Geodude707 Posted March 3, 2022 Share Posted March 3, 2022 Hello! I have found my way here because while my gut says one thing, I would really prefer more experienced opinions. I found this in a layer of river sediment (probably flood level) near the Russian River in Healdsburg, California @ approximately 10-20 ft above current water level. It seems to be honed in texture and weighs 245.8g. I believe it to be Yellow Calcite as its completely crystallized, there is also a portion of it that is more dense and less translucent, which I'm guessing to be the yolk. The greenish ring is circular but not perfect, which is why feel the yolk has been broken. . Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted March 3, 2022 Share Posted March 3, 2022 Welcome to the Forum. Better close up pictures of the item are needed. I cannot make out any detail of eggshell textures given the pictures provided. Nearly 95% of the items posted here that are believed to be eggs end up being something else. Real egg fossils are fairly rare. What is known about the geology of the area? Have other documented eggs been found in the area? Have you had a look at our egg discussions? 1 Tim - VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER VFOTM --- APRIL - 2015 IPFOTM -- MAY - 2024 _________________________________________________________________________________ "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~ ><))))( *> About Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted March 3, 2022 Share Posted March 3, 2022 Also have a look at an actual egg fossil: 1 Tim - VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER VFOTM --- APRIL - 2015 IPFOTM -- MAY - 2024 _________________________________________________________________________________ "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~ ><))))( *> About Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geodude707 Posted March 3, 2022 Author Share Posted March 3, 2022 I looked a little, sorry....kinda excited I guess. I'll take more when I get home shortly. So if "egg" were to overturn fron its nest and settle into sediment at the bottom of the river. And was left, how long to turn to crystal? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geodude707 Posted March 3, 2022 Author Share Posted March 3, 2022 Thats the one I did read. I found this on Sunday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geodude707 Posted March 3, 2022 Author Share Posted March 3, 2022 I didnt find anything near here in the data base. Only fossils were up in the Geysers area Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FranzBernhard Posted March 3, 2022 Share Posted March 3, 2022 It seems to be a rock, perhaps something like marble. Lovely tumbled by river action to a shape resembling a chicken egg, even the size fits, as you are already comparing it with a chicken egg. But ist not an egg. Its a rock, a pebble. But a very lovely one, indeed. Franz Bernhard 2 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geodude707 Posted March 3, 2022 Author Share Posted March 3, 2022 Just brand new here myself, I dont know alot about the processes at work here. So I'm just going to ask my seemingly dumb questions. 1. How long would it take, given perfect conditions for (an egg) to turn into a Calcite? Mind you, said egg in question appears to be from modern bird. 2. Was there transitional dino/birds that could explain this? 3. Could and or would the thinner shells of modern bird, still surround that egg in say 10k years? I'm just Soooo perplexed as to what I have found. The shape screams nature! And there is nothing I can find retail that is remotley close. I'm not trying to be rude, please anyone in the community help me solve this puzzle. Any feedback provided would be so very appreciated. I'm not looking in the right place in these forums, because all the replies I have been reading are in regards to dinos....please? little help here guys? I've submitted inquirie to the ornatholigst at the California Academy of Sciences as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FranzBernhard Posted March 3, 2022 Share Posted March 3, 2022 It just occurred to me: It could be a man-made stone egg, that was thrown away etc. and has some time spend in the river! There are gazillions of them around. Stone eggs (link to g. pic results for stone eggs) Franz Bernhard 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geodude707 Posted March 3, 2022 Author Share Posted March 3, 2022 7 hours ago, FranzBernhard said: It just occurred to me: It could be a man-made stone egg, that was thrown away etc. and has some time spend in the river! There are gazillions of them around. Stone eggs (link to g. pic results for stone eggs) Franz Bernhard 12 hours ago, Fossildude19 said: Also have a look at an actual egg fossil: Ok I see what you guys are talking about but there 2 eggs. My friend had the other. They were found within 3 ft of eachother and weigh 6g apart both having green rings mine imperfect, hers perfectly round. And no one has bothered to awnser the question......how long would it take. I have MANY 2-3" river "Potatoes"as I will call them, churt, agate and jade as well. Which are all SMOOTH mine is that of a honed feel not polished as rocks do. Hers is coarse as well finer than mine I'll admit. But to be perfectly honest I've never ever heard of a crystal ball rolling down the Russian river to end up in a VERY egg like shape. Furthermore 2 within 3 feet of exact same crystalline form. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJB Posted March 3, 2022 Share Posted March 3, 2022 Very interesting this thread. Sure looks like and egg but the texture is throwing me off. Just my cents worth. RB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hemipristis Posted March 3, 2022 Share Posted March 3, 2022 the material looks like recrystallized calcite 'Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.' George Santayana Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hemipristis Posted March 3, 2022 Share Posted March 3, 2022 7 hours ago, Geodude707 said: I looked a little, sorry....kinda excited I guess. I'll take more when I get home shortly. So if "egg" were to overturn fron its nest and settle into sediment at the bottom of the river. And was left, how long to turn to crystal? It depends on many factors, include type of sediment (e.g., sand vs mud). immediacy of burial (slower means it is exposed to predation and erosion), overburden and lateral pressure, and the geochemical nature of the sediments (acidic vs alkaline, reduced vs oxygenated) just off of the top of my head. That's if it is preserved at all. 1 3 'Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.' George Santayana Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted March 3, 2022 Share Posted March 3, 2022 Please take pictures in daylight, or much better lighting conditions. There are way too many shadows in these photos. Identifying things from photos is already difficult, but nearly impossible with poorly lit photos. Also, you could take it to a nearby natural history museum or university, as an in hand examination is much better than looking at photos. A paleontologist familiar with the area these were found in would be ideal. As far as how long it would take for something to crystalize - it really depends on the conditions it was formed under. 1 1 Tim - VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER VFOTM --- APRIL - 2015 IPFOTM -- MAY - 2024 _________________________________________________________________________________ "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~ ><))))( *> About Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geodude707 Posted March 3, 2022 Author Share Posted March 3, 2022 Thank you, I have a fuller in-depth story which will reach you soon enough. I also will take better pictures, and I'm well aware that it's more than likely not as it seems. If there are any other tests or recommendations you may have let me know! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandy Cole Posted March 3, 2022 Share Posted March 3, 2022 Looks like calcite to me too, but hard to tell without better lighting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveE Posted March 3, 2022 Share Posted March 3, 2022 Just making this up... Green rings.... maybe so called "blue-green algae" stains, in a ring, where conditions were favorable for cyanobacteria growth? Have no idea how two ended up wherever you found them, but here's one mechanism for making rounded rocks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveE Posted March 3, 2022 Share Posted March 3, 2022 PS does this rock scratch glass? Can you scratch the rock with your fingernail? See https://www.nps.gov/articles/mohs-hardness-scale.htm 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geodude707 Posted March 3, 2022 Author Share Posted March 3, 2022 Will attempt any test set forth, I was also told calcite will fizz under white vinegar. And the blue green algae.....huge thing is this was found within 30mi (as the crow flys) of Clear lake, CA home of alot of blue green algae. And Geyserville is only 6mi north. Sunny pics today will be a no go as we're rainy in. Northern California. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnJ Posted March 3, 2022 Share Posted March 3, 2022 If you have some muriatic acid, a very dilute solution would let you know if this is calcite (using all safety precautions). It looks more like a quartz cobble to me. Algae can grow in damp soil and deeply penetrate micro cracks in the rock. 1 The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true. - JJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveE Posted March 3, 2022 Share Posted March 3, 2022 1 minute ago, JohnJ said: If you have some muriatic acid, a very dilute solution would let you know if this is calcite. It looks more like a quartz cobble to me. Algae can grow in damp soil and deeply penetrate micro cracks in the rock. I'm wondering about quartz too. Are there nonphotosynthetic algae species that live in an aerobic atmosphere? I dunno. But there isn't much light deep down in the microcracks for the bluegreen stuff. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveE Posted March 3, 2022 Share Posted March 3, 2022 44 minutes ago, Geodude707 said: And the blue green algae.....huge thing is this was found within 30mi (as the crow flys) of Clear lake, CA home of alot of blue green algae. And Geyserville is only 6mi north. Sunny pics today will be a no go as we're rainy in. Northern California. Thanks I hate the name "blue green algae" because its easily confused with ALGAE. The first group is always single cell bacteria (Cyanobacteria specfically). The cells are prokaryotes. In contrast, Green algae is either single or multi cell species made of of eukaryotic cells. Over by the water I think you're thinking of the latter. The former are everywhere. Here are two articles to help clear this up. https://www.differencebetween.com/difference-between-blue-green-algae-and-green-algae/ ..... cyanobacteria are all over the place BTW, even in desert soils https://www.nps.gov/articles/exploring-the-microbial-diversity-in-biological-soil-crusts-at-joshua-tree-national-park.htm 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnJ Posted March 3, 2022 Share Posted March 3, 2022 8 hours ago, Geodude707 said: The shape screams nature! And there is nothing I can find retail that is remotley close. I'm not trying to be rude, please anyone in the community help me solve this puzzle. Any feedback provided would be so very appreciated. I'm not looking in the right place in these forums, because all the replies I have been reading are in regards to dinos....please? little help here guys? The answers you have received do not just apply to dino eggs. It is also sometimes hard to grasp the fact that natural forces can shape or create geologic objects that are very similar to eggs or animals. It happens. If you present any kind of fossil egg on TFF, many here would confirm it and cheer your discovery. 1 The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true. - JJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geodude707 Posted March 3, 2022 Author Share Posted March 3, 2022 So what your talking about is not like the ones in Yellowstone @ the Grand prismatic spring? Also pics of egg #1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnJ Posted March 3, 2022 Share Posted March 3, 2022 Again, the surface texture is blurred. However, a bit of bleach solution and a toothbrush will clean that algae off the stone. The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true. - JJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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