August 29, 2015 by Fossildude19 1 Tim - VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER VFOTM --- APRIL - 2015 __________________________________________________ "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~ ><))))( *> About Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
truceburner Posted August 29, 2015 Author Share Posted August 29, 2015 I requested close-up pics and confirmation of the size. Isn't it a beauty? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missourian Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 Now that's preservation! Context is critical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeschWhat Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 Wow...absolutely beautiful! Lori www.areallycrappystory.com/fossils www.facebook.com/fossilpoo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abyssunder Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 Very, very nice! " We are not separate and independent entities, but like links in a chain, and we could not by any means be what we are without those who went before us and showed us the way. " Thomas Mann My Library Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howard_l Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 It is interesting how chert can preserve fossils in such detail and geodization destroys fossils for the most part. Very nice specimen Howard_L http://triloman.wix.com/kentucky-fossils Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minnbuckeye Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 (edited) Makes St Clair ferns look like throw aways Edited August 29, 2015 by minnbuckeye Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockaholic Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 Incredible! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ancient Bones Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 Beautiful! ' Keep calm and carry on fossiling ' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilDAWG Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 Do you recognize this as a Carboniferous species? Just making an assumption. It looks a lot like some Carboniferous (Pennsylvanian) ferns/seed ferns, and I am not familiar with anything else that looks quite like this. On the other hand I am no paleobotanist and I certainly would not claim to be familiar with the entire diversity of ferns through the fossils record. The specimen could certainly be something other than a Carboniferous plant. Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 Just making an assumption. It looks a lot like some Carboniferous (Pennsylvanian) ferns/seed ferns, and I am not familiar with anything else that looks quite like this. On the other hand I am no paleobotanist and I certainly would not claim to be familiar with the entire diversity of ferns through the fossils record. The specimen could certainly be something other than a Carboniferous plant. Don Well, nuts. I was hoping to date the thing. Looks like there are Upper Carboniferous and Permian rocks in that area, though. It is probably my lack of broader experience, but I don't associate chert with Carboniferous land plants. Got my curiosity up to 11. What a beautiful fossil! "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...
piranha Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 There are numerous records of pecopterids from the Permian of Texas. According to the USGS, the Permian Quartermaster Formation appears to be the closest possibility, just east of Roscoe. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave pom Allen Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 very cool Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnJ Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 Well, nuts. I was hoping to date the thing. Looks like there are Upper Carboniferous and Permian rocks in that area, though. It is probably my lack of broader experience, but I don't associate chert with Carboniferous land plants. Got my curiosity up to 11. What a beautiful fossil! The problem is the origin of the chert cobbles in the Ogallala Formation around Roscoe. It's likely not as young as the formation in general (Pliocene / Miocene), but I'm not sure the chert originates from the Permian. 1 The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true. - JJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
truceburner Posted August 30, 2015 Author Share Posted August 30, 2015 The owner notes that the cobble is roughly the size of a fist. I've passed along the link to this thread. More info and pics soon I hope. Thank you all for the insightful comments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donnyjoe Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 That is lovely. Cogito ergo cephalalgia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 (edited) Beautiful! It looks similar to some Permian fronds that I found a few years ago. Ferns, however, exist, as we know, up to the present day, so until we can affirm its geological age, we shall remain in the dark. There's enough cretaceous in Texas, and flint is very common there, or at least it is over here. Edited August 30, 2015 by Ludwigia Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paleoflor Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 This PhD thesis is probably interesting. Tim 4 Searching for green in the dark grey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 Ferns and chert nodules; excellent! Thank you, Tim! "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...
truceburner Posted August 30, 2015 Author Share Posted August 30, 2015 (edited) It certainly looks like Edward's chert to me. I'd love a PDF of that thesis... Thanks, Tim. Edited August 30, 2015 by truceburner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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