Miocene_Mason Posted July 19, 2017 Share Posted July 19, 2017 10 minutes ago, Kingofthekats said: Found another part I think it's a eurypterid "stinger" very fragmentary though, as was your other. Keep looking! Soon you may get a full one! “...whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been and are being evolved.” ~ Charles Darwin Happy hunting, Mason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kane Posted July 19, 2017 Share Posted July 19, 2017 I'm having more doubts that this is a fossil. Its lightness and texture seems to suggest possible artifact. I think Doctor Mud above may be on to something. It is looking more like a leather-covered object. ...How to Philosophize with a Hammer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingofthekats Posted July 19, 2017 Author Share Posted July 19, 2017 I found this in the same area it looked different from the rest of rock that were in there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingofthekats Posted July 19, 2017 Author Share Posted July 19, 2017 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miocene_Mason Posted July 19, 2017 Share Posted July 19, 2017 Looks like a brachiopod or bivalve impression, and circled is a gastropod impression. “...whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been and are being evolved.” ~ Charles Darwin Happy hunting, Mason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sagebrush Steve Posted July 19, 2017 Share Posted July 19, 2017 3 hours ago, Kane said: I'm having more doubts that this is a fossil. Its lightness and texture seems to suggest possible artifact. I think Doctor Mud above may be on to something. It is looking more like a leather-covered object. I'm leaning in the same direction. I did quite a bit of online searching through eurypterid photos and there is something about this one that isn't quite right. They all appear to be flat impressions, almost stains in the rock with little to no texture. This one looks like it has appreciable thickness and texture. I think someone earlier asked if the "fossil" part of it was at all soft. But I haven't seen an answer. If so, it could be leather. If it is solid rock, that would downplay the idea of it being a leather covered object. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingofthekats Posted July 19, 2017 Author Share Posted July 19, 2017 How should I go about testing it to see if it leather Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miocene_Mason Posted July 19, 2017 Share Posted July 19, 2017 21 minutes ago, Kingofthekats said: How should I go about testing it to see if it leather Should feel like leather for starters. Is the substance firmly attached to the sandstone, or does it peal off? “...whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been and are being evolved.” ~ Charles Darwin Happy hunting, Mason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chase B. Posted July 19, 2017 Share Posted July 19, 2017 Dear all, This is the partial carapace of a eurypterid, probably best labeled as Eurypterus sp. based on the size and morphology of the specimen. I am not an invertebrate paleontologist by trade, but in working on the east coast as a museum researcher, the specimen looks most like the caudal portion of eurypterids from the eastern US. Congratulations on this find of an ancient arthropod! Regards, Chase Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingofthekats Posted July 19, 2017 Author Share Posted July 19, 2017 It firmly attached feels tough like a shell Thank you Chase B Hopefully I can find the rest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miocene_Mason Posted July 19, 2017 Share Posted July 19, 2017 1 minute ago, Kingofthekats said: It firmly attached feels tough like a shell Thank you Chase B Hopefully I can find the rest Yeah I'm gonna go with my gut feel that it's a eurypterid, as well as the other piece. “...whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been and are being evolved.” ~ Charles Darwin Happy hunting, Mason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sagebrush Steve Posted July 20, 2017 Share Posted July 20, 2017 2 hours ago, Chase B. said: Dear all, This is the partial carapace of a eurypterid, probably best labeled as Eurypterus sp. based on the size and morphology of the specimen. I am not an invertebrate paleontologist by trade, but in working on the east coast as a museum researcher, the specimen looks most like the caudal portion of eurypterids from the eastern US. Congratulations on this find of an ancient arthropod! Regards, Chase Ok, thanks for the confirmation. Any chance you can upload photos of similar specimens since the appearance of this one is different from others I have seen? What I mean by that is that on this fossil the fossil material seems to have peeled off the matrix in some areas, but on other eurypterids I have seen that wouldn't be possible because they are more embedded in the rock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingofthekats Posted July 20, 2017 Author Share Posted July 20, 2017 I was wondering why this one is not in a rock like the others I've seen online Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miocene_Mason Posted July 20, 2017 Share Posted July 20, 2017 1 hour ago, Kingofthekats said: I was wondering why this one is not in a rock like the others I've seen online Instead of being in a piece of shale like most from places like langs quarry, yours is 3D, having eroded out of its original position. It is also only the tail. I've been looking to get one of these for a while, but your lucky enough to find one in your yard! “...whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been and are being evolved.” ~ Charles Darwin Happy hunting, Mason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingofthekats Posted July 20, 2017 Author Share Posted July 20, 2017 Do you think there is more I found them in the same area should I keep looking Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chase B. Posted July 20, 2017 Share Posted July 20, 2017 Dear all, The eurypterid specimens I am guessing many of you are familiar with are those from the Helderberg quarries and other Ordivician-Silurian sites in upstate New York. These rocks do preserve eurypterids two-dimensionally, but what is true for one formation may not be true for another. As one member noted above, this fossil may be preserved three-dimensionally, a rare occurrence for Ordivician-Carboniferous invertebrates. Congratulations again on the find! For those of you who wanted photos of similar specimens, one can be found in the online exhibition here: https://cincymuseum.culturalspot.org/exhibit/ZwISpC9ZgJDoIg?hl=en&position=16%3A0 Regards, Chase Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miocene_Mason Posted July 20, 2017 Share Posted July 20, 2017 7 minutes ago, Kingofthekats said: Do you think there is more I found them in the same area should I keep looking Definitely, that other similarly colored one was probably the end of the tail. I'd suggest going up the mountain ( with permission from property owner) with a hammer, a screw driver, and maybe goggles (or you could squint) and get at some rock faces, this will yield more complete (but probably less three D, although they can be prepped this way) specimens. I'll have to hunt near raubsville someday, but the three hour drives a boundary. “...whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been and are being evolved.” ~ Charles Darwin Happy hunting, Mason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sagebrush Steve Posted July 20, 2017 Share Posted July 20, 2017 36 minutes ago, Chase B. said: Dear all, The eurypterid specimens I am guessing many of you are familiar with are those from the Helderberg quarries and other Ordivician-Silurian sites in upstate New York. These rocks do preserve eurypterids two-dimensionally, but what is true for one formation may not be true for another. As one member noted above, this fossil may be preserved three-dimensionally, a rare occurrence for Ordivician-Carboniferous invertebrates. Congratulations again on the find! For those of you who wanted photos of similar specimens, one can be found in the online exhibition here: https://cincymuseum.culturalspot.org/exhibit/ZwISpC9ZgJDoIg?hl=en&position=16%3A0 Regards, Chase Thanks, @Chase B., I'm learning a lot here, thanks for posting the picture of the 3-D specimen. I just have one more question. My concern was about how what appears to be the tail was lifting off the rock in some areas, as shown in the magnified photo below. It's only a thin layer and there seems to be nothing but matrix below it. Is this typical of what can happen with a fossil preserved in 3-D? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miocene_Mason Posted July 20, 2017 Share Posted July 20, 2017 2 minutes ago, Sagebrush Steve said: Thanks, @Chase B., I'm learning a lot here, thanks for posting the picture of the 3-D specimen. I just have one more question. My concern was about how what appears to be the tail was lifting off the rock in some areas, as shown in the magnified photo below. It's only a thin layer and there seems to be nothing but matrix below it. Is this typical of what can happen with a fossil preserved in 3-D? I've had fossils (albeit not eurypterid) that have exhibited this trait. I think the fossil left a space in the sandstone which was filled by a thin layer of a mineral, Hematite maybe? A change in temperature could cause it to expand and peel, this fossil might do well with some preservation. “...whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been and are being evolved.” ~ Charles Darwin Happy hunting, Mason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chase B. Posted July 20, 2017 Share Posted July 20, 2017 Dear Steve, Yes, this can happen with invertebrate fossils preserve three dimensionally. The picture you sent seems to show a place where part of the mineralized exoskeleton has been removed. This happens all the time with Cretaceous arthropods from Big Brook or other sites at which I've collected. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sagebrush Steve Posted July 20, 2017 Share Posted July 20, 2017 2 minutes ago, Chase B. said: Dear Steve, Yes, this can happen with invertebrate fossils preserve three dimensionally. The picture you sent seems to show a place where part of the mineralized exoskeleton has been removed. This happens all the time with Cretaceous arthropods from Big Brook or other sites at which I've collected. Thanks, I've flip-flopped both ways as to whether it was a eurypterid or not but I'm happy to know my original thought was correct. Very nice specimen. @Kingofthekats, good luck with additional hunting. Be sure to post pictures of anything you find! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingofthekats Posted July 20, 2017 Author Share Posted July 20, 2017 As soon as I find another one I will post it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingofthekats Posted July 20, 2017 Author Share Posted July 20, 2017 Are the two pieces from two different eurypterids or from one eurypterid? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miocene_Mason Posted July 20, 2017 Share Posted July 20, 2017 10 minutes ago, Kingofthekats said: Are the two pieces from two different eurypterids or from one eurypterid? I'm not sure there is a way to tell, maybe look at other ones online and look at the proportions of the "stinger" and the tail, see if this matchs yours. Of course If the two are from similar aged individuals of one species this may not work, or if it's a species with a weirdly proportioned tail. “...whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been and are being evolved.” ~ Charles Darwin Happy hunting, Mason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Dente Posted July 20, 2017 Share Posted July 20, 2017 The reason I don't believe this is a Eurypterid is because the segmentation seems to end abruptly and is inconsistent from segment to segment. I've labelled the two views below to show this. I've also added an illustration I found on the internet that shows how Eurypterid segments should continue around the entire tail section. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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