Dino flesh and skin fossil?

[B.Davies]

Hi all, found this fossil, thought it was tree bark or sediment layers until i turned piece over. Looks to be a skin and soft tissue fossil, has small (approx 1mm) scale like bumps on front face, and what appears to be a meeting point to bones, possibly ribs on rear, with a distint layer between resembling a muscle layer. Any thoughts or input would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks, B.Davies

[westcoast]

These are wave ripples, sedimentary structures produced by the orbital motion of water generated by waves in shallow water.

[B.Davies]

The lines on rear run at 90degrees to the front?

[westcoast]

Wind (and current ) directions change and each sedimentary layer can have different direction ripples. Even the same layer can have different directions depending on the topography of the substrate. Picture a flat beach with the tide going out, you will see ripples in a wide variety of orientations. 

[B.Davies]

I have spoken to a geologist who has stated that it does not appear to be of natural formation, but is more likely a mummification, and advised i get a paleontologist's opinion. The layer at front is at 90degrees to layers at rear, which cant occur at tides :/

[Troodon]

Does not look like any dinosaur skin, mummified or impression, I've seen.  Pattern is all wrong.

[B.Davies]

Search hadrosaur skin mummification, esp dakota dinosaur pictures

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/23689410/ns/technology_and_science-science/t/rare-mummified-dinosaur-uncovered/

[Troodon]

That picture bares little resemblance to your specimen

[Miocene_Mason]

We have ripples like that over here in some places, and I remember one that looked exactly like yours. It's pretty amazing when you think about it, wave action many millions of years ago is still there today! Here are some similar specimens. Some in Antarctica have been able to deduce currents, depth, and a lot of other things based on the distancing of them. Dinosaur skin is more 'scaly' typically, remember not to get caught in a confirmation bias (something I have been guilty of).

[TqB]

It's nice ripples. And you don't get dinosaur skin in West Wales  (which is where you said it's from on another forum).  

 

 

[Bobby Rico]

Great ripple marks, if you collect fossil the ripples it makes a great display piece for showing off your ammonites or trilobites. Looks like a seabed diorama. I used to show off my ammonites like this when I had more space. Here's my ripple marks to compare with yours.

 

cheers Bobby 

[B.Davies]

Still curious to understand how other layers fall at 90degrees to top layer, i too thought it was ripple marks until examined closer. 

[Miocene_Mason]

4 minutes ago, B.Davies said:

Still curious to understand how other layers fall at 90degrees to top layer, i too thought it was ripple marks until examined closer. 

These are normal, you may have seen them on ripples on the beach. Here is typical dinosaur skin, very different.

[Bobby Rico]

57 minutes ago, B.Davies said:

Still curious to understand how other layers fall at 90degrees to top layer, i too thought it was ripple marks until examined closer. 

Hi it is probably just like @westcoast said different wind directions that laid down sand in different ways over time. I did split open one of my ripple mark rocks and it too revealed different ripples in different directions  . 

[ynot]

A half inch thick rock can represent 100's or 1,000's of years.

[Fossildude19]

Thrusting, faulting, folding, and other geologic processes can cause layers to change orientation.  

 

Geology is pretty amazing.  

 

 

[Rockwood]

4 hours ago, B.Davies said:

has small (approx 1mm) scale like bumps on front face

Under some conditions what appear to be larger pieces now have actually been recrystallized from what were fine grained sediments at the time.

[abyssunder]

Please take a photo of your specimen with a scale beside, preferably a ruler in metric system, also a view of the back side and end views might be helpful.

[JohnBrewer]

Abyssunder beat me to it. To get an ID please post an internationally recognised scale (mm) 

 

Ripple marks go me too. Saw some great ones on Friday in the West Midlands 

Edited October 22, 2017 by JohnBrewer
Grammar

[Bobby Rico]

Hi John I would like too see them ripple marks can you please tell me where they are in the west mindlands .

 

thanks Bobby 

[JohnBrewer]

1 hour ago, Bobby Rico said:

Hi John I would like too see them ripple marks can you please tell me where they are in the west mindlands .

 

thanks Bobby 

Hi Bobby

 

here’s a report I made in August 

 

Last Friday three of us @thelivingdead531 and @Barerootbonsai made a trip there. Certainly @thelivingdead531 took a pic of the amazing sea bed. When you look at it in reality’s it shows the different textures and directions of the sea bed over millions of years as pieces fall off. Probably the best example in the UK if not Europe and even possibly the world. I never tire of seeing this when I visit the area. 

 

We we may revisit in the spring and you’re most welcome to join us. Different areas reveal different types of fossils. If you ply us with lots of beer we might just show you the coral, Branchiopoda, Gastropoda and trilobite areas, they’re all in different places.  

[thelivingdead531]

Unfortunately, I didn't get a closeup of the sea bed, though I meant to. I was too focused on finding those fossils.  

[Bobby Rico]

Hi @JohnBrewer   I would be really pleased to join you next year. Your trip too the Black Country looked great  or as they would say in Dudly "bostin"  . l am also very happy trade beers for info .  

 

thanks for the kind offer and I am looking forward too it.

 

Cheers Bobby 

[EMP]

On 2017/10/22 at 9:41 AM, B.Davies said:

Still curious to understand how other layers fall at 90degrees to top layer, i too thought it was ripple marks until examined closer. 

 

Isn't it called cross-bedding when it does that? 

http://www.pitt.edu/~cejones/GeoImages/5SedimentaryRocks/SedStructures/CrossBedding1.html

 

Here's a picture to help visualize it: 

 

 

It's a fairly common, though interesting, sedimentary structure. 

 

+1 for ripple marks. 

[RJB]

My very first thought the second I looked at either photo was "ripple marks".

 

RB