Misc. Ramanessin Finds, July 2015

[JerseyGirl]

Thanks in advance!

Item #1

[JerseyGirl]

Item #2

[JerseyGirl]

Item #3

[JerseyGirl]

Item #4

Hard to see anything but coral here but I thought there wasn't much coral at these NJ sites?

[JerseyGirl]

Item #5, then I have one or two more to add tomorrow. I'm hoping this is a bone fragment but that's just a guess.

[JerseyGirl]

Oh, one more.

Item #6. Coprolite?

[Darwin Ahoy]

Regarding the coral, there is a fair amount that is actually Devonian, and deposited as glacial material during the last ice age.

[Rockwood]

#2 looks like it could be a mold of a tabulate coral. I think the color is one of the indicators in favor of it.

#4 could be coral but the size of it could also indicate bryozoan. I can't make out any clear sign of zooids or tabulae, but something about the pattern on the outside doesn't strike me as looking coralish.

# 5 I'll just join you in hoping for dense bone

#6 I should be shy about shooting down another one of your coprolites (hope you forgive me for the last one), but I think it looks like a gastropod steinkern..

Edited August 6, 2015 by Rockwood

[abyssunder]

My guesses: 1 - part of a dermal plate

6 - steinkern with visible evidence of worm predation on it

[JerseyGirl]

Thanks, all of you. I'm still a beginner and very happy to be learning!

#1 was the one I picked out of the screen and thought, "THAT'S something". So self-contained and defined. Dermal plate sounds interesting...what kinds of animals had them?

Agree #6 has the classic curves of a shell-- that's definitely what caught my eye! I had to look up 'steinkern,' (told you I was a beginner) but that makes sense now.

And I know #5 is probably a lost cause as far as real ID goes. But my $7 magnifier turned up some features that made me curious.

Again, thanks!

Edited August 6, 2015 by JerseyGirl

[JerseyGirl]

Item #7. Looks like wood to me but again I don't know. Is there petrified wood to be found at Ramanessin, and if so are they more recent specimens?

[Rockwood]

I think it's probably a form of quarts. It reminds me of the larger pieces around here that I'm always accusing of pretending to be mammoth teeth.

[JerseyGirl]

Yeah, I know crystals can look like lots of living things...! This one just grabbed me, though. Thanks.

[JerseyGirl]

This was the bit of Item #4 that screamed 'coral' to me.

[JerseyGirl]

Any guesses on Item #3? I know I've seen similarly shaped bones in collections posted here.

And for Item #1, I can't find any other dental pieces online that have this shape-- anyone have a specific suggestion? (Again, I knew I'd seen bones this shape on the internet but it turns out those were tympanic bones from whales/dolphins, and of course much much bigger! Mine has remnants of a hole, too, but maybe in the wrong place.)

Also, as a rule should I give up on the possibility of petrified wood from these NJ sites?

Thanks!

[Jeffrey P]

I have a small piece of petrified wood from Ramanessin. Other collectors I've talked to claim to have found pieces also. While these are marine sites, occasionally terrestrial fossils (such as dinosaur bones and teeth) can occur if they were washed out to sea and deposited there. Good luck finding them.

[Rockwood]

#3 is a tough one. You might want to consider Liesegang banding.

#1 seems more likely to be reptilian. That could include anything from alligator to ankylosaur.

Cretaceous lignite is apparently fairly common there. For me it's quite collectible if it has character. Don't forget to stabilize it with 50/50 elmers glue and water though.