leebert37 Posted August 19, 2018 Share Posted August 19, 2018 Hello. I am have little to no experience in collecting, but have always been fascinated by the beauty and the story of "nature" that exists and existed on our planet. Yesterday, I found this little beauty in my back yard while weeding our landscaping areas that are lined with river rock. We live in Indiana and we had this rock delivered about 17 years ago. Hoping to get some insight other than what my novice research is turning up. Thank you in advance for any input. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ynot Posted August 19, 2018 Share Posted August 19, 2018 Welcome to TFF! This is the internal cast of a snail shell. It is called a steinkern. Trying to get a better ID is hard because the shell is gone and that is what is used to make an ID. 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...
Tidgy's Dad Posted August 19, 2018 Share Posted August 19, 2018 The dimensions and photos of the side view and reverse might give a little more chance of an id. Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leebert37 Posted August 19, 2018 Author Share Posted August 19, 2018 photos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leebert37 Posted August 19, 2018 Author Share Posted August 19, 2018 43 minutes ago, ynot said: Welcome to TFF! This is the internal cast of a snail shell. It is called a steinkern. Trying to get a better ID is hard because the shell is gone and that is what is used to make an ID. Thank you. I did post some more photos if that makes any difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leebert37 Posted August 19, 2018 Author Share Posted August 19, 2018 43 minutes ago, Tidgy's Dad said: The dimensions and photos of the side view and reverse might give a little more chance of an id. Tidgy's Dad Thank you for your input. It measures approximately 1 1/2 inches across and is about 1 inch thick from the base to the tip of the coil. I posted more photos as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DPS Ammonite Posted August 19, 2018 Share Posted August 19, 2018 Welcome to the Forum. Without a good provenance (it was delivered) and without surface ornamentation about all we can say is that it is an internal mold, steinkern, of a coiled gastropod. As a child, I found lots of treasures in the delivered river rock in Phoenix. 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...
leebert37 Posted August 19, 2018 Author Share Posted August 19, 2018 9 minutes ago, DPS Ammonite said: Welcome to the Forum. Without a good provenance (it was delivered) and without surface ornamentation about all we can say is that it is an internal mold, steinkern, of a coiled gastropod. As a child, I found lots of treasures in the delivered river rock in Phoenix. Thank you. So getting an approximate time period would be out of the question???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caldigger Posted August 19, 2018 Share Posted August 19, 2018 2 minutes ago, leebert37 said: Thank you. So getting an approximate time period would be out of the question???? "Old" time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DPS Ammonite Posted August 19, 2018 Share Posted August 19, 2018 7 minutes ago, leebert37 said: Thank you. So getting an approximate time period would be out of the question???? If you knew where the river gravel came from, we might be able to make a guess. Coiled gastropods like yours have existed for over 300 million years. If you find other fossils in the gravel, show them to us. We might be able to give a better ID because of guilt by association. 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...
leebert37 Posted August 19, 2018 Author Share Posted August 19, 2018 5 minutes ago, DPS Ammonite said: If you knew where the river gravel came from, we might be able to make a guess. Coiled gastropods like yours have existed for over 300 million years. If you find other fossils in the gravel, show them to us. We might be able to give a better ID because of guilt by association. All I know is that it is Indiana River rock. I don't know which "river" or area however. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leebert37 Posted August 19, 2018 Author Share Posted August 19, 2018 I found this Indiana Fossil Chart from the Indiana Geological & Water Survey / Indiana University. I just don't know if I have enough information to date it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DPS Ammonite Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 Most likely from the Paleozoic (300 mya to 500 mya) since newer rocks are either absent or likely to contain that type of fossil. Humans and glaciers can always bring in foreign rocks. 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...
leebert37 Posted August 20, 2018 Author Share Posted August 20, 2018 3 hours ago, DPS Ammonite said: Most likely from the Paleozoic (300 mya to 500 mya) since newer rocks are either absent or likely to contain that type of fossil. Humans and glaciers can always bring in foreign rocks. That's what I was guessing from my internet research. It is difficult for me to wrap my mind around the fact that I found something that old. I know that my find is not that uncommon among scientists, collectors, etc..., but this is very exciting to me! Thank you for your time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.