sixgill pete Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 Found these today in an Eastern NC quarry at Belgrade. They came from piles that were very sandy and had lots of small crushed shells. Most likely Haywood Landing member of the Belgrade formation. Late Oligocene. There were 7 all total laying together. My first thought was they were sponges. They are "light" for their size and when I cleaned them, putting them into a bucket of water, they floated. Am I correct. Here are pics of 3 of them. 1>>>> 2>>>> 3rd one coming Bulldozers and dirt Bulldozers and dirt behind the trailer, my desert Them red clay piles are heaven on earth I get my rocks off, bulldozers and dirt Patterson Hood; Drive-By Truckers May 2016 May 2012 Aug 2013, May 2016, Apr 2020 Oct 2022 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sixgill pete Posted January 12, 2013 Author Share Posted January 12, 2013 Here is the 3rd one Bulldozers and dirt Bulldozers and dirt behind the trailer, my desert Them red clay piles are heaven on earth I get my rocks off, bulldozers and dirt Patterson Hood; Drive-By Truckers May 2016 May 2012 Aug 2013, May 2016, Apr 2020 Oct 2022 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missourian Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 I thought they could be nodules of calcareous algae, but then you said they float.... Context is critical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sixgill pete Posted January 12, 2013 Author Share Posted January 12, 2013 They float down here...... We all float down here. Floating is a good indication I take? Bulldozers and dirt Bulldozers and dirt behind the trailer, my desert Them red clay piles are heaven on earth I get my rocks off, bulldozers and dirt Patterson Hood; Drive-By Truckers May 2016 May 2012 Aug 2013, May 2016, Apr 2020 Oct 2022 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missourian Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 Floating is a good indication I take? I figured algal nodules would sink, but then I'm used to finding well-cemented ones. Context is critical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 Is the preservation in the Haywood Landing member typically delicate? Whatever these are, they are not solidly mineralized (meaning there is entrained air). Very cool; I'm hoping for algae balls! "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...
RickNC Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 Don I have some very similar pieces from Aurora that I was told were sponges. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sixgill pete Posted January 12, 2013 Author Share Posted January 12, 2013 Is the preservation in the Haywood Landing member typically delicate? Whatever these are, they are not solidly mineralized (meaning there is entrained air). Very cool; I'm hoping for algae balls! Yes Auspex, much of what comes out of the Haywood Landing Member is very very delicate. Bulldozers and dirt Bulldozers and dirt behind the trailer, my desert Them red clay piles are heaven on earth I get my rocks off, bulldozers and dirt Patterson Hood; Drive-By Truckers May 2016 May 2012 Aug 2013, May 2016, Apr 2020 Oct 2022 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
masonboro37 Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 (edited) They float down here...... We all float down here. Floating is a good indication I take? Ok, thanks for giving me flashbacks to the book "IT". I am now wondering if these are sponges. I have been searching and I have not found anything similar. Hmmmmmm. Edited January 12, 2013 by masonboro37 Process of identification "mistakes create wisdom". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike from North Queensland Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 My first impression if they float pumice as volcanic rock would be deposited in all ages.?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missourian Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 My first impression if they float pumice as volcanic rock would be deposited in all ages.?? There shouldn't be any pumice deposited in NC unless there was a ridiculously large volcanic eruption somewhere. Context is critical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Dente Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 These are bryozoan colonies. The same ones are found at Lee Creek. I'm away from my references right now. I'll give a name later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sixgill pete Posted January 12, 2013 Author Share Posted January 12, 2013 These are bryozoan colonies. The same ones are found at Lee Creek. I'm away from my references right now. I'll give a name later. Bryozoan did cross my mind, but I thought they were to large. Looking forward to your ID. Bulldozers and dirt Bulldozers and dirt behind the trailer, my desert Them red clay piles are heaven on earth I get my rocks off, bulldozers and dirt Patterson Hood; Drive-By Truckers May 2016 May 2012 Aug 2013, May 2016, Apr 2020 Oct 2022 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mako-mama Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 There shouldn't be any pumice deposited in NC unless there was a ridiculously large volcanic eruption somewhere. I cant speak for other North Carolina sites, but pumice is indeed found in Aurora. The source has never been determined. Other volcanic trace minerals have been found, too. If memory serves me correctly (?), I believe this was published in Joel Kimrey's paper-"Description of the Pungo River Formation in Beaufort County". Of further interest, there is a large granite dome just outside Greenville, NC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeR Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 It looks very similar to coralline algae that I posted in show us your algae (http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php/topic/26846-show-us-your-algae/page__st__40), however the lightness of the material suggests bryozoa. "A problem solved is a problem caused"--Karl Pilkington "I was dead for millions of years before I was born and it never inconvenienced me a bit." -- Mark Twain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Dente Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 I had made the assumption that the bryozoa from Belgrade are the same species as the similar looking colonies from Lee Creek but when I looked at them under the microscope they look different. This first photo shows three colonies, the round one to the right is from Belgrade Quarry, the other two from Lee Creek. The ones from Lee Creek usually colonize clam shells. The long one is some type of razor clam. Here is a close up of the colony from Belgrade: And one from Lee Creek: I thought finding a reference for these would be easy but I haven't found a name for them yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pedrobento Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 A magnified picture would definitely help to ID it. Pedro Bento, M.Sci. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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