Emthegem Posted July 23, 2019 Share Posted July 23, 2019 Hello! (Sorry in advanced for posting so much in the last few days, just discovered this community and I have so many unidentified fossils accumulated over the years!) We found some rocks on the side of a river in Toronto with weird looking protrusions and I honestly don't even know where to start with these ones, take a look: Thanks in advanced for your time (and paleontology skill)! -Em - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted July 23, 2019 Share Posted July 23, 2019 May very well be a trackway or some other sort of trace fossil (ichnofossil) like a burrow cast. We have members who are in the greater Toronto area and may have seen something like this before in the area. Cheers. -Ken 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Kmiecik Posted July 23, 2019 Share Posted July 23, 2019 I was thinking burrow casts at first sight. 1 Mark. Fossil hunting is easy -- they don't run away when you shoot at them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emthegem Posted July 23, 2019 Author Share Posted July 23, 2019 18 hours ago, digit said: May very well be a trackway or some other sort of trace fossil (ichnofossil) like a burrow cast. We have members who are in the greater Toronto area and may have seen something like this before in the area. Cheers. -Ken 18 hours ago, Mark Kmiecik said: I was thinking burrow casts at first sight. Okay cool, thanks for the ID! - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Kmiecik Posted July 23, 2019 Share Posted July 23, 2019 1 minute ago, Emthegem said: Okay cool, thanks for the ID! I need to point out that the information we've given you are at this point an educated guess as opposed to a positive ID. More members may chime in with their input, and information from those who know the site and/or have collected in your area would take precedence. There is always the possibility that it is a purely geological specimen. Mark. Fossil hunting is easy -- they don't run away when you shoot at them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockwood Posted July 23, 2019 Share Posted July 23, 2019 Planolites would be close at least. I'm pretty confident it is an ichno fossil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emthegem Posted July 23, 2019 Author Share Posted July 23, 2019 20 minutes ago, Mark Kmiecik said: I need to point out that the information we've given you are at this point an educated guess as opposed to a positive ID. More members may chime in with their input, and information from those who know the site and/or have collected in your area would take precedence. There is always the possibility that it is a purely geological specimen. yes I am aware, as with any hypothesis/theory in the science community - acceptable until proven wrong! - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Kmiecik Posted July 23, 2019 Share Posted July 23, 2019 2 minutes ago, Emthegem said: yes I am aware, as with any hypothesis/theory in the science community - acceptable until proven wrong! Google 'Planolites' as Rockwood suggested, look at the images and tell us what you think. Mark. Fossil hunting is easy -- they don't run away when you shoot at them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emthegem Posted July 23, 2019 Author Share Posted July 23, 2019 13 minutes ago, Mark Kmiecik said: Google 'Planolites' as Rockwood suggested, look at the images and tell us what you think. 36 minutes ago, Rockwood said: Planolites would be close at least. I'm pretty confident it is an ichno fossil. Yes it does look like that, also it has no real skeleton or texture on the cross section so I definitely think its a burrow. The one mentioned (planolites) looks very close so I would agree! - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Kmiecik Posted July 23, 2019 Share Posted July 23, 2019 1 minute ago, Emthegem said: Yes it does look like that, also it has no real skeleton or texture on the cross section so I definitely think its a burrow. The one mentioned (planolites) looks very close so I would agree! Careful! You're starting to think scientifically. It can be contagious. With any luck others will catch it. 1 Mark. Fossil hunting is easy -- they don't run away when you shoot at them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockwood Posted July 23, 2019 Share Posted July 23, 2019 The odds are very good that there are more where it came from. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emthegem Posted July 23, 2019 Author Share Posted July 23, 2019 1 minute ago, Mark Kmiecik said: Careful! You're starting to think scientifically. It can be contagious. With any luck others will catch it. I'm already an engineering student so its a lost cause at this point haha! 1 minute ago, Rockwood said: The odds are very good that there are more where it came from. I have a couple but we carry the fossils by bike so I usually leave a few. Additionally there were much cooler nautiloids and in the area. Thanks for the (so far) rather trusty ID! - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abyssunder Posted July 23, 2019 Share Posted July 23, 2019 (edited) I'm not familiar with your site, but something makes me think that it's not far from Cruziana. I could be wrong, also. comparative picture from here Edited July 23, 2019 by abyssunder 1 " 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockwood Posted July 23, 2019 Share Posted July 23, 2019 If they were a little shallower, and a bit more bilateral maybe ? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emthegem Posted July 24, 2019 Author Share Posted July 24, 2019 5 hours ago, abyssunder said: I'm not familiar with your site, but something makes me think that it's not far from Cruziana. I could be wrong, also. comparative picture from here Yeah I suppose so! I'm not sure which creature it might have been from but I'm betting on the fact that it is likely a track of some sort and not a fossilized species. - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randyw Posted July 24, 2019 Share Posted July 24, 2019 I’m on the side of them being burrows. The stems in your example are way more smooth and regular then his sample. But I can see where you got your idea from. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockwood Posted July 24, 2019 Share Posted July 24, 2019 4 hours ago, Emthegem said: a track of some sort and not a fossilized species. Trace fossil as opposed to body fossil. Agreed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abyssunder Posted July 24, 2019 Share Posted July 24, 2019 Ichnofossils " 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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