deutscheben Posted June 15, 2018 Share Posted June 15, 2018 Over the winter I was freezing and thawing nodules found in reclaimed coal mine spoils from the Pennsylvanian Shelburn Formation, Busseron Sandstone from Vigo County Indiana. These contain flora and rare fauna similar to the Braidwood Biota from Mazon Creek. This nodule split off a tiny bit on one end and I set aside for further investigation after a quick glance revealed an interesting pattern. Then I forgot about until I was recently unpacking from a move, and re-examined it under magnification. Unfortunately, the piece that split off the end was lost, so I only have the one side, but it shows a small rectangular patch of texture, about 10 mm wide. The piece preserved shows folds and wrinkles, as well as what looks like a tear in the center, and looking under magnification reveals the entire piece is covered with tiny pebbly bumps. My first assumption would be plant material, but it doesn't match the texture of any of the other plants I have found at this site. A much less likely option would be a patch of skin from some sort of animal or egg casing. I would like to get it under greater magnification and will try to find an expert to look at it, but I wanted to put the best pictures I was able to take here for y'all's thoughts. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goatinformationist Posted June 15, 2018 Share Posted June 15, 2018 This is most interesting. Please keep us posted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Innocentx Posted June 15, 2018 Share Posted June 15, 2018 I'm staying tuned for this one. "Journey through a universe ablaze with changes" Phil Ochs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilcrazy Posted June 15, 2018 Share Posted June 15, 2018 (edited) Looks to be a fish scale. Possibly Sagenotus. This scale was about 2.5" across. Edited June 15, 2018 by fossilcrazy add photo example. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DPS Ammonite Posted June 15, 2018 Share Posted June 15, 2018 Does the whole nodule have those polgonal openings? Do you see any long close-packed tubes? You might be looking at a bryozoan or a sponge. See a post about Chaetetes sponges that has polygonal openings and long parallel tubes: http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/topic/85497-petrified-wood-location-nevada-las-vegas/&tab=comments#comment-919421 1 My goal is to leave no stone or fossil unturned. See my Arizona Paleontology Guide link The best single resource for Arizona paleontology anywhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deutscheben Posted June 16, 2018 Author Share Posted June 16, 2018 2 hours ago, fossilcrazy said: Looks to be a fish scale. Possibly Sagenotus. This scale was about 2.5" across. Thanks- a fish scale is certainly a possibility in this deposit, although the preservation seems to indicate that my piece was soft and flexible, unlike most of the large Mazon Creek scales I have seen. 1 hour ago, DPS Ammonite said: Does the whole nodule have those polgonal openings? Do you see any long close-packed tubes? You might be looking at a bryozoan or a sponge. See a post about Chaetetes sponges that has polygonal openings and long parallel tubes: http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/topic/85497-petrified-wood-location-nevada-las-vegas/&tab=comments#comment-919421 No sponges or bryozoans have been found in these types of Pennsylvanian deposits- it is thought that this would have been a terrestrial/fresh-water environment devoid of such organisms. I can see the resemblance though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spongy Joe Posted June 16, 2018 Share Posted June 16, 2018 The wrinkling looks like arthropod (e.g. scorpion) cuticle; I've seen the same in Yorkshire. That pattern, though... I don't know whether there's arthropodan cuticle that looks like that. Bryozoan encusting something is my second thought, and there are freshwater ones (not sure when they evolved), so it's not impossible. Curious! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilcrazy Posted June 16, 2018 Share Posted June 16, 2018 This scale shows some reticulated patterns. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deutscheben Posted June 16, 2018 Author Share Posted June 16, 2018 I was able to take a few more pics under magnification with some better light- I think these give a better idea of the texture: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdp Posted June 16, 2018 Share Posted June 16, 2018 Definitely not a Sagenodus scale. Intriguing pattern though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abyssunder Posted June 16, 2018 Share Posted June 16, 2018 The reticular pattern is too regular to be geological, in my opinion. It reminds me of lizard skin. " 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...
jdp Posted June 16, 2018 Share Posted June 16, 2018 Too fine. Thinking maybe insect cuticle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdp Posted June 16, 2018 Share Posted June 16, 2018 Or cuticle of some other arthropod. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobWill Posted June 17, 2018 Share Posted June 17, 2018 I would consider the possibility of shark cartilage. Do you know if any shark material like teeth has been found in the area? 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deutscheben Posted June 17, 2018 Author Share Posted June 17, 2018 Shark cartilage is an intriguing possibility, thanks! I am not aware of any sharks found at this specific site, but they have certainly been found in the similar Mazon Creek deposits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Archie Posted June 17, 2018 Share Posted June 17, 2018 Awesome piece! My first thought was also shark cartilage. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dalmayshun Posted June 17, 2018 Share Posted June 17, 2018 Interesting to me, since it is very similar to a pattern I find on small orthocone/tentaculites ( I can't yet identify what the 4-6 inch cone like fossils from the U.P. of Michigan, near Newberry are),. t the pattern in the remnants of the animal are like yours. (Oh, and this was found in a nodule also...from drift, possibly Collingwood 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deutscheben Posted June 17, 2018 Author Share Posted June 17, 2018 5 hours ago, Archie said: Awesome piece! My first thought was also shark cartilage. Thanks! You can see it somewhat in the second picture from my last post, but on some edges it demonstrates a sort of granularity, where it seems to be breaking up into small pieces- is that consistent with cartilage? @RCFossils, @fiddlehead, @Nimravis have you seen anything resembling this out of Mazon Creek? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RCFossils Posted June 17, 2018 Share Posted June 17, 2018 I would agree that this may be shark cartilage. Possibly from a xenacanth type shark. very nice! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nimravis Posted June 17, 2018 Share Posted June 17, 2018 Very nice piece. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deutscheben Posted June 18, 2018 Author Share Posted June 18, 2018 18 hours ago, RCFossils said: I would agree that this may be shark cartilage. Possibly from a xenacanth type shark. very nice! Thanks! I will go with that as the tentative consensus. It looks like I have some research to do today on the preservation of cartilage in paleozoic sharks. 13 hours ago, Nimravis said: Very nice piece. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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