Are branching coral on the beach actually fossils?

[PSchleis]

Hi everyone,

 

I've been picking up these beautiful little pieces of coral on Myrtle Beach. I assumed they were fossils, but after reading a lot on the Internet, I'm confused. Some sites call them "agatized," others call them stony coral and say they aren't fossils, lots of sites just refer to them as coral fossils.

 

What throws me is that their white and cream colors are unlike the black of the other fossils I find, and the small pieces of bryozoan I find on the beach are all dull gray. And some seem to be attached to a piece of modern shell.

 

I really appreciate your help.

- Paula

 

 

 

 

[Al Dente]

Probably modern but shells and corals found on east coast beaches can be very recent to hundreds of years old and then there can be true fossils ( ten thousand to millions of years old) mixed in with the recent shells and corals. Very difficult to know for certain how old a particular shell or coral is.

[Notidanodon]

1 or two look agatized but the rest look modern to me

[ynot]

If they are agatized they will scratch glass, if not then calcite or original shell.