Do fossils bend?

[Still_human]

Ive seen a couple "fossils" recently, that have a feature that makes me wonder if they're authentic.

Especially because the fossil on one looks more like it's been just stained on the rock surface, than having any actual impression.

My question on here though, is if fossils can continue over creases on a rock, that appear to be a break in the level/time (the crooked line going along the underside of the apparent appendage). It's not an actual clear separate level, so I know a fossil could lay across an inconsistency on the original surface, but this one looks more like a break, so I'm wondering if this angle is possible.

 

 

[ynot]

I have seen fossils cross minor displacement in the rock.

Can not comment on Your picture,

[Still_human]

4 minutes ago, ynot said:

I have seen fossils cross miner displacement in the rock.

Can not comment on Your picture,

That's what I was pretty sure COULD happen, but still looks questionable tonme in this case. Do you at least see the angle/peak I'm talking about, even if you cannot make any personal judgement on it?

[Auspex]

What is the specimen in question purported to be? What is the age & location of the deposit?

The part of the pattern that appears to change bedding planes does make me skeptical about it being anything other than a mineral stain.

[ynot]

I think I agree with Chas.

[Walt]

can you post a picture not so close?  For context?

[Still_human]

Sure thing  

 

[Rockwood]

To me it looks as if there are hints of dimensionality in the darker material toward the top of the arc. It also seems as if a stain would follow the crack up and to the left at least perceptibly.

[Still_human]

17 minutes ago, Rockwood said:

To me it looks as if there are hints of dimensionality in the darker material toward the top of the arc. It also seems as if a stain would follow the crack up and to the left at least perceptibly.

Howbout the crease? Even if THIS one is real despite that change in levels, is that something that in general is feasible, or in "normal" situations wouldn't/shouldn't happen?

[Rockwood]

19 minutes ago, Still_human said:

Howbout the crease? Even if THIS one is real despite that change in levels, is that something that in general is feasible, or in "normal" situations wouldn't/shouldn't happen?

I see it as obscuring a layer of the darker material. Perhaps something like a spread out column of ossicles from a crinoid stem that was poorly preserved.

[Still_human]

2 hours ago, Rockwood said:

I see it as obscuring a layer of the darker material. Perhaps something like a spread out column of ossicles from a crinoid stem that was poorly preserved.

Wow, I never would have seen it that way, but you're right, I can totally see it now! You absolutely may be right. I think I may see some overlap though, so I'm not entirely sure. Also, wouldn't that seem a little strange if whoever was preparing it stopped with a significant portion in the middle of the imprint, still obscured?

 

*ill have to add the picture on a separate post, because it's not letting me include it on this one.

[ynot]

32 minutes ago, Still_human said:

whoever was preparing it

This is not been prepped, it is a normal fracture for a crystalline rock.

[Still_human]

11 minutes ago, ynot said:

This is not been prepped, it is a normal fracture for a crystalline rock.

Oh ok, gotcha. So that would give potential credence to it being an actual fossil, even though its bent, if that is indeed what it is. Cause that could have been the shape of the surface at that time, or the fossil just going along with any changes to its original surface over millions of years?

 

*can you see what I mean about the possibly the color slightly overlapping the bend, or edge of overlaid material? Im pretty sure I can see it there, but I could easily be mistaken.

[ynot]

Think of a 3d object within the rock that got broken through the edge of said object.

Where the brake went through a crack that was 90 degrees to the brake the brake skipped a little bit off track.

I do not see evidence of layering in this rock (doesn't mean it isn't there).

[Ludwigia]

I'm in the mineral stain camp although there's a remote chance that it could be organic substance, but you still haven't told us age and type of rock. This information would help very much. Why did you think it might be Anomalocaris?

[Rockwood]

1 hour ago, Ludwigia said:

Why did you think it might be Anomalocaris?

Did I miss something ?

Context would be helpful.

Edit: Tags missed 'em again. 

[Brittle Star]

Don't feel bad, i seem to remember someone saying to put information in the post, once you scroll down past the first post the tags are not visible, to me anyway. I thought tags were just so you could search for specific stuff.

I think relevant info should be in the post.

[Still_human]

8 hours ago, Ludwigia said:

DI'm in the mineral stain camp although there's a remote chance that it could be organic substance, but you still haven't told us age and type of rock. This information would help very much. Why did you think it might be Anomalocaris?

I don't have any info for it. I asked and will update with anything I find out. Its supposed to be an anomalocaris appendage. It looks just like one, it's just that the impression of it seemed confusing to me

[Still_human]

Anomalocaris canadensis

Lower Cambrian

Comet Shale

Lincoln County

Nevada

 

[ynot]

22 minutes ago, Still_human said:

Anomalocaris canadensis

Lower Cambrian

Comet Shale

Lincoln County

Nevada

 

A picture or 2 of the whole rock may help, but I am not in the fossil camp on this either. Mostly because the "colored" area shows the same texture as the rest of the surface shown.

[Fossildude19]

1 hour ago, ynot said:

A picture or 2 of the whole rock may help, but I am not in the fossil camp on this either. Mostly because the "colored" area shows the same texture as the rest of the surface shown.

Here you go.  

 

 

[Still_human]

1 hour ago, ynot said:

A picture or 2 of the whole rock may help, but I am not in the fossil camp on this either. Mostly because the "colored" area shows the same texture as the rest of the surface shown.

So you think it's just stained? Many anomalocaris fossils Ive seen barely have any textured appearance, but yeah, that may be part of what is throwing me off with this one, that there's no hint at all. That's one heck of a coincidental stain!!! 

 

so as far as the "bend" aspect, that's not a red flag, afterall? Or is it something that's possible, but is questionable enough to always look into? Or...?

[Still_human]

6 hours ago, Brittle Star said:

Don't feel bad, i seem to remember someone saying to put information in the post, once you scroll down past the first post the tags are not visible, to me anyway. I thought tags were just so you could search for specific stuff.

I think relevant info should be in the post.

I'm sorry, I just didn't have any information at the time. Everything I knew was included in the initial post. 

 

*as it turns out, the info WAS available but either I had gotten this fossil confused with web result images that didn't have the info directly available, or maybe I just stupidly overlooked or forgot the info was there, like a moron

[piranha]

Anomalocaris figures and text from:

 

Lieberman, B.S. 2003

A new soft-bodied fauna: the Pioche Formation of Nevada.

Journal of Paleontology, 77(4):674-690

 

"Some specimens from Early Cambrian sections are replaced by hematite, resulting in iron staining similar to that in such other Early Cambrian soft-bodied faunas as the Kinzers Formation in Pennsylvania... ...All have exoskeletons and soft tissues replicated by iron bearing minerals (e.g., Briggs and Mount, 1982).  All of these faunas are probably roughly coeval.  The similarity in taphonomic style and the associated iron staining suggest a potentially interesting set of oceanographic conditions that may have prevailed during the late Early Cambrian."

 

[Still_human]

11 minutes ago, piranha said:

Anomalocaris figures and text from:

 

Lieberman, B.S. 2003

A new soft-bodied fauna: the Pioche Formation of Nevada.

Journal of Paleontology, 77(4):674-690

 

"Some specimens from Early Cambrian sections are replaced by hematite, resulting in iron staining similar to that in such other Early Cambrian soft-bodied faunas as the Kinzers Formation in Pennsylvania... ...All have exoskeletons and soft tissues replicated by iron bearing minerals (e.g., Briggs and Mount, 1982).  All of these faunas are probably roughly coeval. The similarity in taphonomic style and the associated iron staining suggest a potentially interesting set of oceanographic conditions that may have prevailed during the late Early Cambrian."

 

Oh WOW, thank you so much, that info is a complete game changer! I'm extremely happy and appreciative for the timely introduction! It's interesting that those stain-type fossil examples have totally different appearances than most, maybe almost all, of the more standard type of appendage fossils I see, as with the one I'm referring to in this thread, having such significant dark areas on the top of each segment, which seems to at least visually fit the stain-type fossils. 

 

I'm still wondering about the angled surface though.

 

personally, i think I m still much more drawn the the more "standard" type of textured anomalocaris fossil, so I think I'll put any money for anomalocaris fossils, towards those. Unless I were to come across an amazing stain-type, like in those examples!