Any guesses on my most recent find, at my ranch in Blackwell, TX

[James Ryan]

Found on the last day of our most recent hog hunt..... stuck out like a sore thumb up under an old cedar tree.

[Rockwood]

Interesting pattern, but I think it's a sedimentary rock and not a fossil.

[hndmarshall]

could be river  tumbled petrified wood

[Rockwood]

A shot straight on at what would be the end grain might be helpful.

[RJB]

Im with hndmarshall on this one.  

 

RB

[James Ryan]

7 hours ago, Rockwood said:

A shot straight on at what would be the end grain might be helpful.

 

[James Ryan]

Hopefully these photos are helpful?

[ynot]

I think it is a metamorphosed sedimentary rock,.

Possibly an admixture of schist and quartz (?)

[Rockwood]

Agreed.

I can't find any indication that it is wood or bone.

 

[Plantguy]

I agree with the others on not being sure about the apparent layering but I am probably beating a dead horse--but can we see a couple additional photos looking directly at these surfaces rather than at an angle...and as sharp as you can. 

Thanks, Chris 

[James Ryan]

20 hours ago, Plantguy said:

I agree with the others on not being sure about the apparent layering but I am probably beating a dead horse--but can we see a couple additional photos looking directly at these surfaces rather than at an angle...and as sharp as you can. 

Thanks, Chris 

 

[Plantguy]

Thanks for the additional photo. 

I'm still torn but am leaning more towards wood now. I suppose they could be sedimentary layers and or some type of banded agate/mineral but there seems to be layers that vary in thickness and are gently concentric and then there is another set of radiating streaks that cross those layers. Almost looks like some porous cellular layer in the middle lighter colored band but without seeing it in hand I'm still not positive as to what I'm seeing...very interesting! . 

thanks again for showing us. 

Regards, Chris 

[Rockwood]

22 hours ago, Plantguy said:

additional photos looking directly at these surfaces rather than at an angle...and as sharp as you can. 

Good call with the persistence Chris.

Sure looking wooden to me now.

[ynot]

I am still in the metamorphic rock side.

Would like to see a better focused picture on the last one, may change my mind on this.

[Rockwood]

10 minutes ago, ynot said:

I am still in the metamorphic rock side.

Consider the middle ? Any reason why it can't be both ?

[Plantguy]

2 hours ago, ynot said:

I am still in the metamorphic rock side.

Would like to see a better focused picture on the last one, may change my mind on this.

 

2 hours ago, Rockwood said:

Consider the middle ? Any reason why it can't be both ?

I was curious about the metamorphic angle since it makes sense without having that specimen in my hand to puzzle over.

According to the local geologic map it doesnt look like metamorphics are in the immediate Blackwell area...looks mostly sedimentary but it does look like there is some metamorphic in the general region...From the Texas Geologic atlas here's a screenshot of the Big Spring sheet /blended with its legend...

https://www.twdb.texas.gov/groundwater/aquifer/GAT/

 

I dont know Texas geology so I'm gonna let this go for now....maybe one of the Texas or other members has an additional thought or two that will sway us given what we presently know/dont know.

Regards, Chris 

 

Regards, Chris 

[Mark Kmiecik]

Woodn't (pun intended) cellular structure be evident under magnification if it's organic?

[Plantguy]

14 hours ago, Mark Kmiecik said:

Woodn't (pun intended) cellular structure be evident under magnification if it's organic?

 

Hey Mark, Pun accepted. Yes possibly! I have a piece from Arizona that is almost completely replaced and structure is gone but this piece could show it. Many times I wish we could deploy a mini Martian Curiosity lander at someone's doorstep after getting the initial post...The requestor would put the sample outside and and we would use these  tools. Might make a bit of a mess at times with the drill and the laser firing but it would be cool and we'd have some real data for folks! 

 

https://www.space.com/13689-nasa-amazing-mars-rover-curiosity-science.html

Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI)

MAHLI will function much like a high-powered magnifying glass, allowing Earthbound scientists to get up-close looks at Martian rocks and soil. The instrument will take color pictures of features as tiny as 12.5 microns — smaller than the width of a human hair.

MAHLI sits on the end of Curiosity's five-jointed, 7-foot (2.1-meter) robotic arm, which is itself a marvel of engineering. So mission scientists will be able to point their high-tech hand lens pretty much wherever they want.

Mast Camera (MastCam)

The MastCam is Curiosity's workhorse imaging tool. It will capture high-resolution color pictures and video of the Martian landscape, which scientists will study and laypeople will gawk at.

MastCam consists of two camera systems mounted on a mast that rises above Curiosity's main body, so the instrument will have a good view of the Red Planet environment as the rover chugs through it. MastCam images will also help the mission team drive and operate Curiosity

Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM)

SAM is the heart of Curiosity; at 83 pounds (38 kilograms), it makes up about half of the rover's science payload.

SAM is actually a suite of three separate instruments — a mass spectrometer, a gas chromatograph and a laser spectrometer. These instruments will search for carbon-containing compounds, the building blocks of life as we know it. They will also look for other elements associated with life on Earth, such as hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen.

The SAM instrument suite is located in Curiosity's main body. The rover's robotic arm will drop samples into SAM via an inlet on the rover's exterior. Some of these samples will come from the interior of rocks, powder bored out by a 2-inch (5-centimeter) drill situated at the end of the arm.

Chemistry and Mineralogy (CheMin)

CheMin will identify different types of minerals on Mars and quantify their abundance, which will help scientists better understand past environmental conditions on the Red Planet.

Like SAM, CheMin has an inlet on Curiosity's exterior to accept samples delivered by the rover's robotic arm. The instrument will shine a fine X-ray beam through the sample, identifying minerals' crystalline structures based on how the X-rays diffract.

Chemistry and Camera (ChemCam)

For sheer coolness, it's tough to beat ChemCam. This instrument will fire a laser at Martian rocks from up to 30 feet (9 meters) away and analyze the composition of the vaporized bits.

ChemCam will thus enable Curiosity to study rocks that are out of reach of its flexible robotic arm. It will also help the mission team determine from afar whether or not they want to send the rover over to investigate a particular landform.

 

Regards, Chris