Longskip Posted March 15 Share Posted March 15 Hello everyone, this is my first post so I hope I'm doing this properly. Some months ago I was visiting family in Ohio and we went fossil hunting, which is a popular activity there. Here are the details: Location found: Lebanon, Ohio (in a small riverbed) Dimensions: Height: 3.8cm Width: 2.6cm I don't have a scale to weigh it, but it is heavy the way a stone of its size would be. (I know that's a terrible way to describe the weight but I can't think of what to compare it to) It also passed the "tongue test" which I read about during my research about fossil identification. At first I thought perhaps it was a mastodon tusk segment. I read online ice age era fossils have been found in the area I was at due to it being glaciated. Thank you all so much for reading and for helping. I am completely inexperienced and uneducated in paleontology, but I am very interested. Cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockwood Posted March 15 Share Posted March 15 Sorry, this isn't a tusk. It appears to be shell fragments in matrix. It could possibly be burrow fill. It could have been shaped by rolling in the river though. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longskip Posted March 15 Author Share Posted March 15 Just now, Rockwood said: Sorry, this isn't a tusk. It appears to be shell fragments in matrix. It could possibly be burrow fill. It could have been shaped by rolling in the river though. Thank you so much for your response! That makes sense. I learned a lot trying to determine what this thing is, so I'm happy either way. I had a feeling those black lines/spines wouldn't be present in a tusk fossil. Cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fin Lover Posted March 15 Share Posted March 15 Also, the tongue or "lick" test is not a reliable way to identify a fossil and is not something I would recommend. 2 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...
Fossildude19 Posted March 15 Share Posted March 15 Lick test only confirms porosity if your tongue sticks. Lots of things can be porous, including rocks. Tim - VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER VFOTM --- APRIL - 2015 __________________________________________________ "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...
Rockwood Posted March 15 Share Posted March 15 The health risk involved with tongue testing is probably low, but with so little to be gained, why take any risk? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted March 15 Share Posted March 15 I just kiss my fossils if they're nice to me 3 2 Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Opabinia Blues Posted March 16 Share Posted March 16 6 hours ago, Ludwigia said: I just kiss my fossils if they're nice to me Why stop there when you could be making out with oreodonts? “The worse the country, the more tortured it is by water and wind, the more broken and carved, the more it attracts fossil hunters, who depend on the planet to open itself to us. We can only scratch away at what natural forced have brought to the surface.” - Jack Horner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted March 16 Share Posted March 16 4 hours ago, Opabinia Blues said: Why stop there when you could be making out with oreodonts? Ugh! Now that's going a bit too far! I prefer ammonites. Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted March 16 Share Posted March 16 4 minutes ago, Ludwigia said: Ugh! Now that's going a bit too far! I prefer ammonites. Brachiopods are truly hot. 1 Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doushantuo Posted March 16 Share Posted March 16 I'm with Rockwood on this one, thin prismatic bivalve sheet layers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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