Fossilized wood? Walton on the Naze finds.

[thelivingdead531]

I found a lot of things during a visit to Walton on the Naze in England, but I'm curious about these at the moment. They resemble wood, such as small branches and twigs. I've tried to do research on them but I'm not really coming up with a definite answer. They don't appear petrified (at least to my untrained eye), so I'm wondering if they are fossilized branches. Or maybe nothing at all! If you need better pictures please let me know, I can do that tomorrow when the sun is (hopefully!) shining. 

 

Also, if someone can tell me how to tell the difference between a fossil shell and a more modern one, that would be great! I collected a ton of shells and I'm not sure what may be fossilized and what is definitely modern. Thanks!

[ynot]

If it is just drift wood You should be able to mark it with a fingernail. It it will not scratch then it is most likely petrified wood.

[JohnBrewer]

For the most part the wood doesn't look fossilised. Does it feel like wood or stone? Will it float in water? There are some things that do look mineralised though. I'm pretty sure the shells are modern. 

 

[Seaforth]

Yup, these are definately fossilised wood.

These are pretty commonly found over there at Waltham. Picked up many there myself when I was there in 2012

Some of these can still have very nice detail which make them rather attractive and also come in all sorts of weird shapes & sizes

As for the shells I cannot be of much help as I know nothing about them but I am sure several folks over here can,

 

Cheers

Pat

 

 

 

 

[GeschWhat]

At least one, (in the top left of the second photo) looks like it could be a coprolite from a fish with a scroll valve. Although, it is hard to tell from that photo. I also get a burrow vibe from a couple others.

[Seaforth]

BTW,

 

I can also higly reccommned going to Folkestone, UK where you will find ample supplies of Ammonites & ammonite frags

 

I just came from there with the kids with bags full of bits &bobs from an hours hunt.

And you can definetely take those back to the USA :-)

 

Pat

 

 

 

 

[thelivingdead531]

All of the ones I have pictured are definitely heavy (for their size) and don't float. I picked up one small piece of drift wood and threw it out after I realized it was just wood lol. I will post a few more pictures either tonight or tomorrow of some other finds. 

 

I feel like most of my shells are modern, but a few I'm questioning, and curious if there are any tell tale markers for identifying fossilized ones. 

This was my original haul for the day. It was a lot to go through lol. (Same items, just different angles)

[Seaforth]

Yes, these are similar to the ones that I picked up over there in 2012.

Definately fossilised/ pyritised wood.

The shells look modern to me.

[thelivingdead531]

My (very lonely) partial shark tooth in the center. I was very disappointed that I didn't find more, and I had a dig for this one!

[Seaforth]

Well, at least you found one tooth frag.

I found none :-)

[thelivingdead531]

Better luck to you next time, Seaforth! I've seen so many people come out of Walton with many teeth in one day (on here), so maybe we both had off days then. 

[Coco]

If you put some pics of shells (close-up) I can try to identify some of them, they seem modern.

 

Coco

[Kosmoceras]

That is indeed fossil wood; it’s from the London Clay and is preserved in pyrite. Most of your shells are recent - the majority of the fossil shells are up in the cliffs (it can be quite dangerous up there), but there are some more robust ones on the beach. One or two in your lot might be fossils (in red); they tend to had a particular patina and are stained orange.

[thelivingdead531]

These two were my main ones that I was curious about, and if the two items to the right of the shell in the second photo are anything other than interesting looking rocks. I think there were a couple more but I'll have to get them all back out to have a look. 

[Kosmoceras]

2 minutes ago, thelivingdead531 said:

These two were my main ones that I was curious about, and if the two items to the right of the shell in the second photo are anything other than interesting looking rocks. I think there were a couple more but I'll have to get them all back out to have a look. 

These two are recent.

[thelivingdead531]

Kosmoceras, most (if not all) of my pieces were found in the London Clay. I tried to stay away from the cliffs due to the hazard. I'll try to get up better photos of the shells at a later date, and of the wood pieces. 

[Coco]

On the last pic, the 2 left / up  are very worn out Nucella lapillus (recent).

 

Coco

[thelivingdead531]

Thank you Coco. Do you have any idea of the two items on the direct right of the shell on the last picture? Possibly coral? 

16 minutes ago, Kosmoceras said:

That is indeed fossil wood; it’s from the London Clay and is preserved in pyrite. Most of your shells are recent - the majority of the fossil shells are up in the cliffs (it can be quite dangerous up there), but there are some more robust ones on the beach. One or two in your lot might be fossils (in red); they tend to had a particular patina and are stained orange.

How would I go about preserving the wood, if needed?

[Coco]

I don't know about the 2 items (look rock...) and wood.

 

I have seen Calliostoma and Buccinum on your pics.

 

Coco

[thelivingdead531]

Sorry Coco, I'm still trying to learn how to properly post images and replies. Is your answer referring to this photo? The items on the right didn't look like shells, but I wasn't 100% certain. 

[FossilDudeCO]

Those are lovely shells either way.

Congrats on a nice sack of goodies for the day!

[Coco]

Yes, 2 Nucella lapillus on this pic, perhaps a 3e cut on the top. And yes, for me too the 2 pieces on the right don't look shells but stone.

 

Coco

[Marlowe]

Herne bay on a low tide is excellent for shark's teeth. The further out to sea you go the more you find but they're the same colour as the rocks so they're hard to see. I've found hundreds over the years and so have my dad and grandad so it seems they'll never run out!