Is this bone a fossil?

[Sberebit]

Hi,

I am new to the forum and was wondering if someone could help me identify this bone I found and if it is, in fact, a fossil. I found this in South Bend Indiana in an area where drainage water runs through to a pond. I usually hunt this area for "fossilized coral", but today I found this bone literally just lying on the ground. I have found bones in this area before, but this one is different. It is rock hard and heavy. I was thinking at first it might be waterlogged but the bone isn't brittle at all and looking at the top of the bone, it appears to be rock (as evidenced by the picture). The bone is 9 1/2 inches (24 cm), very smooth, and non-porous except for the first 2 inches (5cm) of the bone which feels rougher but doesn't appear to be porous.

I hope I have given enough information and the picts are acceptable. If not, I will give more info and take more picts as needed. Thank you.

[digit]

From the sounds of your description, it would appear to be mineralized. There is one reasonably easy way to see if it is mineral or modern--the flame test. Once a bone has been buried for some time, dissolved minerals will permeate the bone replacing the original bone material. Bones are about 60% mineral to start (phosphate and calcium) but those minerals are held together in a matrix of protein (mainly collagen). This is why bones are often added to simmering soup stocks as the released collagen thickens the soup base. Over time as a bone is becoming fossilized (permineralized) the collagen is broken down and lost being replaced by additional minerals.

 

Using a small flame (a lighter or candle works better than a match) and hold a corner of your suspected fossil into the flame for a brief moment. If you smell the distinctive (disgusting) smell of "hair burning" then there is still a good amount of collagen and other proteins in the bone. If you smell nothing and are able to hold the bone for longer periods in the flame without noticeable charring or stink-generation, then your find is likely permineralized and is likely not of modern origin.

 

Permineralization is subtly different from fossilization. Ancient bones (tens of thousands of years old) are infrequently discovered in dry cave environments. These may be the remains of extinct species (like a cave bear) that we would all classify as "fossil" remains though the conditions that preserved them and prevented their decomposition might not have replaced the protein with minerals (the permineralization process).

 

Let us know what results the flame test produces.

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

[sharkdoctor]

It looks like you have a white-tail deer metapodial. This post on the forum has some great pictures for comparison: 

Judging from the coloration and the fact that this is a commonly occurring modern animal, you may want to take @digit's advice and do some serious testing before assuming it is fossilized. Another common field test is to tap the bone gently against glass (or another hard surface like metal or your teeth). Solidly fossilized bone will sound just like rock or glass  striking glass. Anything that sounds dull, like wood on metal, is likely not fossilized. It's a good field test, though not definitive. 

 

The other characteristic that gives me pause on this piece is the abrasions near each end. I would expect that sort of wear (and associated change in color) in a relatively modern bone that has received abrasion in a stream.

[Sberebit]

UGH!!! I AM CRUSHED!!! NOT A FOSSIL!!! Based on heft alone and how the top of the bone looks, I really thought it was a fossil. It failed both the flame test and IMO the field test. Thank you for crushing my dreams.

 

I would like to ask a follow up question: Why is the bone heavy? I know you don't have it in hand, but when I even handed it off to others they commented on the weight of it (unsolicited). 

Crushed dreams or not, thank you very much for your help.

[digit]

It's possible the bone may be dry on the surface but may be a bit waterlogged. If you plan on keeping your "not quite yet" fossil for a bit, it would be interesting if it lightens over time. If you have access to a digital kitchen scale, it would be an interesting exercise to weight the bone now and at some point in the future and see if it lightens due to the slow evaporation of water from within.

 

 

Lots of fossil locations up in your area (though mostly from the Paleozoic). If you are interested in fossils there is a lot of information to be found here.

 

https://igws.indiana.edu/ReferenceDocs/Fossil_card.pdf

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken