Bill1024 Posted May 7, 2017 Share Posted May 7, 2017 Hey everybody I'm brand new here just got done creating my account. I am in the process of trying to find out if what I have is actually a petrified mushroom, it feels like a rock and looks just like a mushroom. I don't really know much about fossils other than what I've learned in school and I ran across this forum doing some internet research and was hoping you guys could help. I live in north western Montana and last year on a camping trip to a snow survey cabin in the mountains which is about 8000 to 9000 feet up I came across what I thought might maybe be a petrified mushroom. Today I found it in my old back pack and thought I would do a little research on it. I will post some pictures and any help you guys can give me will be greatly appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ynot Posted May 7, 2017 Share Posted May 7, 2017 Welcome to TFF! Sorry but it is not a mushroom fossil. It is an interesting looking rock though. 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...
Bill1024 Posted May 7, 2017 Author Share Posted May 7, 2017 22 minutes ago, ynot said: Welcome to TFF! Sorry but it is not a mushroom fossil. It is an interesting looking rock though. Tony Darn well it was worth a shot just out of curiosity how do you tell the difference between rock and fossil? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ynot Posted May 7, 2017 Share Posted May 7, 2017 5 minutes ago, Bill1024 said: Darn well it was worth a shot just out of curiosity how do you tell the difference between rock and fossil? A fossil is often made of "rock" so it is hart to answer Your question. Look for symmetry and the finer details, that is the best tell of a fossil verse a non fossil rock. 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...
Bill1024 Posted May 7, 2017 Author Share Posted May 7, 2017 8 minutes ago, ynot said: A fossil is often made of "rock" so it is hart to answer Your question. Look for symmetry and the finer details, that is the best tell of a fossil verse a non fossil rock. So the lack of any finer detail is what made you deduce that it is just a mushroom shaped rock and not a mushroom fossil? And is it possible for the finer detail to be covered in other sediment? Sorry not trying to question your judgement I'm sure you know way more about fossils then me but I'm just trying to learn how to identify a fossil for future references also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ynot Posted May 7, 2017 Share Posted May 7, 2017 1 minute ago, Bill1024 said: So the lack of any finer detail is what made you deduce that it is just a mushroom shaped rock and not a mushroom fossil? No, it is not made of the right type of rock to be a fossil. 2 minutes ago, Bill1024 said: And is it possible for the finer detail to be covered in other sediment? Yes, and they often are and need to be cleaned off. 3 minutes ago, Bill1024 said: Sorry not trying to question your judgement I'm sure you know way more about fossils then me but I'm just trying to learn how to identify a fossil for future references also. No problem, am here to help others and learn Myself. 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...
Troodon Posted May 7, 2017 Share Posted May 7, 2017 Welcome to the forum. Very cool and definitely looks like a mushroom but have to agree with Tony its not. We see a fair number of inquiries around Mushroom fossils and all are something else. Mushroom fossils are incredibly rare and may not exist in that form because they are soft bodied and just don't fossilize in 3D. It's sometimes difficult to tell the difference between a rock and fossil, concretions can mimic many familiar items. Fossils are found in specific rock formations that have a certain age and fauna. So knowing where you collect and what's been found is part of collecting and understanding what you have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abyssunder Posted May 7, 2017 Share Posted May 7, 2017 I agree with the others. It looks like a tumbled conglomerate , to me, mimicking a mushroom. " 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...
doushantuo Posted May 7, 2017 Share Posted May 7, 2017 The fruiting bodies of Agaricomycetes are very rare fossils . I posted on real fossil mushrooms recently,BTW. real example:Hibbett/AJB,july,1997)(Cretaceous&Miocene) outtake: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill1024 Posted May 7, 2017 Author Share Posted May 7, 2017 Well thanks for all the info everybody it may not be what I was hoping but it's pretty neat either way I think I'll still hold on to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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