CraigHyatt Posted May 15, 2016 Share Posted May 15, 2016 This is a layer of material that I believe are calcite fibers found in Eagle Pass, Texas in an Upper Cretaceous layer of mostly soft yellow-grey clay and shale. I have seen numerous fragment piles of this material and some very large stretches of it. The specimens are roughly 1.5 cm to 2 cm thick. At first, I thought these were asbestos fibers, but when I examined them, they weren't fine enough (and I've seen asbestos in the wild). I suppose I could examine the fibers under magnification and see if they are double-refracting to confirm. I believe, based on research, these may indicate the presence of Inoceramus. Can anybody confirm these are calcite fibers and whether they may indicate the presence of Inoceramus? A couple of samples of what I see at my dig site. An example of inoceramus with embedded calcite fibers I got from a Google search. Info: Craig Hyatt, retired software/electrical engineer Experience: Beginner, fossil hunting less than a year Location: Eagle Pass, TX USA on the border with Mexico, hot dry desert Formation: Escondido, Marine, Upper Cretaceous Materials: Sandstone, Mudstone, Shale, Chert, Chalk Typical: Thalassinoides, Sphenodiscus, Exogyra, Inoceramus Reference: http://txfossils.com/Txfossils.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Siphuncle Posted May 16, 2016 Share Posted May 16, 2016 The Escondido Fm has its share of gypsum and similar evaporites present. On rare occasions I've found small fossils embedded directly in the stuff. Grüße, Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas "To the motivated go the spoils." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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