JBH1992 Posted July 20, 2018 Share Posted July 20, 2018 My son and I found both sides of this split rock on a steeply wooded slope in southwestern PA (near Wexford PA). I think it is a fossil but not certain. It looks like a segmented worm or possibly plant structure. If straightened out, it would measure 4-5 inches, depending on which surface. 0.25 inch wide. Looking for any information or ideas. First find in this area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ynot Posted July 20, 2018 Share Posted July 20, 2018 Welcome to TFF! I think You have a nice example of a backfilled burrow. These are known as trace fossils. Wait for others to confirm or refute this opinion. 2 Darwin said: " Man sprang from monkeys." Will Rogers said: " Some of them didn't spring far enough." My Fossil collection - My Mineral collection My favorite thread on TFF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miocene_Mason Posted July 20, 2018 Share Posted July 20, 2018 Should be Pennsylvanian (a part of the Carboniferous period) from your area. Could be a backfilled burrow, but I’m not excluding myriapod yet, is there tiny pores or bumps regularly across the surface? If so, a picture to confirm would be nice. 2 “...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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBH1992 Posted July 20, 2018 Author Share Posted July 20, 2018 Thank you for replying! I don’t see any pores or bumps. Each segment appears smooth. Possibly some overlap of segments. I have not cleaned or altered the surface in any way. Should I? Also, I have access to imaging microscopes but as I said, no pores are apparent, so I don’t think I’d see anything more. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miocene_Mason Posted July 20, 2018 Share Posted July 20, 2018 Then I’m in the invertebrate burrow camp. It is a very interesting piece! Perhaps someone more familiar with ichnofossils than I might know a proper ID. 1 “...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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FranzBernhard Posted July 20, 2018 Share Posted July 20, 2018 Thats a really nice fossil! Congratulations! Is it our first find? Franz Bernhard 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westcoast Posted July 20, 2018 Share Posted July 20, 2018 Possibly Nereites imbricata 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobWill Posted July 20, 2018 Share Posted July 20, 2018 20 minutes ago, westcoast said: Possibly Nereites imbricata Do you have an image of that for comparison? This is a very interesting thread and I'm looking forward to learning what this is. I contacted someone who helps with ID on the facebook version of TFF. He might be able to confirm this suggestion or if not may offer another idea. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted July 20, 2018 Share Posted July 20, 2018 Actually, it looks more like Taenidium serpentinum, rather than Nereites imbricata. Compare: 8 Tim - VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER VFOTM --- APRIL - 2015 __________________________________________________ "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~ ><))))( *> About Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBH1992 Posted July 20, 2018 Author Share Posted July 20, 2018 You are all amazing! Thanks for the help. My dad took us fossil hunting as kids for leaves, west of Pittsburgh. And I’ve found leaves, ferns, and wood here; shell fossils near Erie, PA. This was just really odd to look down and see. Thanks everybody! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeschWhat Posted July 28, 2018 Share Posted July 28, 2018 The difference in color and consistency makes me wonder if this is coprolitic. Monarch caterpillars make strings of fecal pellets similar to this. If this is from the Carboniferous, the bugs were really big back then. Lori www.areallycrappystory.com/fossils www.facebook.com/fossilpoo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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