Roadrunner Posted July 17, 2012 Author Share Posted July 17, 2012 (edited) I am thinking clam also, but I think you are looking at the wrong scale. Think giant clams, measuring in feet. Brent Ashcraft I'm not sure if you were referring to what I said, but I'm looking at this (especially the drawing to the far right). This site refers to large scaled clams also; http://www.paleotax....sts/rudipal.htm Edited July 17, 2012 by Roadrunner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadrunner Posted July 17, 2012 Author Share Posted July 17, 2012 (edited) Some of the striations appear to bifurcate. Here is my interpretation of what I see : Missourian - this thumbnail picture seems to have a "wave" up toward the left (toward the flat side of the rock hammer) that goes higher than the boulder and has bifurcation (or even trifurcation if that is even a word) a couple of inches below it. Is there any way to enhance that area and/or does this make you think of anything else? Edited July 17, 2012 by Roadrunner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PetrolPete Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 It almost looks like mineralized and reworked ripple cross strata, and since you were saying that these boulders can have some older bits in them, I am really leaning towards it being a reworked whatever it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missourian Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 So the "bifurcation" would seem to make it organic, right Missourian? What software do you use to help you enhance these photos? That is a great bit of software to have! I used MS Paint, but it's like pulling teeth to use it for something worthwhile.... Yes, the bifurcations indicate it is organic (to me, at least). The only non-organic process I can think of would be ripple marks in sand, but the stuff does not occur as a flat surface, and I'm pretty sure it's at the wrong scale for ripples. Context is critical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TqB Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 Fascinating mystery Roadrunner, it looks organic, possibly shelly, to me too. Here's the section you mention tweaked a bit with MS Picture Manager. Not sure if it helps much but perhaps the pattern is a little more obvious. Tarquin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missourian Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 Its irregularity is what's really puzzling. Context is critical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadrunner Posted July 17, 2012 Author Share Posted July 17, 2012 (edited) Roadrunner, Your mystery fossil has been bugging me. Check out this website and see what organisms and natural forces can create. http://www.fossil-ar...sil_Art-UK.html Me too, for a long time! Anyway, the "reticulated" fossil they show has some bifurcation - but other than that I'm not sure of any similiarities. Am I missing something? Edited July 17, 2012 by Roadrunner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadrunner Posted July 17, 2012 Author Share Posted July 17, 2012 Fascinating mystery Roadrunner, it looks organic, possibly shelly, to me too. Here's the section you mention tweaked a bit with MS Picture Manager. Not sure if it helps much but perhaps the pattern is a little more obvious. Thank you for tweaking that - it does help with noticeing subtle characteristics I might have missed before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadrunner Posted July 17, 2012 Author Share Posted July 17, 2012 Its irregularity is what's really puzzling. Yes, I'll plan another trip to it sometime this week. And the more questions everyone asks, and details they notice - the more it will help me to look for more clues. Thank you - please keep any thoughts or observations coming! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadrunner Posted July 17, 2012 Author Share Posted July 17, 2012 (edited) I found this image of a rudist clam, but I think it is on a much smaller scale. It could account for the irregularities. Thumbnail Here is the original site - the red bar is 10 mm. http://woostergeolog...oman-mountains/ But it doesn't have any bivalve-looking striations on it. E-bay has someone in Texas selling what they are calling "sections" of rudist clams here; http://www.ebay.co.u...004379073&ps=50 Perhaps I should ask them how they know they are rudists. Edited July 17, 2012 by Roadrunner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missourian Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 Roadrunner, try to see if you can make out any details in cross-section where the sheets are broken. Context is critical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadrunner Posted July 17, 2012 Author Share Posted July 17, 2012 (edited) Roadrunner, try to see if you can make out any details in cross-section where the sheets are broken. Great idea....! I'm getting out my notebook now to write a list of everything I should try to observe and note - and if possible, photograph though my camera is pretty basic. Thank you, again. Edited July 17, 2012 by Roadrunner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 I would like to see the other side of the striated layer, as well as its cross section. It would be informative too if samples could be collected and subjected to standard mineral tests (hardness, streak, reaction to acid...). "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herb Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 :zzzzscratchchin: great fun though ! "Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence"_ Carl Sagen No trees were killed in this posting......however, many innocent electrons were diverted from where they originally intended to go. " I think, therefore I collect fossils." _ Me "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."__S. Holmes "can't we all just get along?" Jack Nicholson from Mars Attacks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadrunner Posted July 17, 2012 Author Share Posted July 17, 2012 (edited) I would like to see the other side of the striated layer, as well as its cross section. It would be informative too if samples could be collected and subjected to standard mineral tests (hardness, streak, reaction to acid...). Both sides and the top have evidence of striation on them. I've been looking for pieces or fragments broken off, but haven't found any yet. I'll look for an easy piece to get - but hesitate to chip at it too much. I'll see what I can do, plus I'll need help with the mineral testing. I have some chemicals, but not a whole lot - though I can always get what I need. For hardness tests I have a lot of glass and can find some tile (I think). Edited July 17, 2012 by Roadrunner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadrunner Posted July 17, 2012 Author Share Posted July 17, 2012 (edited) :zzzzscratchchin: great fun though ! I agree! My list to carry back to the site includes; 1. ruler 2. camera 3. flashlight 4. magnifying glass 5. coins (just in case) 6. some small stakes to hold back the juniper tree branches for pictures 7. rock hammer 8. small backpack 9. small notebook with pencil 10. water 11. all your great questions 12. oh yeah...dogs for walk (one of them carrying his own pack) Edited July 17, 2012 by Roadrunner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herb Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 Loaded for bear !! Don't forget a snack. "Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence"_ Carl Sagen No trees were killed in this posting......however, many innocent electrons were diverted from where they originally intended to go. " I think, therefore I collect fossils." _ Me "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."__S. Holmes "can't we all just get along?" Jack Nicholson from Mars Attacks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadrunner Posted July 19, 2012 Author Share Posted July 19, 2012 (edited) Loaded for bear !! Don't forget a snack. OK - I'm gonna' go out on a limb here, and say that this is definitely organic. I think it is either a rudist - as some of you have been mentioning in here, a strophomenid brachiopod or a stromatoporoid. I spent most of my time photographing details, and the holes/circles are reflective of both smaller brachiopods that seem to have attached to it, and/or actual parts of the larger fossil. I'll work on uploading some photos, but photobucket seems to be "under maintenance" at the moment. I do have the photos downloaded from my camera on to my PC, so as soon as photobucket is working again I can put them in here. Good news - I also went to the County Assessors today to find out whether the land this it is on is public or private. Based on the location, I thought it was probably public - and I'm right. It doesn't belong to any private landowner, so if this is something noteworthy it will probably be easier to get it to the right people (if they are interested). As soon as I can get the pictures uploaded, I will! Edited July 20, 2012 by Roadrunner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadrunner Posted July 19, 2012 Author Share Posted July 19, 2012 (edited) Photobucket is up! Here are a some thumbnail pictures with the tree branches pulled back for scale again. The ruler has both inches (6 inches) and centimeters on it. I found it nearly impossible to stay consistent since sometimes just balancing the ruler was a bit of a problem. The dog (Abby) is about 37-38 pounds. The first is what I'm going to call the "front" - since it was the most exposed and has the flattened area on it. This is the "back" where the branches were covering it. Edited July 20, 2012 by Roadrunner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadrunner Posted July 19, 2012 Author Share Posted July 19, 2012 (edited) I found this to be one of the more "interesting" organic-looking features on the back. There are several, and this is the largest. It almost looks like a mouth of some sort. Edited July 29, 2012 by Roadrunner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 I am beginning to think that this boulder might be a chunk of a rudist reef... Dating it would help, and pictures of any associated organisms would help to date it. "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadrunner Posted July 19, 2012 Author Share Posted July 19, 2012 (edited) These round things (sorry for the lack of nomenclature, but I don't know what they are yet) are all over it, and even seem to make up a lot of it. Centimeters Centimeters This one below uses inches so the ruler wouldn't be upside down as I held it. Back to centimeters Edited July 19, 2012 by Roadrunner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadrunner Posted July 19, 2012 Author Share Posted July 19, 2012 (edited) Roadrunner, try to see if you can make out any details in cross-section where the sheets are broken. Here is some of what I photographed of the sheets; The first one is a bit fuzzy; I hope those are somewhat helpful. And here is what I think might be a critter or two that either attached itself or burrowed in our rock; ...and what I think might be a trace fossil in our rock here; ...that looks suspiciously like the picture I got off the internet below of a burrowing mollusk (but I need to check that website again to make sure). But then again, the shell-like lines seems to be shaped with the shape and not just placed on top of it, like the one below. Internet Picture Edited July 19, 2012 by Roadrunner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadrunner Posted July 19, 2012 Author Share Posted July 19, 2012 (edited) In my little bit of research, I found this on the internet which was listed as "stroma-attachment-Petrocrania Ordovician:" Internet Picture And I found this; Internet Picture Which kind of looks like this in our rock (though I think this was more of a coral buried in there than a shell); And finally, these kind of indentations on our rock (in which you can see I shown a flashlight) which look as if there might have been bivalves stuck in there; Edited July 21, 2012 by Roadrunner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadrunner Posted July 19, 2012 Author Share Posted July 19, 2012 (edited) And some final pictures to throw in of what I found of the first interesting pictures.; Help! For me, the mystery has only grown deeper. Edited July 19, 2012 by Roadrunner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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