What Are These Fragments?

[BLT]

17 minutes ago, Innocentx said:

Have you traveled up(if allowed) any of the tributaries to this creek? There might be exposures to find where fossils are still in the layers and less water worn. Take a hammer.

Other than walking a very short distance  upcreek to have a look around, I haven’t. I figure it’s best to stick to my own property. I’m sorely tempted to do so though. I’ve often considered asking my neighbors if they’d mind if I looked around. I’m certain at least one of them wouldn’t. Lol. 

[BLT]

9 minutes ago, FranzBernhard said:

I don´t think so! Thats a really lovely creek - with the addition of good fossil potential. Best of all - its on your porperty, you can easily enyoy it every time you want, no driving necessary. You are a lucky woman, indeed!

Franz Bernhard

Thank you! I’ve definitely become spoiled by the convenience of being able to hunt fossils on my own property. ~ Actually, I couldn’t get all of the pictures to load earlier. Here are the ones of the side I consider more of a ditch. 

[FranzBernhard]

5 minutes ago, BLT said:

Here are the ones of the side I consider more of a ditch. 

Thanks for the photos. Still lovely !
Franz Bernhard

[BLT]

2 minutes ago, FranzBernhard said:

Thanks for the photos. Still lovely !
Franz Bernhard

Thank you! That side is more rugged and overgrown, but I find it just as appealing.  

[ynot]

1 hour ago, BLT said:

It had another area on the bottom which I am also curious about. 

Looks like magnetite (black) and some quartz (white) with a ball of calcite (brown).

To be sure of these ids some tests would be needed.

Remove some of the black mineral and see if it sticks to a magnet.

Remove some of the white mineral and see if it fizzes with vinegar and test hardness (will it scratch a penny (copper), a knife or glass?

 

Nice find !

What size are the crystals?

[BLT]

33 minutes ago, ynot said:

Looks like magnetite (black) and some quartz (white) with a ball of calcite (brown).

To be sure of these ids some tests would be needed.

Remove some of the black mineral and see if it sticks to a magnet.

Remove some of the white mineral and see if it fizzes with vinegar and test hardness (will it scratch a penny (copper), a knife or glass?

 

Nice find !

What size are the crystals?

Thanks!  I will try the tests in a bit. Is this common in St. Louis Limestone & Warsaw Limestone? 

[ynot]

10 minutes ago, BLT said:

. Is this common in St. Louis Limestone & Warsaw Limestone? 

I have no ideas on that.

[Paciphacops]

1 hour ago, BLT said:

Is this common in St. Louis Limestone & Warsaw Limestone?

This looks like a quartz filled geode, which are common in the lower part of the underlying Fort Payne Formation. The color is unusual, and I agree with ynot that the black material may be manganese. I'm not aware of these occurring in any other rock units in the area, but it's certainly possible. I'm guessing that it was transported there by someone. I have no idea what the round-ish thing is.

 

[BLT]

21 minutes ago, Paciphacops said:

This looks like a quartz filled geode, which are common in the lower part of the underlying Fort Payne Formation. The color is unusual, and I agree with ynot that the black material may be manganese. I'm not aware of these occurring in any other rock units in the area, but it's certainly possible. I'm guessing that it was transported there by someone. I have no idea what the round-ish thing is.

 

Gotcha. Thanks! Even though it was dug out of the creek, I agree that it could still have been transported here. Either way, I think it is an interesting looking rock.

[Bronzviking]

9 hours ago, BLT said:

@Nimravis These are pictures of the creek bordering my property. Part of it is very narrow and overgrown. It’s more like a ditch with only a trickle of water flowing on most days....until we have heavy rains. Other areas usually remain a few feet deep. I’m continually amazed by the amount of small fossily rocks which I find after these rains. On most days, I spend hours out there, just poking around.  

When you said you were digging them out of your yard, I thought you were looking through your landscape rocks, Lol Now this is a neat playground. You might even find artifacts; Enjoy!

[Bronzviking]

9 hours ago, BLT said:

It had another area on the bottom which I am also curious about. 

It looks like a cavity (geode-like) with 2 different type minerals crystals and a nodule or concretion. It looks unworldly!

[KimTexan]

9 hours ago, BLT said:

It had another area on the bottom which I am also curious about. 

Wow, that is a beautiful chunk of minerals and crystals! Have you identified the minerals? One looks a bit like quartz.

Have you posted a zoomed out pic?

 

The other rock, inside just looks like a random stone that got lodged in the cavity. It looks out of place.

 

Your property is beautiful!  I can’t blame you for exploring for hours. 

I really like Tennessee. My best friend from high school lives in Chattanooga and another friend lives near Kingsport.

 

If you are on Facebook there is a group called Sticks, Stones and Bones. The group is based out of Ohio. Quite a number of artifact and fossil hunters post on there. One is from Tennessee.

[doushantuo]

Agree with Franz,lovely scenic nature around where you live 

[FranzBernhard]

10 hours ago, BLT said:

 

Very informativ photo! Clearly visible, that the black color comes from a thin, black coating (very probably a manganese oxide mineral) on a somewhat translucent mineral.

Franz Bernhard

 

[BLT]

4 hours ago, Bronzviking said:

When you said you were digging them out of your yard, I thought you were looking through your landscape rocks, Lol Now this is a neat playground. You might even find artifacts; Enjoy!

We bought this house a couple of years ago. Although I had always admired the rocks around my yard, it was just a few months ago that I actively began to try to identify the fossils in them. I got started after my husband was digging for artifacts one day. Although he didn’t find any artifacts, we quickly realized that bits of fossils were scattered all over the area. It’s become a bit of an addiction for me since then. Lol. 

3 hours ago, KimTexan said:

Wow, that is a beautiful chunk of minerals and crystals! Have you identified the minerals? One looks a bit like quartz.

Have you posted a zoomed out pic?

 

The other rock, inside just looks like a random stone that got lodged in the cavity. It looks out of place.

 

Your property is beautiful!  I can’t blame you for exploring for hours. 

I really like Tennessee. My best friend from high school lives in Chattanooga and another friend lives near Kingsport.

 

If you are on Facebook there is a group called Sticks, Stones and Bones. The group is based out of Ohio. Quite a number of artifact and fossil hunters post on there. One is from Tennessee.

To be honest, I know next to nothing about minerals or crystals. From earlier comments on this post, I believe they are magnetite and quartz. I briefly googled those today, and definitely want to learn a lot more about them. I need to take more pictures after I clean it. 

 

Thank you!  I absolutely love Chattanooga! It isn’t all that far from where I live. I often go there for shopping, etc. There is so much to see and do there. The scenic views on the drive there are always enjoyable. 

 

I seldom get on Facebook, but may have to check that group out one day. Thanks! 

 

59 minutes ago, doushantuo said:

Agree with Franz,lovely scenic nature around where you live 

Thank you!

 

[D.N.FossilmanLithuania]

Of course I see brachiopods and cephalopod fragment that looks similar to nautilid or tarphycerid but the best your finds by me are rugose corals in small pieces- they do not look like Ordovician time when coral structures were primitive, I would say that your finds date between Late Silurian and Middle Devonian.  But I still explore erratics only in my area (Lithuania, Baltic States) and usually collect vertebrates or molluscs from new periods found in local boulders because I guess that in the future the cold centers of Baltic glaciations in the Quarternary period and the origin of local erratic kinds will be detected more reliably.  Very good work I think, congratulations with great finds and especially corals!

Best Regards

Domas 

[BLT]

4 hours ago, D.N.FossilmanLithuania said:

Of course I see brachiopods and cephalopod fragment that looks similar to nautilid or tarphycerid but the best your finds by me are rugose corals in small pieces- they do not look like Ordovician time when coral structures were primitive, I would say that your finds date between Late Silurian and Middle Devonian.  But I still explore erratics only in my area (Lithuania, Baltic States) and usually collect vertebrates or molluscs from new periods found in local boulders because I guess that in the future the cold centers of Baltic glaciations in the Quarternary period and the origin of local erratic kinds will be detected more reliably.  Very good work I think, congratulations with great finds and especially corals!

Best Regards

Domas 

Thank you! Busy hash plates have become my favorite fossils, but I still get excited each time I find a tiny fragment.

[ynot]

Looking at the picture @FranzBernhard commented on, I may have been wrong with magnetite.

The crystals look like calcite with an oxidized surface mineral, -- manganese sounds good for the black coating.

 

If You take a pin and scratch a black area is it just a thin cover on the crystals?

 

I also have to go with @KimTexan on the round piece looking like a pebble that has lodged in the crack. Should be able to remove it  without much effort.

[Bronzviking]

Tracey, I don't know if you explored these areas before? If not please zoom in on the circled areas. I'm not seeing shell but the black spec looks like a tribolite.

[Bronzviking]

I'm seeing 2 cones shape objects here. Top one with chambers. Need a closer shot to ID.

[BLT]

2 hours ago, Bronzviking said:

Tracey, I don't know if you explored these areas before? If not please zoom in on the circled areas. I'm not seeing shell but the black spec looks like a tribolite.

 

2 hours ago, Bronzviking said:

I'm seeing 2 cones shape objects here. Top one with chambers. Need a closer shot to ID.

I’ve been looking at those areas today, but haven’t been able to get a picture that shows better detail. 

[BLT]

5 hours ago, ynot said:

Looking at the picture @FranzBernhard commented on, I may have been wrong with magnetite.

The crystals look like calcite with an oxidized surface mineral, -- manganese sounds good for the black coating.

 

If You take a pin and scratch a black area is it just a thin cover on the crystals?

 

I also have to go with @KimTexan on the round piece looking like a pebble that has lodged in the crack. Should be able to remove it  without much effort.

I was able to scrape the black stuff off an area. I was also able to easily remove the pebble. It was a bit harder to remove the other piece I was curious about, but was eventually able to do so.  

[Nimravis]

Tracey- cool pics and thanks for sharing. Like Patty @Innocentx suggested, I would also go up the creek. Without a paddle -lol, but would bring a hammer, again as Patty suggested. I would also check on Google maps or the like and see where this Creek originates. It might have a different type of exposure and maybe sifting in the Creek May reveal things that you do not first see.

[Bronzviking]

3 hours ago, BLT said:

 

I’ve been looking at those areas today, but haven’t been able to get a picture that shows better detail. 

Try leaning on a chair back or something to steady your phone until you get a tripod

[abyssunder]

May the crystals look like "dog tooth" calcite crystals ?