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Is this the head of something? (I'm new, no laughing at me!)


Trinitydraco

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So I have this fossil and I have no clue what it is. I am brand new to fossils so I know I don't know much but it looks like maybe a fish head to me? I have asked a few other unexperienced people and they all seem to think the same but I know that with as unexperienced as I am, I'm likely wrong. I don't really have a horse in this race it just makes a difference on how I prep/preserve it and I need to learn. I will include a few photos from different angles to help. So....what is this thing/things?

IMG_0753.JPG

IMG_0754.JPG

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I don't see fish head anywhere. Perhaps if you highlighted or circled the area. You're not just being sneaky and showing us the back side, are you? :heartylaugh:

 

 

Mark.

 

Fossil hunting is easy -- they don't run away when you shoot at them!

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That front "plate" like thing is about 3.5x3.5 inches. The total piece is about 4.5x8 inches. It was found in S. Hero Vermont. Was also thinking it could be part of a trilobite? That front piece seems like it's all one thing but as I said I could be wrong.

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If it comes from deposits from the Ordovician or older, it would not be a fish. I see mineral staining and weathering. 

...How to Philosophize with a Hammer

 

 

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The fish is obvious to me. It doesn't represent a fossil though. Merely a fanciful  image.

Make a fine landscape stone.

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I guess I'm just not getting the angles right. There is definitely a "something" in the rock well separate and distinct from it but I'll be damned if I know what it is. Could be conglomeration too. I think I should contact someone from the mineral/fossil club here in Burlington VT. I bet they can tell me what I'm looking at. 

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I copied the image and increased the contrast and looked at a negative image and saw the part that looks like a fish head. It isn't. I don't see any sign of a fossil on this specimen. It always helps in identifying a fossil to know where it came from. You don't have to be specific like down to GPS coordinates of where you found it -- we're not trying to steal your secret spots. Knowing the formation or the type of exposure where the specimen was found is a tremendous aid in its identification. As a matter of fact, most of us here will pinpoint areas for you where we have had really gooooooooooooood finds and you can too. I can turn you on to some of the best Mazon Creek locations for plant fossils that you can ever hope to find, but you're the one who will have to knock on the door and ask the land owner for permission. If I was in better shape physically I would personally take you there. Many of the others on this forum have already done this with new fossil enthusiasts all over the country. If there's an earth sciences (rock/fossil) club in your state, join it. They will show you around. They won't take you to their "honey holes" right off the bat, but you'll definitely do much better than you can on your own.

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Mark.

 

Fossil hunting is easy -- they don't run away when you shoot at them!

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@Trinitydraco Read this: http://fossilspot.com/STATES/VT.HTM You're within 100 miles of anything in Vermont from anywhere in Vermont. And at the top of the page you can click to find neighboring states, or any state you want. This not only tells you what you'll find, but pretty much pinpoints where to find it. Just keep in mind that some of these locations may have been developed since listed or may have become private property. If you use Google in combination with the list you should be able to find lots of great fossils.

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Mark.

 

Fossil hunting is easy -- they don't run away when you shoot at them!

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I'm afraid there really doesn't seem to be a fossil there. The 'eye' of the fish is just some mineral staining. Fossils tend to have a more definite structure, this seems to be an example of pareidolia.

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I can see why you are thinking of trilobite, if we compare these two images. :)

 

IMG_0755.JPG.68af0d3136f9b3bd54f0fbb69e905856.thumb.JPG.89a8a48feb29d7e2e708aa3acfb43179.JPGfthorx6.gif.da8f826a5567eb2302032ec1de7d7c88.gif

comparative picture from here

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" We are not separate and independent entities, but like links in a chain, and we could not by any means be what we are without those who went before us and showed us the way. "

Thomas Mann

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There are (I think) fossils there.

The one on the left seems to have small crinoid pieces around the triolbite as well.

The others are likely marine fossils of some sort. Who knows ? Could be fish.

IMG_0754.thumb.JPG.5382c23b1af102c7ee1fd8df6cdd2492_LI.jpg

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20 minutes ago, Rockwood said:

The one on the left seems to have small crinoid pieces around the triolbite as well.

That's what I thought I see, but I was concentrated to the possible trilobite segments. Good point, Dale! :)

" We are not separate and independent entities, but like links in a chain, and we could not by any means be what we are without those who went before us and showed us the way. "

Thomas Mann

My Library

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