Mr.Waffles Posted August 26, 2020 Share Posted August 26, 2020 Look guys I have a... well its definitely a something? Is it a plant, the top of a crinoid, a broken tooth, a really tiny volcano??? No idea. And as a bonus I have no idea where it came from either. It was given to me ages when I was a kid. So if you've got any ideas on what the heck it might be, I'd love to hear 'em! Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darbi Posted August 26, 2020 Share Posted August 26, 2020 Rugosa horn coral 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrehistoricWonders Posted August 26, 2020 Share Posted August 26, 2020 Agreed with @Darbi, Rugosa horn coral. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted August 26, 2020 Share Posted August 26, 2020 Always nice to still have your first fossil. As others have stated this is a solitary rugose coral also known as a "horn coral". Do some internet searches for any of those terms and you'll see some images that will confirm what you have. I don't know what geologic time periods these spanned but the ones I have in my collection are from the Ordovician which is a long long time ago. Cheers. -Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.Waffles Posted August 26, 2020 Author Share Posted August 26, 2020 That was quick. lol Awesome. I just did google search and I definitely see it. Thanks I appreciate the help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted August 26, 2020 Share Posted August 26, 2020 Quick reply mainly because: 1) it was actually a fossil, 2) it is a relatively commonly seen fossil (in Ordovician exposures), 3) it is very distinctive in its appearance. Cheers. -Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.Waffles Posted August 26, 2020 Author Share Posted August 26, 2020 8 minutes ago, digit said: Quick reply mainly because: 1) it was actually a fossil, 2) it is a relatively commonly seen fossil (in Ordovician exposures), 3) it is very distinctive in its appearance. Cheers. -Ken Lol I wonder how many times people must post "Is this a fossil and how much is it worth" when its really just a rock. Btw, I'm looking at more pictures on google and I've found several that look identical to my little piece. I've tried looking for "marine fossils" before but I just kept seeing pictures of crinoids and that didn't seem to match. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randyw Posted August 26, 2020 Share Posted August 26, 2020 1 hour ago, Mr.Waffles said: Lol I wonder how many times people must post "Is this a fossil and how much is it worth" when its really just a rock. Hundreds! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted August 26, 2020 Share Posted August 26, 2020 We do see a steady stream of backyard T-rex eggs. Cheers. -Ken 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hadrosauridae Posted August 27, 2020 Share Posted August 27, 2020 4 hours ago, Mr.Waffles said: Lol I wonder how many times people must post "Is this a fossil and how much is it worth" when its really just a rock. Btw, I'm looking at more pictures on google and I've found several that look identical to my little piece. I've tried looking for "marine fossils" before but I just kept seeing pictures of crinoids and that didn't seem to match. 5 "There is no shortage of fossils. There is only a shortage of paleontologists to study them." - Larry Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randyw Posted August 27, 2020 Share Posted August 27, 2020 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.Waffles Posted August 28, 2020 Author Share Posted August 28, 2020 On 8/26/2020 at 9:35 PM, hadrosauridae said: Hahaha. Thats awesome. I have a piece of amber that has been in some hot debate on whether or not there's a bug or stick or something trapped inside. I was gonna post it on this forum but I dont want to be "that guy". Lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hadrosauridae Posted August 28, 2020 Share Posted August 28, 2020 2 hours ago, Mr.Waffles said: Hahaha. Thats awesome. I have a piece of amber that has been in some hot debate on whether or not there's a bug or stick or something trapped inside. I was gonna post it on this forum but I dont want to be "that guy". Lol I wouldnt worry about it, post away! You already know that its something in debate, so put up some close, focused pics and ask for opinions. Tons of knowledge in the group to draw on. The only ones who are "that guy" are ones posting obvious rocks, calling them fossils and THEN getting ##### when people try to explain to them that it isnt a fossil. 1 "There is no shortage of fossils. There is only a shortage of paleontologists to study them." - Larry Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.Waffles Posted August 28, 2020 Author Share Posted August 28, 2020 2 hours ago, hadrosauridae said: I wouldnt worry about it, post away! You already know that its something in debate, so put up some close, focused pics and ask for opinions. Tons of knowledge in the group to draw on. The only ones who are "that guy" are ones posting obvious rocks, calling them fossils and THEN getting ##### when people try to explain to them that it isnt a fossil. Lol Okay, but if I get branded as one of those guys, I'm blaming you! Lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Kmiecik Posted August 28, 2020 Share Posted August 28, 2020 29 minutes ago, Mr.Waffles said: Lol Okay, but if I get branded as one of those guys, I'm blaming you! Lol. Amber is always fun. It very often has "stuff" trapped in it. Figuring out what that stuff is makes it fun. 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...
Randyw Posted August 28, 2020 Share Posted August 28, 2020 8 hours ago, Mr.Waffles said: I was gonna post it on this forum but I dont want to be "that guy". Lol Oh please do! We love looking at amber inclusions! First question of course is “are you sure it’s amber?” A simple saltwater test will tell! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.Waffles Posted August 29, 2020 Author Share Posted August 29, 2020 28 minutes ago, Randyw said: Oh please do! We love looking at amber inclusions! First question of course is “are you sure it’s amber?” A simple saltwater test will tell! I just googled the saltwater test and ran it several times. Some of the pieces floated, but none that were in question lol. If ya'll really wanna see pictures, I can share them but since its not amber, I dont want to waste people's time. Now I'm just wondering if I don't have amber... what do I have? Haha. I'll figure it out eventually, even if I have to go full Sherlock Holmes on this thing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randyw Posted August 29, 2020 Share Posted August 29, 2020 @Mr.Waffles If it has inclusions it’s possible you have copal. Copal is the step between resin and amber. An easy way to tell is the hot needle test. You heat a needle and poke it into an inconspicuous spot if the needle starts to go in and you get a smell of plastic it’s plastic. If it smells like pine it’s copal. Amber starts out as resin after a hundred years or so as the volatile oils escape it becomes copal. After another 5 million years or so it becomes amber. There is some debate about the age of change over. It’s normally accepted as 5-10 mya but some are trying to get it changed to 3 mya and some dealers want it to be 1-2 mya so they can get more$$$. Personally I subscribe to the 5 mya.... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.Waffles Posted August 29, 2020 Author Share Posted August 29, 2020 23 minutes ago, Randyw said: @Mr.Waffles If it has inclusions it’s possible you have copal. Copal is the step between resin and amber. An easy way to tell is the hot needle test. You heat a needle and poke it into an inconspicuous spot if the needle starts to go in and you get a smell of plastic it’s plastic. If it smells like pine it’s copal. Amber starts out as resin after a hundred years or so as the volatile oils escape it becomes copal. After another 5 million years or so it becomes amber. There is some debate about the age of change over. It’s normally accepted as 5-10 mya but some are trying to get it changed to 3 mya and some dealers want it to be 1-2 mya so they can get more$$$. Personally I subscribe to the 5 mya.... Okay, I'll try it and maybe I'll make a thread and post pictures so ya'll can see what I have and give me your thoughts. I have my doubts about it being Copal but I've seen so many different variations and colors online that visually it's hard to tell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.Waffles Posted August 29, 2020 Author Share Posted August 29, 2020 1 hour ago, Randyw said: @Mr.Waffles If it has inclusions it’s possible you have copal. Copal is the step between resin and amber. An easy way to tell is the hot needle test. You heat a needle and poke it into an inconspicuous spot if the needle starts to go in and you get a smell of plastic it’s plastic. If it smells like pine it’s copal. Amber starts out as resin after a hundred years or so as the volatile oils escape it becomes copal. After another 5 million years or so it becomes amber. There is some debate about the age of change over. It’s normally accepted as 5-10 mya but some are trying to get it changed to 3 mya and some dealers want it to be 1-2 mya so they can get more$$$. Personally I subscribe to the 5 mya.... In case anyone is interested, below is the link to the new thread. http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/topic/108558-its-a-bird-its-a-plane-its-a-chunk-of-copal/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paleome Posted August 29, 2020 Share Posted August 29, 2020 On 8/26/2020 at 6:51 PM, Randyw said: And, hilarious! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paleome Posted August 29, 2020 Share Posted August 29, 2020 (edited) I needed a good laugh...especially the "dinosaur skull". That was before things got serious again. Edited August 29, 2020 by Paleome Add to content Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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