Rockwood Posted April 17, 2017 Share Posted April 17, 2017 This piece was found in southeastern Maine. The last thing on my mind at the time was any sort of fossil. The area is granite ledges split by basalt dykes interspersed by cobble beaches of similar rock type. My turning point on the trip was the end of a cove that is pounded especially hard by the winters storms. The cobble is piled 20 feet high in a wall 60 feet wide at the base across the cove. As I got back slightly in the lee of some boulders I noticed the snail in what I recognized as the Pleistocene clay of the Presumpscot formation. I only noticed the other side after I got it home. It's not mineral. Fails a tap test miserably. The snail is on the under side in the other photos. What the heck is this thing ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old bones Posted April 17, 2017 Share Posted April 17, 2017 Kryptonite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ynot Posted April 17, 2017 Share Posted April 17, 2017 It is either malachite or paint. Can You do streak and hardness tests on it? Is it pliable? 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...
sagacious Posted April 17, 2017 Share Posted April 17, 2017 Ynot got it. It's the congealed/dried and weathered contents of a can of discarded paint, with the metal can long since rusted away. Notice the green color is more saturated on one side -- the bottom of the can where the pigment had settled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockwood Posted April 17, 2017 Author Share Posted April 17, 2017 40 minutes ago, sagacious said: Ynot got it. It's the congealed/dried and weathered contents of a can of discarded paint, with the metal can long since rusted away. Notice the green color is more saturated on one side -- the bottom of the can where the pigment had settled. I think it's paint. It burns, full yellow flame burns! I seem to have forgotten that I'm red green color blind. Not counting it as a skunked fossil trip though Thanks guys Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kane Posted April 17, 2017 Share Posted April 17, 2017 Secretly I was hoping that Maine had the most shockingly vibrant clay in the world ...How to Philosophize with a Hammer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockwood Posted April 17, 2017 Author Share Posted April 17, 2017 My kindergarten teacher used to wonder why I colored the tree brown and the trunk green. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old bones Posted April 17, 2017 Share Posted April 17, 2017 Ya know, I was just joking about the kryptonite! It's just so green. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goatinformationist Posted April 18, 2017 Share Posted April 18, 2017 Not so fast people. I recognize Devonian Play-Doh when I se it. Case closed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squali Posted April 18, 2017 Share Posted April 18, 2017 What?? Maine has a lot of green schist which can weather to a clayey material. the green sands of New Jersey can also be kryptonite green. not thinking this is a man made color. the fact that there appears to be shell material that is not the color of the matrix also leads me to believe this is a natural occurrence. Very interesting. It's hard to remember why you drained the swamp when your surrounded by alligators. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sagacious Posted April 18, 2017 Share Posted April 18, 2017 1 hour ago, squali said: What?? Maine has a lot of green schist which can weather to a clayey material. the green sands of New Jersey can also be kryptonite green. not thinking this is a man made color. the fact that there appears to be shell material that is not the color of the matrix also leads me to believe this is a natural occurrence. Very interesting. The item is flammable, and burns, as congealed paint would. Unless it's flammable glauconitic kryptonite clay, it's likely paint. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockwood Posted April 18, 2017 Author Share Posted April 18, 2017 5 hours ago, squali said: What?? Maine has a lot of green schist which can weather to a clayey material. the green sands of New Jersey can also be kryptonite green. not thinking this is a man made color. the fact that there appears to be shell material that is not the color of the matrix also leads me to believe this is a natural occurrence. Very interesting. The shell material may indeed be Pleistocene. It likely is the basement material in many a fisherman's work yard. The matrix was still soft and strongly solvent smelling at the center though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squali Posted April 18, 2017 Share Posted April 18, 2017 Ah it is just contaminated soil that happens to be fossiliferous. I'd go with solvent or fuel oil over paint though. It's hard to remember why you drained the swamp when your surrounded by alligators. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fifbrindacier Posted April 18, 2017 Share Posted April 18, 2017 15 hours ago, old bones said: Kryptonite 14 hours ago, Kane said: Secretly I was hoping that Maine had the most shockingly vibrant clay in the world 12 hours ago, squali said: What?? Maine has a lot of green schist which can weather to a clayey material. the green sands of New Jersey can also be kryptonite green. not thinking this is a man made color. the fact that there appears to be shell material that is not the color of the matrix also leads me to believe this is a natural occurrence. Very interesting. Superman, get off those bodies. "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...
GeschWhat Posted April 18, 2017 Share Posted April 18, 2017 I giant rhinolith! Very rare in the fossil record. Lori www.areallycrappystory.com/fossils www.facebook.com/fossilpoo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squali Posted April 22, 2017 Share Posted April 22, 2017 On 4/18/2017 at 2:16 PM, GeschWhat said: I giant rhinolith! Very rare in the fossil record. Ewwww It's hard to remember why you drained the swamp when your surrounded by alligators. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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