Cretaceous Amber/fossilization Possible?

[Viking]

Hey all,

I have gathered cretaceous amber from a river bank. The meterial is black lignitized coarse wood. There is some agatized wood in the area. I know that a anceint forest is not the ideal place for vertabrate fossilization to take place but is it possible?

I dont know if that type of mineral will support it. I have never heard of any fossil being found there.

Any Ideas?

[Opisthotriton]

If it is a mudstone with a lot of wood, then yes, there could be bones. If it is entirely wood/coal with hardly any sediment, then maybe but probably not.

[Viking]

Thank you,

I would say it is more wood/coal type. I am curious if the meterial below it is older and possibly fossilferous. Maybe I will shoot you a pic and see what you think.

Thanks,

[BobWill]

Thank you,

I would say it is more wood/coal type. I am curious if the meterial below it is older and possibly fossilferous. Maybe I will shoot you a pic and see what you think.

Thanks,

Lower material is always older. Whether it is fossiliferous is best determined by spending some time knocking out chunks to have a look. If you see broken bits of fossils it's a good sign there could be more. If you break a lot of rock and see nothing, stop breaking rock:)

If you find marine material I would not expect to find much bone except for fish verts, teeth etc.

The best way to know if a site is productive is to learn about the strata from a geo map or asking local paleo nuts. This can take a lot of effort but pays off with good use of your collecting time. Sometimes a person who knows local formations can tell something from a picture but that's not enough information without knowing more details.

Edited December 4, 2012 by BobWill