RobertBlackBeard Posted May 23, 2016 Share Posted May 23, 2016 Found this in a creek about an hour or so away from Tulsa Oklahoma. An old teacher of mine back in high school thought it could be fossilized dirt, but I like to think it is dinosaur skin. What do you guys think it is? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abyssunder Posted May 23, 2016 Share Posted May 23, 2016 Welcome to the Forum ! I have a geological vibe on this, but wait for the local experts to make a proper diagnosis. " 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...
Raggedy Man Posted May 23, 2016 Share Posted May 23, 2016 "Found this in a creek" This is most likely part of a dried creek bed that was baked by the sun. This process takes a long time and didn't happen over night. I don't really know if "dirt" fossilizes. It's a cool piece. Thanks for sharing it! Best regards, Paul ...I'm back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amour 25 Posted May 24, 2016 Share Posted May 24, 2016 What part of Ok you hunting in? And yes dirt does turn hard. Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobertBlackBeard Posted May 24, 2016 Author Share Posted May 24, 2016 "Found this in a creek" This is most likely part of a dried creek bed that was baked by the sun. This process takes a long time and didn't happen over night. I don't really know if "dirt" fossilizes. It's a cool piece. Thanks for sharing it! Best regards, Paul So its probably not a fossil then? Because that would be disappointing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobertBlackBeard Posted May 24, 2016 Author Share Posted May 24, 2016 What part of Ok you hunting in? And yes dirt does turn hard. Around the Okmulgee area. And I don't actively hunt for them anymore, not since high school. But every so often I find one when I do yard work or walk along side of the creek next to my parents house. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockwood Posted May 24, 2016 Share Posted May 24, 2016 I agree that these do look like desiccation cracks. They do lithify, but don't really fit the definition of fossil since there is no biological component. Soak it in water for a while to find out if it's dirt or rock. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmaier Posted May 24, 2016 Share Posted May 24, 2016 Looking at the side profile of this specimen, I see a rather thick concentration of what is likely calcite directly under the cracked surface. I am no expert in this area, but that makes me think these bumps are caused by a septarian-type of process to produce these bumps. So I'm saying it seems to be a geological formation. When you find mysterious things like this, it is important look around in the same area to see what other rocks you can find to support or dismiss the idea that it is geological. So for example, if you found a spherical rock with this pattern on it, that would dismiss it is skin. Often pseudofossils become most obvious when you see the other rocks in the same layer, and find it is a trick of geology. But that thick, solid layer of calcite makes me suspicious that geology is playing with us. Calcite morphs into some very odd shapes, partially guided by its desire to create crystals, and partially by having high solubility in water, causing it to move around and create shapes. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobertBlackBeard Posted May 24, 2016 Author Share Posted May 24, 2016 I agree that these do look like desiccation cracks. They do lithify, but don't really fit the definition of fossil since there is no biological component. Soak it in water for a while to find out if it's dirt or rock. So what would it mean if it was rock? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manticocerasman Posted May 24, 2016 Share Posted May 24, 2016 If it is rock they could be fossilised mud kracks or an other geological phenomenon like septrian nodule. growing old is mandatory but growing up is optional. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doushantuo Posted May 24, 2016 Share Posted May 24, 2016 Aren't mudcracks usally slightly concave? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted May 25, 2016 Share Posted May 25, 2016 There is a faint columnar structure in cross section that follows the surface texture, which is very un-skinlike; I vote for it being a paleosol. 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...
abyssunder Posted May 26, 2016 Share Posted May 26, 2016 http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/topic/40415-crocodile-skin/ " 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...
Rockwood Posted May 26, 2016 Share Posted May 26, 2016 (edited) So what would it mean if it was rock? Without a thorough knowledge of the geology in the area I can't say what it means beyond what the term Auspex used implies, that it's much older than the creek bed as you see it now. Edited May 26, 2016 by Rockwood Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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