triplefacepalm Posted June 25, 2019 Share Posted June 25, 2019 Earlier this summer I had a chance to dig at Slow Curve at Ernst Quarries. A few teeth were found along with a small dolphin vertebra, but the best find was this large whale(?) vertebra I pulled out as the rain clouds were quickly approaching. From my internet research, I believe it is a whale lumbar vertebra, but that is all I could determine. Whatever it is, I feel lucky to have found it and want to know as much as I can about it! Is there any chance to pin down anything more specific about this piece, such as species? Ideally, I would like to reconstruct the broken processes and make a display. Are there any collections of images for whale vertebrae that could also help with identification? (I couldn't find any good sources while searching) Am I correct in thinking the two parallel broken processes in the second image were the top (dorsal?) of the bone? Is it possible to tell which way the bone faced toward the head and tail originally? I appreciate any help that you guys and gals can provide! Each of the photos has a US quarter, Euro, and centimeter scale for reference. (I first tried photos with lights on both sides, but then the shape of the vertebra was very difficult to see.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caldigger Posted June 25, 2019 Share Posted June 25, 2019 Hope this helps some. Found in same general area. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
triplefacepalm Posted June 25, 2019 Author Share Posted June 25, 2019 Thanks for the reply! Do you have any more information on your find? I noticed yours also has a few of those black spots. Do you know what that is? Is it some kind of mold or deposit or is it actually part of the fossil? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caldigger Posted June 25, 2019 Share Posted June 25, 2019 The black spots are deposits of Manganese mineral, very common from the soils of the area. Some of the teeth I find are very encrusted with it as well as tons of Gypsum. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
triplefacepalm Posted June 26, 2019 Author Share Posted June 26, 2019 16 hours ago, caldigger said: The black spots are deposits of Manganese mineral, very common from the soils of the area. Some of the teeth I find are very encrusted with it as well as tons of Gypsum. Very interesting, thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caldigger Posted June 26, 2019 Share Posted June 26, 2019 Here are a few examples: I left it on this one. Thought it was estheticly interesting to show mineral growth. Manganese usually seems to attack the roots, but often infiltrates the enamel as well. The black spots you see on the blades are inside the enamel and cannot be scrapped off. This appears to happen in the more water exposed areas of the formation and not as common from the Ernst quarries as much. However, the first picture is from the Ernst East Quarry. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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