Meshebe Posted November 13, 2015 Share Posted November 13, 2015 Greetings! I found this rock at the bottom of New Melones Lake, a nearly dried up reservoir near San Francisco, CA. I find the texture incredibly tantalizing, but I know fossilized hair is ridiculously rare. I'm thinking maybe an underwater plant left these indention on the rock recently? What are your thoughts? Thank you! (Also, the rock is about 5 inches wide and 3 inches tall. The rock in the region came apart in sheets. I found this rock as pictured, laying on the ground.) close up: back side: side: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpc Posted November 13, 2015 Share Posted November 13, 2015 I don't think it is a fossil... Looks more geological than biological. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meshebe Posted November 13, 2015 Author Share Posted November 13, 2015 Should I move this to the "Is it real" forum? I didn't have high expectations of this being an actual fossil... it's just so interesting looking and I want to know what I am looking at. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockwood Posted November 13, 2015 Share Posted November 13, 2015 Should I move this to the "Is it real" forum? I didn't have high expectations of this being an actual fossil... it's just so interesting looking and I want to know what I am looking at. No. It's real enough. In fact it's quite reasonable to wonder about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted November 13, 2015 Share Posted November 13, 2015 The matrix appears to be fine, thinly-bedded shale. There do not seem to be any clasts, or grading of any kind. This would indicate a very calm environment of deposition; lacustrine, for example. There is the possibility that the features are impressions left by something like filamentous algae; indeed, there is what looks like some carbon film present. "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 November 13, 2015 Share Posted November 13, 2015 I'm with jpc I think it is geologic also "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...
Wrangellian Posted November 13, 2015 Share Posted November 13, 2015 Never seen anything like it. I can't imagine what would leave those lines, other than algae as Auspex says, but maybe there is a mineralogical explanation too. Can you find more pieces? Maybe other chunks will have variations that will give us more clues. It's a keeper, whatever it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ynot Posted November 14, 2015 Share Posted November 14, 2015 Hey Meshebe, Welcome to the Fossil Forum. The new melones reservoir is in the sierra nevada foothills. The rock around there is mostly metamorphic and intrusive igneous. The chance that this is a fossil are very slim to nonexistent. I believe that it is a dendritic manganese on the surface of some shale. It is a nice mineral specimen. Tony Darwin said: " Man sprang from monkeys." Will Rogers said: " Some of them didn't spring far enough." My Fossil collection - My Mineral collection My favorite thread on TFF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plantguy Posted November 14, 2015 Share Posted November 14, 2015 Neat rock. I'm thinking its geologic too. Looks very similar to some of the weathered fine grained carbonate and carbonate cemented rock samples we collected in soCal many years ago. I bet it would fizz with a drop of some dilute HCL or vinegar. I wouldnt be surprised that it had indeed been metamorphosed as Tony noted and the weathering of the carbonate minerals is the cause. Might be metamorphic stress weaknesses in the rock are enhancing that weathering pattern--might even have a specific sedimentary rock structure name that I've forgotten. Maybe one of the sedimentary rock guys will know more. Thanks for showing us. Regards, Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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