themariner Posted August 5, 2018 Share Posted August 5, 2018 Hi everyone, I just returned from a summer in northern New Jersey and had the chance to fossil hunt at the Ramanessin Brook site near Holmdel, New Jersey. We went on 7/28 after a series of heavy rainstorms, so we knew we would have an easy time at finding recently exposed material. We found the usual cretaceous shark teeth fossils, and then perching on the river rocks was this beautiful lower jawbone. I have included a photo of how it was found and the general site area. The jawbone itself does not appear fossilized with minerals and looks quite porous, while I am assuming the dentine in the teeth was well fossilized and has unique hues of blue, red, and brown that are difficult to capture in the photo. The size and specialization of the teeth remind me of a more modern mammal like a raccoon, but I am from Texas and unfamiliar with what is possible to find at this usually marine cretaceous locality. Is it possible that a more recent mammal's jawbone had fossilized and become uncovered in the same area? I am excited to see what you experts are thinking, and thank you in advance! I would be happy to take more photos if needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilized6s Posted August 5, 2018 Share Posted August 5, 2018 I'm seeing an old raccoon partial mandible. Though raccoons have been traced back as far as the lower Miocene i don't believe this is fossilized. If the bone isn't mineralized then the teeth can't be. Neat find though. 1 ~Charlie~ "There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why.....i dream of things that never were, and ask why not?" ~RFK ->Get your Mosasaur print ->How to spot a fake Trilobite ->How to identify a CONCRETION from a DINOSAUR EGG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miocene_Mason Posted August 5, 2018 Share Posted August 5, 2018 It doesn’t take long for small rodent bones and teeth to stain and mineralized. If you try a burn test, you could find out if it’s a fossil. This is destructive though, if it’s modern it will emit a smell like burnt hair when held to a flame and if it’s fossil it won’t. “...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...
themariner Posted August 5, 2018 Author Share Posted August 5, 2018 Thank you both for your input, I have not heard about the burn test. I figured it was too recent to be from the cretaceous layer that the fossils at the site are known to come from. Do either of you have any references/papers regarding how quickly teeth and bones can become mineralized? Would love to learn more about how this might have formed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miocene_Mason Posted August 5, 2018 Share Posted August 5, 2018 16 minutes ago, themariner said: Thank you both for your input, I have not heard about the burn test. I figured it was too recent to be from the cretaceous layer that the fossils at the site are known to come from. Do either of you have any references/papers regarding how quickly teeth and bones can become mineralized? Would love to learn more about how this might have formed! Depends on the mineral content of the groundwater. Petrifying wells can do it in days, but these are extremely mineral-rich waters. Natures tricky! 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...
fossilized6s Posted August 5, 2018 Share Posted August 5, 2018 It takes roughly about 10,000 years for mineralization to take place in the right conditions. ~Charlie~ "There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why.....i dream of things that never were, and ask why not?" ~RFK ->Get your Mosasaur print ->How to spot a fake Trilobite ->How to identify a CONCRETION from a DINOSAUR EGG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Pristis Posted August 5, 2018 Share Posted August 5, 2018 2 hours ago, fossilized6s said: It takes roughly about 10,000 years for mineralization to take place in the right conditions. There is no rule of thumb for the TIME it takes for a bone to mineralize. The controlling variable is the depositional conditions. http://pristis.wix.com/the-demijohn-page What seest thou else In the dark backward and abysm of time? ---Shakespeare, The Tempest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now