Jacksboro Texas Plants

[BobWill]

I showed Jeffery P  the Jacksboro spillway on his swing through Texas and it was my day to find plants in this otherwise marine site. At least I think that both are plants.

First this piece with mm scale which I'm guessing could be Cordaites or Artisia pith.

 

 

Edge view

 

 

and close-up

 

 

and other side

 

Next this leaf which I think is one of the seed fern pinnules, also with mm scale

 

 

other side

 

 

end views

 

 

and side views

 

 

Does anyone agree and can you tell which of the seed ferns this could be?

 

 

[Wrangellian]

I can't help you, but interesting fossils. Haven't seen many plants from that site.

I think you either need to try the pics in full sunlight or get a new camera as yours is making your pics look like quickly-done oil paintings!

[Rockwood]

8 hours ago, BobWill said:

First this piece with mm scale which I'm guessing could be Cordaites or Artisia pith.

I'm having trouble finding it now, but I'm sure I have a piece with a very similar texture that includes a faint pattern of lycopod leaf scars.

[History Hunter02]

When I first glanced at the first picture, I thought it was a modern piece of burnt wood! Definately a fossil! 

[BobWill]

8 hours ago, Wrangellian said:

I can't help you, but interesting fossils. Haven't seen many plants from that site.

I think you either need to try the pics in full sunlight or get a new camera as yours is making your pics look like quickly-done oil paintings!

These fossils look a bit like quickly-done oil paintings

I don't have and can't just go get a new camera but maybe my daughter can help with her equipment next time I see her. I don't think direct sunlight would help since I used my cheap digital microscope with it's own light. I tried enhancing it with a flashlight but that just washed it out.

[daves64]

If you can shut the light off in the micro cam, try using a plain white light led flashlight.

[BobWill]

13 minutes ago, daves64 said:

If you can shut the light off in the micro cam, try using a plain white light led flashlight.

I had tried that but could not tell any improvement. Which photos could use some help? I'll post whatever ones might help.

[BobWill]

@paleoflor @Plantguy any ideas about what these could be? Could this be a leaf in the process of uncoiling?

[Plantguy]

Hey Bob, I'm not sure what you have there but they are intriguing. Anything three dimensionally preserved is pretty special. I think we'll need some really sharp pictures to figure out anything more or ask someone. I wonder if Tim has seen anything like it--I suspect he'll need new images as well.

 

Do you think those are isolated finds or could there be more? Are they found in place or are surface/creekbed finds? Any ideas about what formation they are coming from if they are insitu? 

 

Regards, Chris 

[DPS Ammonite]

21 minutes ago, Plantguy said:

Do you think those are isolated finds or could there be more? Are they found in place or are surface/creekbed finds? Any ideas about what formation they are coming from if they are insitu? 

They come from the Late Pennsylvanian Finis Shale (containing mostly marine near shore delta deposits) which contains rare fern seeds and small mineralized pieces of wood and lots of marine fossils. I have never seen fern imprints. The finds are usually surface finds in the loose, heavily weathered shale that forms mud.

[BobWill]

I tried taking pictures with different lighting. See if this helps any.

[DPS Ammonite]

I cannot ID the species but I do think that they are fern pinnules. See several ones probable from the Finis Shale as shown on Lance Hall's North Texas Fossils site: http://northtexasfossils.com/plants2.htm

 

Bob, were these found in the flatlands in the area of the slightly harder bedded siltstone near the edge of the creek? I found most of my wood and seeds in that area.

[BobWill]

9 hours ago, DPS Ammonite said:

Bob, were these found in the flatlands in the area of the slightly harder bedded siltstone near the edge of the creek? I found most of my wood and seeds in that area.

I have found wood there too but these were found on the bank. The wood piece is just intriguing the way it eroded, almost looks burned. Like Chris said the leaf is odd because it's 3 dimensional and all leaf fossils I see are compressed. Odd too because it's so different on the flip side. one side looks like Lance's Neuropteris and the other side more like his Acitheca.

[Notidanodon]

some ferns and wood i think but not sure (:

[paleoflor]

On 23/09/2018 at 6:31 AM, DPS Ammonite said:

I cannot ID the species but I do think that they are fern pinnules. See several ones probable from the Finis Shale as shown on Lance Hall's North Texas Fossils site: http://northtexasfossils.com/plants2.htm

 

Bob, were these found in the flatlands in the area of the slightly harder bedded siltstone near the edge of the creek? I found most of my wood and seeds in that area.

Looks promising! Not much to add, I'm afraid. Cool specimen, though!

[piranha]

Back in 2014 LanceH posted similar specimens.  These also match well with: Acitheca adaensis

 

 

figures from:

 

Mapes, G., & Schabilion, J.T. 1979

A new species of Acitheca (Marattiales) from the Middle Pennsylvanian of Oklahoma.

Journal of Paleontology, 53(3):685-694