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Fossil Feather?


FossilDudeCO

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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.

post-20855-0-66409100-1468185577_thumb.jpg

post-20855-0-57326100-1468185582_thumb.jpg

-Blake

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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.

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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!

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Im perty sure I would be one of those that would have tossed it aside. looks like a dyplo on that slab too?

RB

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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!

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Very cool piece. Not sure what it is. :unsure:

I messed with the contrast a bit.

post-2806-0-87372200-1468191510_thumb.jp

    Tim    -  VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER

   MOTM.png.61350469b02f439fd4d5d77c2c69da85.png      PaleoPartner.png.30c01982e09b0cc0b7d9d6a7a21f56c6.png.a600039856933851eeea617ca3f2d15f.png     Postmaster1.jpg.900efa599049929531fa81981f028e24.jpg    VFOTM.png.f1b09c78bf88298b009b0da14ef44cf0.png  VFOTM  --- APRIL - 2015  

__________________________________________________
"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks."

John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~   ><))))( *>  About Me      

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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.

post-1240-0-56630700-1468191547_thumb.jpg

Regards, Chris

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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.

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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.

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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 :P

Tim and Chris, could I use your edited pictures for a FOTM submission?

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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

   MOTM.png.61350469b02f439fd4d5d77c2c69da85.png      PaleoPartner.png.30c01982e09b0cc0b7d9d6a7a21f56c6.png.a600039856933851eeea617ca3f2d15f.png     Postmaster1.jpg.900efa599049929531fa81981f028e24.jpg    VFOTM.png.f1b09c78bf88298b009b0da14ef44cf0.png  VFOTM  --- APRIL - 2015  

__________________________________________________
"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks."

John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~   ><))))( *>  About Me      

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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.

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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!

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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

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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!

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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

 

image.png.0c956e87cee523facebb6947cb34e842.png May 2016  MOTM.png.61350469b02f439fd4d5d77c2c69da85.png.a47e14d65deb3f8b242019b3a81d8160.png.b42a25e3438348310ba19ce6852f50c1.png May 2012 IPFOTM5.png.fb4f2a268e315c58c5980ed865b39e1f.png.1721b8912c45105152ac70b0ae8303c3.png.2b6263683ee32421d97e7fa481bd418a.pngAug 2013, May 2016, Apr 2020 VFOTM.png.f1b09c78bf88298b009b0da14ef44cf0.png.af5065d0585e85f4accd8b291bf0cc2e.png.72a83362710033c9bdc8510be7454b66.png.9171036128e7f95de57b6a0f03c491da.png Oct 2022

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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.

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