Roberta NJ CA Posted August 16, 2017 Share Posted August 16, 2017 My father was a fossil hunter and left me the bulk of them. He and a friend, who owned the property where they were found, collected over the years (50 years or so) - I went with them twice when I was young. The identification logs were not found - I believe they were destroyed in a flood. I've cleaned a few of them by brushing and picking from recall of his work.. This is just one of many, I will send two more picks that may help. Thank you in advance for any help you can provide me. download.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
izak_ Posted August 16, 2017 Share Posted August 16, 2017 Can we have some more pictures? I'm not seeing any fossils here. What makes you think its a sea lion? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fifbrindacier Posted August 16, 2017 Share Posted August 16, 2017 I agree, i also don't see a fossil, but you have the piece in hand and we don't, so photos from all the sides and if possible in daylight would be welcome. "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...
JohnBrewer Posted August 16, 2017 Share Posted August 16, 2017 Welcome to the forum! I can see why you thinks it's a sea lion. Flesh really doesn't preserve except from permafrost situations. You have a wonderfuly shaped rock with mineral stains. John Map of UK fossil sites Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roberta NJ CA Posted August 16, 2017 Author Share Posted August 16, 2017 I sent three total... If not received my apologies - I'm new here. The reason I think its a sea lion is because it was in the "full fossils" crate and I remember seeing the full skull still in it's matrix that his friend had. He was told it appeared to a be a sea lion or pinniped. I also have other large ones that are the same color and texture as the skull with teeth... it was described as a juvenile from its teeth. I can send a picture of another full fossil that shows the color and texture as the sea lion skull. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roberta NJ CA Posted August 16, 2017 Author Share Posted August 16, 2017 is this a tooth or vertebrate? sorry, just getting used to posting.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
izak_ Posted August 16, 2017 Share Posted August 16, 2017 6 minutes ago, Roberta NJ CA said: is this a tooth or vertebrate? sorry, just getting used to posting.... Neither - its not a fossil, instead a suggestively shaped rock. A cool one though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ynot Posted August 16, 2017 Share Posted August 16, 2017 Sorry but I do not see a fossil of any kind here. It looks like a piece of sandstone with an iron concretion on it. 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...
abyssunder Posted August 17, 2017 Share Posted August 17, 2017 I could be wrong, considering that the area I'm not familiar with is a region with a moderate to high liquefaction potential (and related) due to the seismic activity (fault zone), but the posted pictures reminds me of something like crinoid holdfast, also, there is a good potential for concretionary structures with propagation cracks (like septarian or syneresis), plus there could be a high quantity of iron content, as Tony sees well. It's really hard to say, but I think your father knows why he picked up this specimen. comparative picture from here " 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...
caldigger Posted August 17, 2017 Share Posted August 17, 2017 I believe Scott's Valley deposits are Miocene (extension of Timblar Formation?), so crinoids are out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abyssunder Posted August 17, 2017 Share Posted August 17, 2017 Crinoids are living today. M. Roux et al. 2002. Artificial keys to the genera of living stalked crinoids (Echinodermata). Bulletin of Marine Science 70(3): 799-830 " 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...
Plantguy Posted August 19, 2017 Share Posted August 19, 2017 Another curious one for sure. I think the photos are pretty good but there are still some areas that arent in focus just due to the irregular nature of the specimen. They make me wonder what we might be really looking at. I can see a case for alot of things as suggested by the others. At least to me it appears in places that the beige/pinkish areas look like they were either coated with a preservative and it possibly ran or there was even water poured on it to highlight different areas. Am I seeing things? Can you take sharp closeups of these areas I've circled--there are some unusual textures--some of them look almost boney? This may be one example that someone needs to see/hold in person to decipher. Regards, Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abyssunder Posted August 19, 2017 Share Posted August 19, 2017 That was my first thought also, Chris, that the matrix was coated for preservation in some areas, but I've made no remaks on this. I'm glad for your intervention. Could be the flowing traces made by a cyanoacrylate adhesive? The circled portions suggest a spongy structure which might be from bone or sponge, as far I understand their structure. " 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...
Plantguy Posted August 19, 2017 Share Posted August 19, 2017 11 minutes ago, abyssunder said: That was my first thought also, Chris, that the matrix was coated for preservation in some areas, but I've made no remaks on this. I'm glad for your intervention. Could be the flowing traces made by a cyanoacrylate adhesive? The circled portions suggest a spongy structure which might be from bone or sponge, as far I understand their structure. Somewhere I have a jaw fragments with some tooth roots from Allodesmus with a very similar color/vague texture. Neither of those are diagnostic keys but just a coincidence that intrigues me about this specimen. I didnt recognize the material as bone/mammal initially either. Regards, Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roberta NJ CA Posted August 19, 2017 Author Share Posted August 19, 2017 I can try...new here. I'll take close ups pics tomorrow. THANK YOU for taking the time to help me out here. I am clearly amateur and have crates to go through. I promise not to send too many for ID help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fifbrindacier Posted August 21, 2017 Share Posted August 21, 2017 On 19/08/2017 at 4:56 AM, Roberta NJ CA said: I can try...new here. I'll take close ups pics tomorrow. THANK YOU for taking the time to help me out here. I am clearly amateur and have crates to go through. I promise not to send too many for ID help. At the contrary, don't hesitate to ask for help. "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...
ynot Posted August 21, 2017 Share Posted August 21, 2017 On 8/18/2017 at 7:56 PM, Roberta NJ CA said: I am clearly amateur and have crates to go through. I promise not to send too many for ID help. Feel free to post as much as You want. We all like looking at fossils and are happy to try and help. 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...
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