michaelzzz Posted June 20, 2016 Share Posted June 20, 2016 Found these embedded in limestone on a creek bank. According to USGS map this area belongs to Fort Worth limestone and Duck Creek Formation undivided. Any idea what these might be? If they aren't in the same rock layer where ammonites are found, I would probably mistaken them for modern day shell. Is it possible for fossils to keep it's color pattern when they are fossilized? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted June 20, 2016 Share Posted June 20, 2016 The ones left and middle are echinoids. The righthand one is an ammonite. 5 Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelzzz Posted June 21, 2016 Author Share Posted June 21, 2016 Thanks for the reply Ludwigia. There are some faint black stripes on the echinoids. Does echinoids fossils normally keep their color patterns? I googled echinoids fossil they all seems to have the same color. Sorry, if I sound dumb, just a newbie trying to learn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doushantuo Posted June 21, 2016 Share Posted June 21, 2016 Normally speaking colour is NOT preserved.the colour patterns might be preserved,though. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sixgill pete Posted June 21, 2016 Share Posted June 21, 2016 Occasionally fossils are found with traces of their original color. These are great finds, I hope you managed to get them home. Bulldozers and dirt Bulldozers and dirt behind the trailer, my desert Them red clay piles are heaven on earth I get my rocks off, bulldozers and dirt Patterson Hood; Drive-By Truckers May 2016 May 2012 Aug 2013, May 2016, Apr 2020 Oct 2022 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abyssunder Posted June 21, 2016 Share Posted June 21, 2016 I agree with Roger. The petal ambulacra are nicely visible on the lower-right one (Pic 1-2). Nice finds ! " 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...
Ludwigia Posted June 21, 2016 Share Posted June 21, 2016 Pigment can be preserved over 100s of millions of years. 1 Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelzzz Posted June 21, 2016 Author Share Posted June 21, 2016 Wow, that's pretty cool. The matrix was to hard to break without damaging echinoids, so I left them there where they were found. I probably will grab some tools and go back for a visit. Thanks for all the replies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike from North Queensland Posted June 21, 2016 Share Posted June 21, 2016 michaelzzz just remember when you go back in the field to break out the fossils do it in a large piece and trim that when you return home. I you try to get the fossil only you will most likely end up with broken bits. Mike D 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelzzz Posted June 21, 2016 Author Share Posted June 21, 2016 Thanks for the advice Mike. Any suggestion what's the best way to remove excess rock when I get home? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted June 21, 2016 Share Posted June 21, 2016 Thanks for the advice Mike. Any suggestion what's the best way to remove excess rock when I get home? Check out the posts in this forum and you'll find lots of advice: http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/forum/170-fossil-preparation/ Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fifbrindacier Posted June 22, 2016 Share Posted June 22, 2016 I agree that you have an ammonite on the last photo. Nice finds. "On ne voit bien que par le coeur, l'essentiel est invisible pour les yeux." (Antoine de Saint-Exupéry) "We only well see with the heart, the essential is invisible for the eyes." In memory of Doren Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doushantuo Posted June 22, 2016 Share Posted June 22, 2016 bivalve colours(MIOCENE): http://www.nhm-wien.ac.at/jart/prj3/nhm/data/uploads/mitarbeiter_dokumente/mandic/Schneider_etal_2013_Polititapes.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike from North Queensland Posted June 22, 2016 Share Posted June 22, 2016 Check out the posts as Ludwigia said. The local collectors will be able to give the best advice. Mikew D'Arcy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilDAWG Posted June 22, 2016 Share Posted June 22, 2016 Those are very nice echinoid fossils. I would be cautious about assuming the markings reflect color patterns, though. Calcite (which the echinoid "test" (=shell) is made of, can become somewhat translucent when wet, and so show the underlying rock through thinner parts of the test. I would bet that these "color markings" will disappear when the fossils are dry and the calcite becomes more opaque. If they do indicate color markings they should still be visible when dry, though they may fade. Also keep in mind that color markings in fossils often reflects differential mineralization related to the chemistry of the original shell, so the pattern may be true but the colors are unlikely to be faithful to the original. Sometimes color patterns can also be seen under UV light, even if they are invisible under regular lighting. Don 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelzzz Posted June 23, 2016 Author Share Posted June 23, 2016 Thank you Don. I will go back to visit on my next trip and upload more images when they are dry. Of course that's assume they are still there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelzzz Posted June 28, 2016 Author Share Posted June 28, 2016 Went to the place again over the weekend. Luckily, they were still there. The matrix is so hard, it took me over 40 minutes using hammer and chisel to brake the peace out of the rock. A few small scrapes, but overall pretty happy with it. The cool thing is pigments are still there when it's completely dry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
300BLK Posted June 28, 2016 Share Posted June 28, 2016 Awesome finds! Those look pretty intact. Keep us updated on your prep work on them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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