FossilDudeCO Posted July 10, 2016 Share Posted July 10, 2016 OK guys and gals, Having trouble getting a good picture of this, it is VERY hard to see. Found a partial one of these on June 12th, in VERY rough shape. no definite center line, just a smattering of thin lines on the rock. This one was found on July 3rd, 2016 Comes from the Green River Formation in Kemmerer, WY I will try to get better pictures, but it is VERY faint, pretty much the same colour as the rock. -Blake Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilDudeCO Posted July 10, 2016 Author Share Posted July 10, 2016 Ugh, yeah... Not happy with those pictures, you can't see all the BEAUTIFUL detail in it! Going to try more, but take a peek at these for now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJB Posted July 10, 2016 Share Posted July 10, 2016 Not sure how you even saw that? What about the fish tail its on? RB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilDudeCO Posted July 10, 2016 Author Share Posted July 10, 2016 Not so worried about that little exploded fish tail! As for seeing it, it just happened to be in the right light. I am sure most diggers up there would have pitched it aside with not much thought other than a weird lump. That is what happens with most of the insects. Found one of them too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilDudeCO Posted July 10, 2016 Author Share Posted July 10, 2016 Ok try this picture... Shade helped a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnBrewer Posted July 10, 2016 Share Posted July 10, 2016 Try putting it on a flatbed scanner. The light comes in at an angle and sometimes can reveal the tiniest amount of detail. If you use Photoshop you could also try using the 'high pass filter'. Make a duplicate layer and then use the filter over what you think you need and then reduce the opacity. Filters > other > high pass filter. John Map of UK fossil sites Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilDudeCO Posted July 10, 2016 Author Share Posted July 10, 2016 Try putting it on a flatbed scanner. The light comes in at an angle and sometimes can reveal the tiniest amount of detail. If you use Photoshop you could also try using the 'high pass filter'. Make a duplicate layer and then use the filter over what you think you need and then reduce the opacity. Filters > other > high pass filter. I might try the scanner. I am much better at breaking rocks and making labels than taking photos. If you want me to take a computer apart and reassemble it, I could do that in the dark with one hand. When it comes to software, it may as well be like explaining the origins of life to a toddler. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnBrewer Posted July 10, 2016 Share Posted July 10, 2016 Ditching the colour might help too. Scan in colour then convert to b/w. Feel free to send me a stack of images via Dropbox if you want me to fiddle about with Photoshop. John Map of UK fossil sites Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJB Posted July 10, 2016 Share Posted July 10, 2016 Im perty sure I would be one of those that would have tossed it aside. looks like a dyplo on that slab too? RB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilDudeCO Posted July 10, 2016 Author Share Posted July 10, 2016 Yup, a Diplo i would assume, could possibly be a knightia. I am really scared to try any prep for fear of ruining the feather though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdsnl Posted July 10, 2016 Share Posted July 10, 2016 Maybe wetting it would help? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJB Posted July 10, 2016 Share Posted July 10, 2016 Yeah, being a feather I would also not bother with the fish. Good luck though. RB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted July 10, 2016 Share Posted July 10, 2016 Very cool piece. Not sure what it is. I messed with the contrast a bit. 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...
Plantguy Posted July 10, 2016 Share Posted July 10, 2016 Hey guys was trying to post this but I'm having brower issues....take a look at this.. Anyways, I messed with your photo a bit and created a new closeup with 2 images...That spaghetti like pattern is wild and the strands look relatively thick to me??. I'm not a bird person and havent seen any feathers up close so I'm hoping someone with some Avian or more Kemmerer experience can chime in. Great fossil...good eyes. Regards, Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ridgehiker Posted July 10, 2016 Share Posted July 10, 2016 Try putting it on a flatbed scanner. The light comes in at an angle and sometimes can reveal the tiniest amount of detail. If you use Photoshop you could also try using the 'high pass filter'. Make a duplicate layer and then use the filter over what you think you need and then reduce the opacity. Filters > other > high pass filter. So true. Some of the best fossil images were from flatbed scanners. The HP 5000 series from about the year 2000 gave 3d imagery with phenomenal detail. I took thousands of photos with my HP. Other scanners were good for scanning documents but didnt capture depth. There are old scanners around today but the issue can be getting the software to work with a newer PC. Re the feather. Wow! An amazing find. One needs to remember that a bird feather could be from one of dozens of species and that each species has different types of feathers on its body. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilDudeCO Posted July 10, 2016 Author Share Posted July 10, 2016 Maybe wetting it would help? This rock is a VERY soft limestone. Water on the fishes doesn't end well, and with this being such a rare find I wouldn't even want to try on a spot in the corner. I kept the matrix as large as possible just in case there was another piece in there somewhere but it all appears to be clean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilDudeCO Posted July 10, 2016 Author Share Posted July 10, 2016 I found a dead ringer for this on Google Images under Green River Feather. The link goes to fossils-uk.com but the item is "no longer for sale" so no more picture or info on the website! Thanks everyone for helping with the pictures! John, trying to get a couple scans, but not going so well, you may have to settle for my pictures Tim and Chris, could I use your edited pictures for a FOTM submission? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted July 10, 2016 Share Posted July 10, 2016 In looking more at this, and comparing to feather fossil images from the Green River Formation online I am struck by the differences between those and your item. To me, yours looks much more 3 dimensional, and less like the carbon imprints I'm seeing in the other photos. Maybe it is a pile of regurgitated fish bones? I don't really see much to support that theory, but am at a loss to describe the differences I am seeing. Regards, EDIT: Feel free to use my pic, Blake. 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...
FossilDudeCO Posted July 10, 2016 Author Share Posted July 10, 2016 Yes, the 3D structure is definitley there on mine. Adam and I took this to mean that the feather was tumbled around a bit before being covered by silt and mud. Which would be unusual for the Green River Formation, but not unheard of. You are correct though that most feather imprints from here just show the carbon outline. You can also see in the first 2 pictures I posted of the entire slab, above the blue circle is a thin dark line that appears under magnification to be 2 fine strands of feather, they don't have the same texture as fish bones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ynot Posted July 10, 2016 Share Posted July 10, 2016 Cool find! I has the appearance of a sea slug. Could it be a breeding plumage? Tony Darwin said: " Man sprang from monkeys." Will Rogers said: " Some of them didn't spring far enough." My Fossil collection - My Mineral collection My favorite thread on TFF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilDudeCO Posted July 10, 2016 Author Share Posted July 10, 2016 Cool find! I has the appearance of a sea slug. Could it be a breeding plumage? Tony Wow great thought Tony, I hadn't considered that! That could make it a REALLY fantastic find! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plantguy Posted July 11, 2016 Share Posted July 11, 2016 Feel free to use any image I created. Looking forward to someone coming up with a definite ID. I was even looking around to see if there was some palm inflorescence that looked similar but I give. Fascinating! Regards, Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilDudeCO Posted July 11, 2016 Author Share Posted July 11, 2016 Yes, I checked out the site for UC Berkley. They have an entire list of all plant species found in Green River, none of them ever looked remotley close. I had originally thought a plant as well! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sixgill pete Posted July 11, 2016 Share Posted July 11, 2016 Amazing Blake. I am in the feather camp on this, but I will say asking me to ID something like this is like asking an NFL player to be part of the Olympic figure skating team. 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...
FossilDudeCO Posted July 11, 2016 Author Share Posted July 11, 2016 I will take it over to Fossil Butte National Monument this weekend. The gentleman in charge there will have a definite answer, and if he doesn't I have to pass Dr. Lance Grande heading up to the quarry I use. If the two of them can't figure it out I'm going to call it a "Blakeasaurus Feather" For those of you that don't know Dr. Lance Grande, he is LITERALLY the guy that wrote the book. His first edition back in 1983 and his most recent book was published in 2013. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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