Ginkgo Fossils or “The Snoopy Dance”?

[InfoHungryMom]

Uncertain if this is from Ocean City or Tel Aviv (minor difference!)... life has been a bit chaotic, and sadly some of my rocks were moved from where they were well organized.  (House cleaning to make room so my returning, adult children can have “their rooms back”...  jeepers!)

 

Avoiding humans for 5 minutes last night, I noticed three interesting rocks I have not shared before.  (I will refer to this as #1 of the 3).

 

Very small but fascinating to me, with both a clear fossil and a clear, smaller imprint, immediately next  to the fossil.  There are numerous possible other fossils and imprints “around the rock and just below the surface.”

 

Did I ID correctly?  Is it possibly from anywhere other than Maryland/Ocean? Possible age?  The largest, deepest of the fossils appears to be either Ginko or “The Snoopy Happy Dance” 

 

(And.... I hopefully receive a new magnification “toy” today that will literally “make a huge difference in EVERYTHING!”)

 

 Thank you-

 

Karen 

[Tidgy's Dad]

For me, this looks like some sort of igneous rock with a quartz geode inclusion. 

But it might just be calcite in limestone.

Does it fizz with vinegar? 

[ynot]

Not seeing a fossil here.

[DeepTimeIsotopes]

Ginko leaf fossils are usually almost 2D because they are carbonized films on shale. The two imprints must be a fossilized Snoopy and Woodstock.

[Fossildude19]

Karen,

I see a bit of similarity in shape, but I see no detail like ginkgo fossils online. 

And I agree, plant fossils are usually carbonaceous films, or compression fossils. 

 

Comparison: 

 

[Rockwood]

“The Snoopy Dance”

I can hear the theme music now. 

[InfoHungryMom]

5 hours ago, Tidgy's Dad said:

Does it fizz with vinegar? 

No fizz.....  bummer?!  

[InfoHungryMom]

Would you please take another look- thanks to @Kane I  have better images...    even with the same thoughts...  

 

Thank you! 

[Fossildude19]

I still don't see any indication of fossil origin for these marks, unfortunately.

Better photos though.  

[InfoHungryMom]

Thank you! 

[KimTexan]

I am not seeing a fossil either. 

 

One thing we look for with fossils is symmetry. With leafs there is a left / right symmetry. Bones, skulls, many shells and many other things, almost all of them have symmetry of left/right or top/bottom.

 

A common mistake people make when they are new to fossil hunting and ID is seeing a shape and somehow trying to interpret what they thing it is based on the info and knowledge they have. Symmetry isn’t something people automatically apply in their assessment of “Is it a fossil?”

Granted the specimen could have gotten crushed, torn apart, only partially preserved and what have you along with being converted from living organism to stone or mineral. All of which only complicated the matter. But even still, in spite of all of that most fossils demonstrate some symmetry or specific and very distinctive anatomical characteristics.

Knowing very basic anatomy of invertebrates and vertebrates goes a very long way in helping to determine whether something is or is not a fossil.

Some other critical factors are knowing types of rock. Knowing geological formations and periods and what is found in them is also key.

Those are just a few more things to take into consideration.

Hopefully I don’t sound like a know it all. I’m just trying to help give specific things to take into consideration in the event that you are not aware of the specifics mentioned.

[DeepTimeIsotopes]

5 minutes ago, KimTexan said:

I am not seeing a fossil either. 

 

One thing we look for with fossils is symmetry. With leafs there is a left / right symmetry. Bones, skulls, many shells and many other things, almost all of them have symmetry of left/right or top/bottom.

 

A common mistake people make when they are new to fossil hunting and ID is seeing a shape and somehow trying to interpret what they thing it is based on the info and knowledge they have. Symmetry isn’t something people automatically apply in their assessment of “Is it a fossil?”

Granted the specimen could have gotten crushed, torn apart, only partially preserved and what have you along with being converted from living organism to stone or mineral. All of which only complicated the matter. But even still, in spite of all of that most fossils demonstrate some symmetry or specific and very distinctive anatomical characteristics.

Knowing very basic anatomy of invertebrates and vertebrates goes a very long way in helping to determine whether something is or is not a fossil.

Some other critical factors are knowing types of rock. Knowing geological formations and periods and what is found in them is also key.

Those are just a few more things to take into consideration.

Hopefully I don’t sound like a know it all. I’m just trying to help give specific things to take into consideration in the event that you are not aware of the specifics mentioned.

I couldn't quite articulate how I search for fossils in rock until now. This is well written. 

[InfoHungryMom]

Symmetry?  Know-it-all?

 

Kim- what if you DO know it all (or most of it?)  That’s where I enter.  I have always been told to, “think outside of the box”, but I have no idea what box to think outiside of.  Toss me an answer, and I will happily provide an appropriate question.  

[DPS Ammonite]

3 hours ago, InfoHungryMom said:

Toss me an answer, and I will happily provide an appropriate question.  

I miss Johnny Carson’s Carnac the Magnificent. 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnac_the_Magnificent

 

[InfoHungryMom]

DPS, for a short time, I dated the grandson of the ORIGINAL great mentalist in this country, Joseph Dunninger.  From what I was told, Dunninger and his wife were best friends with the Houdinis and many other well known entertainers during that era.  Harry Houdini and Joseph Dunninger created many illusions together, and they offered $10,000 to anyone who could prove to be “a real medium”, etc.  No one ever received the money.

 

Also, they all had a pact that when one died, they would do everything they could to contact the others.  They never did successfully contact, though Bess tried repeatedly to do so.

 

Johnny Carson’s “Carnac” character was one of many homages to Joseph Dunninger.

 

::stepping off of “showing-off soap box”::