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Ancient Seabed Knysna Caves


Mattodon

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So I have decided to try take it slow and post one fossil at a time since I dont get new fossils very often. 

 

These fossils were found in a cave in the Knysna region of the Western Cape not far from the Karoo.

The farmer who found them claims that the fossil is an ancient Seabed, with plankton and plant life nestled in there. There seems to be a crustacean like creature and coral like material but I am no expert. Which era could this have come from? What kind f life is in here?

 

These fossils are very brittle and powdery, both the rock layer and the imprint. More close up images are to follow.

 

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26 minutes ago, Rockwood said:

Similar ?

IMG_0286a.jpg

Similar but the shapes and sediment are very different. Mine has preserved as a white powder. I will make a post about the crustacean like creature nestling in between. I shall examine this more closely to draw some similarities though! Thanks Rockwood

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I know you can see it much more clearly, but I am having trouble seeing anything difinative in your pictures to be able to ID.

Dorensigbadges.JPG       

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Just now, caldigger said:

I know you can see it much more clearly, but I am having trouble seeing anything difinative in your pictures to be able to ID.

Oh dear. Let me know what I can do to help!

 

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Looks like plant hash, to me. :unsure: 

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    Tim    -  VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER

   MOTM.png.61350469b02f439fd4d5d77c2c69da85.png      PaleoPartner.png.30c01982e09b0cc0b7d9d6a7a21f56c6.png.a600039856933851eeea617ca3f2d15f.png     Postmaster1.jpg.900efa599049929531fa81981f028e24.jpg    VFOTM.png.f1b09c78bf88298b009b0da14ef44cf0.png  VFOTM  --- APRIL - 2015  

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"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks."

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4 minutes ago, oldtimer said:

Plant hash or fish bones?

 

Definitely not fish bones. 

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    Tim    -  VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER

   MOTM.png.61350469b02f439fd4d5d77c2c69da85.png      PaleoPartner.png.30c01982e09b0cc0b7d9d6a7a21f56c6.png.a600039856933851eeea617ca3f2d15f.png     Postmaster1.jpg.900efa599049929531fa81981f028e24.jpg    VFOTM.png.f1b09c78bf88298b009b0da14ef44cf0.png  VFOTM  --- APRIL - 2015  

__________________________________________________
"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks."

John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~   ><))))( *>  About Me      

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6 hours ago, Mattodon said:

preserved as a white powder.

 

1 hour ago, Fossildude19 said:

Looks like plant hash, to me. :unsure: 

?

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Plant debris was my thought, including root fragments.

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" 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. "

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13 minutes ago, Tidgy's Dad said:

Looks like lots of leaf, stem and root bits to me. 

I wonder what the age of this specimen could be.

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Interesting story, definitely fits the bill to be a fossil, since the shapes aren't incredibly detail as Fossildude19 said

6 hours ago, Fossildude19 said:

Looks like plant hash, to me. :unsure: 

 plant matter would be the most probable. 

My advice is to try and avoid getting an ID unless you really want to, its hard to ID things broad like random plant matter; while its a neat piece it would take a lot of time and energy to identify.

 

Also I forgot to mention on your mosasaur jaw post, while the matrix is incredibly fake; mosasaur teeth are so common it's likely all the teeth in the "matrix" are genuine. 

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rydysig.JPG

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I’ve seen invertebrate burrows that can look like this but given the area (I seem to remember Carboniferous finds from SA) and the lack of “cylindrical-ness” I’ll go with plant as well.

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“...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

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