Lori LuvsFossils Posted July 12, 2016 Share Posted July 12, 2016 Those long drives without sleep are paying off! Can't wait for the final result. COOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpc Posted July 12, 2016 Share Posted July 12, 2016 Plants in the Green River tend to be flattened, but palm leaves are not; they retain their 3d accordion folds if we can call them so. They also tend to be carbon prints, but in the split fish beds where this one seems to come from, they are sometimes not carbon impressions and can be hard to see. In Grande's new book, Blake, look up Ceratophyllum. That is my official guess. A floating rootless plant that is still alive today, and can be called 'algae' by kids in ponds in Massachusetts. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilDudeCO Posted July 12, 2016 Author Share Posted July 12, 2016 Plants in the Green River tend to be flattened, but palm leaves are not; they retain their 3d accordion folds if we can call them so. They also tend to be carbon prints, but in the split fish beds where this one seems to come from, they are sometimes not carbon impressions and can be hard to see. In Grande's new book, Blake, look up Ceratophyllum. That is my official guess. A floating rootless plant that is still alive today, and can be called 'algae' by kids in ponds in Massachusetts. HAHA! wonderful JP. I have it sitting out on the counter at home, perhaps I just did not get far enough into it yet! I will take a peek tonight. And you are correct, this is from the split fish beds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilDudeCO Posted July 14, 2016 Author Share Posted July 14, 2016 Alright! Fossil Butte National Monument is going to have a look at my fossil. I should have an answer mid next week! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ynot Posted July 14, 2016 Share Posted July 14, 2016 Another thought I had is part of a palm's fruiting branches. 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 14, 2016 Author Share Posted July 14, 2016 Another thought I had is part of a palm's fruiting branches. Tony Wouldn't that be a bit bigger? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ynot Posted July 14, 2016 Share Posted July 14, 2016 Wouldn't that be a bit bigger? The whole fruiting "branchs" that I have seen on date palms in this area are as large as a soccer ball or bigger, but they are a branching root like structure. This could be a small piece of one or they may have been less developed 70 million years ago. I am not a plant person, and this is only a guess. 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 15, 2016 Author Share Posted July 15, 2016 ***UPDATE*** My fossil has been identified by the Fossil Butte National Monument. "....They are most definitely plant....It may be that they were a calcified algae. That would be weird for a freshwater plant...." (Point goes to JPC for algae!) The 3-D preservation is rare for the Green River Formation. "....this is the only morphology we find in 3-D...." So the long and the short of it. This is a freshwater algae from the "Fossil Lake" that shows a very rare 3-D preservation. The original material is undescribed at this time, so we have no scientific name, but they commonly occur as calcite replacements and with little to no color. Thanks to everyone for their replies and I was happy to see the interest in this piece! 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ynot Posted July 15, 2016 Share Posted July 15, 2016 Way cool!!! Thanks for the brain twister! 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...
Agos1221 Posted July 15, 2016 Share Posted July 15, 2016 (edited) Any way to distinguish it specifically from aquatic vegetation species? I was under the impression plant material from Green River like the fronds usually fossilized dark brown, or is that a dye added in prep? Edited July 15, 2016 by Agos1221 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted July 15, 2016 Share Posted July 15, 2016 Any way to distinguish it specifically from aquatic vegetation species? I was under the impression plant material from Green River like the fronds usually fossilized dark brown, or is that a dye added in prep? It is a form of carbonization, not a dye. Plant fossils from the Green River Formation usually do have that brown color. 1 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 15, 2016 Author Share Posted July 15, 2016 Any way to distinguish it specifically from aquatic vegetation species? I was under the impression plant material from Green River like the fronds usually fossilized dark brown, or is that a dye added in prep? Palm fronds and sticks or twigs in my experience have the dark colours. leaves and grasses tend to have little to no colour. I do not know why this is. I will post a picture of a leaf find later today! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doushantuo Posted July 16, 2016 Share Posted July 16, 2016 (edited) thought this might have some bearing on the proceedings: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/273134987_Jania_verrucosa_and_Jania_crassa_Rhodophyta_Corallinaceae_Typification_nomenclature_and_taxonomic_implications I strongly suggest everyone look at this paper,for reasons that will imediately become clear Edited July 16, 2016 by doushantuo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeargleSchmeargl Posted July 16, 2016 Share Posted July 16, 2016 ***UPDATE*** My fossil has been identified by the Fossil Butte National Monument. "....They are most definitely plant....It may be that they were a calcified algae. That would be weird for a freshwater plant...." (Point goes to JPC for algae!) The 3-D preservation is rare for the Green River Formation. "....this is the only morphology we find in 3-D...." So the long and the short of it. This is a freshwater algae from the "Fossil Lake" that shows a very rare 3-D preservation. The original material is undescribed at this time, so we have no scientific name, but they commonly occur as calcite replacements and with little to no color. Thanks to everyone for their replies and I was happy to see the interest in this piece! Cool. looks like the case is (for the most part) closed. Every single fossil you see is a miracle set in stone, and should be treated as such. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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