Ihopeitsnotarock Posted May 5, 2023 Share Posted May 5, 2023 Hi everyone, I’m a total amateur but love looking for fossils and have a keen eye (, I’ve done a lot of collecting and have been laughed at by my friends and family for what I believe are some amazing finds! hopefully I can get some validation or advice on what I have found and a lot of tips on prep work etc. I am prepared for criticism so please don’t hold back and just hope these aren’t all plain old rocks!! first topic and a big one! can anyone explain to me in layman’s terms why some fossils seem to be bonded/formed around iron rich metallic objects (nails, bolts, screws) or if I’m totally wrong about that? here are some pics of the fossils with the above mentioned characteristics and my conclusions on identity. Thanks in advance Turtle remains/ vertebrae? A piece of dorsal vertebrae? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fin Lover Posted May 5, 2023 Share Posted May 5, 2023 (edited) Jamie, welcome to the forum! You will get more responses to your question and your photos by posting them elsewhere in the forum, but maybe one of the admin can move them for you. Edited May 5, 2023 by Fin Lover 1 1 Fin Lover My favorite things about fossil hunting: getting out of my own head, getting into nature and, if I’m lucky, finding some cool souvenirs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ihopeitsnotarock Posted May 5, 2023 Author Share Posted May 5, 2023 Thank you so much that’s awesome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gizmo Posted May 5, 2023 Share Posted May 5, 2023 Welcome aboard! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnJ Posted May 5, 2023 Share Posted May 5, 2023 9 hours ago, Ihopeitsnotarock said: can anyone explain to me in layman’s terms why some fossils seem to be bonded/formed around iron rich metallic objects (nails, bolts, screws) or if I’m totally wrong about that? Welcome, Jamie. As old "iron rich metallic objects" rust and degrade, the oxides leaching from them can envelope any rocks, soil, wood, etc. and form a large mass of 'rusty stuff'. I don't immediately recognize any fossils in your items. Maybe you could point out where you think you are seeing something. The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true. - JJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fin Lover Posted May 5, 2023 Share Posted May 5, 2023 17 minutes ago, JohnJ said: I don't immediately recognize any fossils in your items. Maybe you could point out where you think you are seeing something. I agree...I'm not seeing what you are referring to either. 1 Fin Lover My favorite things about fossil hunting: getting out of my own head, getting into nature and, if I’m lucky, finding some cool souvenirs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mahnmut Posted May 5, 2023 Share Posted May 5, 2023 (edited) Hi Ihopeitsnotarock, as JohnJ stated, the iron oxides can encrust many things, including glass bottles, shells, or even real fossils by coincidence. I once found a cluster of seashells embedded in the rust surrounding the remnants of a steel cable. The Axe below was embedded in a lump of hard rusty clay when I found it 20 years ago, looking much like a fossil concretion, but less than 70 years old then, going by the history of where it was found. Things like that have often been used as arguments to show that fossils could be much younger than geologic consensus tells us. But the argument "its turned to stone, so it has to be old" has not been the basis for geological chronology for a long time now. Though there are quick ways of turning things to stone, like travertine from hot springs https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Travertine or beach rock https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beachrock, which may also be what you have, there are different lines of evidence that tell us that other fossils are much older : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geochronology Best Regards, J Edited May 5, 2023 by Mahnmut attachment 1 Try to learn something about everything and everything about something Thomas Henry Huxley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mahnmut Posted May 5, 2023 Share Posted May 5, 2023 And as you put "Pyritization" into the tags: It depends on the pH or degree of acidity (and redox potential, but the difference is not important to understand the process) how well iron compunds are dissolved in water. When a dead animal like a mussel is embedded in mud and starts to decay, it changes how acidic the mud surrounding it is. So much of the iron dissolved in the surrounding water or water that passes by that acidic spot will drop out of the solution, replacing, encrusting and embedding the original shell, bone, or whatever started the process. Pyrite (Iron sulfide) can turn to iron oxides and hydroxides like limonite (basically rust) over time when in contact to oxygen and water. So not anything rustlike you find has to be rust from metal objects. But if you find a skrew in it, its not that old. Best Regards, J Try to learn something about everything and everything about something Thomas Henry Huxley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Kmiecik Posted May 5, 2023 Share Posted May 5, 2023 Fossils never formed around or near any nails or screws because nails and screws weren't invented yet when fossils formed. 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...
Shellseeker Posted May 6, 2023 Share Posted May 6, 2023 3 hours ago, Mark Kmiecik said: Fossils never formed around or near any nails or screws because nails and screws weren't invented yet when fossils formed. Not sure that is true... Here is one that combines the old (approx. 2 mya Mako) with the new (a 30 year old 8 inch spike). found 2/13/2010 in Peace River, Wauchula... Basically we have tons of fossils and due to human activity tons of metal junk, they frequently lay down next to each other. The metal rusts, and the Mako is engulfed. This one is hanging on my bedroom wall.... 1 The White Queen ".... in her youth she could believe "six impossible things before breakfast" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mahnmut Posted May 6, 2023 Share Posted May 6, 2023 10 hours ago, Shellseeker said: Not sure that is true... Here is one that combines the old (approx. 2 mya Mako) with the new (a 30 year old 8 inch spike). found 2/13/2010 in Peace River, Wauchula... Basically we have tons of fossils and due to human activity tons of metal junk, they frequently lay down next to each other. The metal rusts, and the Mako is engulfed. This one is hanging on my bedroom wall.... Thats what I was talking about, rust growing around an existing fossil. Not fossils forming around hardware. Fossil-like things, yes. Sorry if I did not make that clear. Best Regards 1 Try to learn something about everything and everything about something Thomas Henry Huxley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ihopeitsnotarock Posted May 9, 2023 Author Share Posted May 9, 2023 Thanks everyone for your feedback! I understand the processes a lot better now. I’ve also taken much better pics and have come to believe the fossils are also sections of the shell, I will go this instant to my mothers and get the rest of the bits that were found with it as they are a much better indicator in my opinion. Hold that thought, thanks again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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