amyboone Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 What do you think this is? I found it in a chunk of limestone. Do you think it is part of a shell? It was found in the Austin Chalk. To me, it resembles a piece of hoof or antler, but I have absolutely no idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seldom Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 Being it is from austin chalk formation I have to say shell Galveston Island 32 miles long 2 miles wide 134 bars 23 liquor stores any questions? Evolution is Chimp Change. Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass; it's about learning to dance in the rain! "I like to listen. I have learned a great deal from listening carefully. Most people never listen." Ernest Hemingway Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amyboone Posted August 19, 2009 Author Share Posted August 19, 2009 I am sure it is shell because of where it came from, it is just interesting to me that it looks and feels like keratin. I need to start putting something next to stuff for size reference, but it is about the size of small jolly rancher or bit-o-honey candy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkfoam Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 IMO it is a chalcedony nodule or cast that filled a burrow in the limestone. A quick test would be the judicious application of some vinegar to see if it reacts as limestone or does not react, as chalcedony. Chalcedony nodules are fairly common in some parts of the Austin Chalk. Also the largest shell to be found in the Austin Chalk is the big oyster, Exogyra ponderosa, and what is pictured is not an oyster. JKFoam The Eocene is my favorite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnJ Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 IMO it is a chalcedony nodule or cast that filled a burrow in the limestone. A quick test would be the judicious application of some vinegar to see if it reacts as limestone or does not react, as chalcedony. Chalcedony nodules are fairly common in some parts of the Austin Chalk. Also the largest shell to be found in the Austin Chalk is the big oyster, Exogyra ponderosa, and what is pictured is not an oyster.JKFoam Jim, what about a calcitic fragment of an Inoceramus lip? The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true. - JJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkfoam Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 JohnJ, In Amyboones photos there is no scale or size reference but I am surmizing this thing is not small. Also, what I am thinking is chalcedony is the object seen from the end view in the third photo (the eliptical shaped object). Also the acid test (vinegar) will determine if it is shell or quartz. JKFoam The Eocene is my favorite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xiphactinus Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 That's part of the hinge of an inoceramus clam. Wish I had a dollar for every one of those I've picked up thinking it was a jaw or a rib or a.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amyboone Posted August 19, 2009 Author Share Posted August 19, 2009 Sorry I did not scale it! I am going to try to remember to do that though. The closest I can tell you in size is the size of a small jolly rancher candy or a bit o honey candy, it is exactly about that size So it is kinda small, at least to me. And it is definitely not limestone. It does have limestone clinging to it, but it is definitely not a rock. I have learned alot the past two weeks There were ALOT of Inoceramus clam shell pieces in the bedrock in the area I found it though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Bowen Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 It's Inoceramus shell. I've seen hundreds of pieces just like that still attached to the clam. These clams get very large in the austin chalk formation. I know of a couple that are well over a foot across about a mile from my house in Garland. These are so cool looking, it's still hard for me not to pick them up Dave Bowen Collin County, Texas. Paleontology: The next best thing to time travel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danielp Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 Looks like the hinge of the shell to me.....atleast part of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Smilodon Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 <EDIT: Link to website of origin added: http://www.paleosearch.com/3937.html > Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 That thing is huge. I've seen some big ones, but not that big. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Bowen Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 Yep, that's a big one. I would love to be able to extract one that big... very fragile though. I just look, take pictures, and leave em there. Dave Bowen Collin County, Texas. Paleontology: The next best thing to time travel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amyboone Posted August 20, 2009 Author Share Posted August 20, 2009 OMG! That thing is big! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erose Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 <EDIT: Link to website of origin added: http://www.paleosearch.com/3937.html > Is that from the Sternberg? That Kansas stuff often s better preserved than what we get down here in TX. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Smilodon Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 Is that from the Sternberg? That Kansas stuff often s better preserved than what we get down here in TX. No, it's actually destined for a personal collection. IMHO Kansas preservation of cretaceous marine stuff is the best although the preservation/collection of big stuff usually results in display of only one side. The shell is 52 inchesx52 inches. Gulp! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobC Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 I will graciously accept that specimen into my private collection. Give me a call... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted August 21, 2009 Share Posted August 21, 2009 I will graciously accept that specimen into my private collection. Give me a call... You made me laugh out loud! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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