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My son found this at a beach after a big storm in Santa Cruz, California. It was mixed in with a bunch of wood and hard to spot. I think this is a possible bone hoe artifact because of the even rounded edges at the end of the scapula??? Also..one side is "polished" (not the side shown in the pics). Seems too small for a bison but too big for an elk based on what I researched but I know nothing about animal bones. It's about 12 inches long and 6 inches across. Seems like this is a common fossil/artifact in the Midwest USA, but I did not see this as a common tool used by indigenous people on the US West Coast. Any assistance would be much appreciated. If this is something of a rarity for the Central West Coast, or it is a significant artifact due to how complete or undamaged it is, we plan on handing it over to the museum of natural history in Santa Cruz. THANK YOU!!!!

I can't find much history or geological information of the Seattle area in Washington State before the people started settling there. I get lots of history about how everyone settled, who they were, dates of events, and the beginning of industries. Is there a easier way to find out through other resources about actual formations of the land and geological events that have happened in the past throughout the centuries? Is that made available to the public for research in their findings of fossils? There's more then I thought to learn about when it comes to fossils, and when it comes to fossils being found in or out of profound areas where you don't know how it may have got there, takes you more on a history hunt for answers to the how? question, and the when? question. Finding a fossil in someplace that makes you scratch your head???.. I'm sure this has happened many times. Hasnt it?.. Ocean animal fossils no where near the ocean? I believe that would be evidence of a past tsunami. Could there be any reason why sea fossils would be found in the middle of a populated city not really that close to a Ocean but close to a man made lake. Half salt water half fresh water. I think there should be a key importance to explore more of city populated areas before major construction. Seattle is a place that has never been explored geologically so much other then the beach along the coastlines. I find no evidence of geological history of Washington but of our volcanoes, not so much tsunamis at all. Seattle has just been built on top of so quickly, that Seattle hides a whole lot more beneath the high rolling hills and valleys surrounding then we think. There are less and less places to explore in a growing city and I'm not a expert, but when I can notice something out of the ordinary and you know it's of importance, how can it not excite you enough to find out more about it! So who's the first one I would call to report a geological formation of importance? How are those steps determined in the concept of discoveries ownership and so on? The laws are so twisted and much goes into it. The reward it's self in fossil hunting or just stumbling upon one is the past answers they give us, but they are our future answers too!

i can only put one picture at a time

Headed to the west coast of Ireland. Are there any restrictions or suggestions for hunting fossils?

I was visiting Oregon last weekend and did a lot of beach combing! I was mostly searching for agate and sand dollars but on one of the beaches I found an interesting piece of something. It looked like a tooth to me. (The very first one I found was #7) I was so excited and positive it was a tooth, until I began to find more. After continuing to find more small pieces that looked similar, I realized with disappointment they were more than likely just shell pieces and not fossils at all. However, the hopeful I am, I thought I'd come to the professionals to get them ID'd just to be sure. All were found on the beach between Cannon Beach and Arcadia Beach. The tide was low at the time (not sure if this is helpful.) I took photos of them before I had read that a size reference is handy so I apologize for not having that. If it's at all helpful, most are smaller than or about the size of a quarter. I took photos of each one next to the number to help differentiate. #30 and 31 are most likely shell pieces but I wasn't sure about the rest. I appreciate any help and thank you for your time! http://imgur.com/a/Sdpyz