Fossil finds

[Gold Hoarder Jim]

I will pay 20 cents or 2 dimes for the Quarter with all that's going on Better take it now if not price will go down to $0.15 you can keep the Rock OH OH Bill the reason you can't find any fossil's is because you do not drink enough before you start dredging Everything is clearer after a couple of CO Best or in my case Bud Lights

[MAIL MAN]

Rugosa coral maybe? http://www.safossils.com/horncorals1208.jpg

Kevin P

[susie q]

It's definately some type of coral and rugose popped into my mind as I was looking at the pics but my samples look so much different after pulling them out and looking at them..I'll get some pics up of the rugose I have but I'm thinking you might have maybe a piece of horned coral possibly.

[MAIL MAN]

I found what I believe is a fossil at the Double D and was wondering if someone knows what it is. The pictures don't show the faint rings on the outside very well and hole in the center goes all the way through. I'm afraid to clean it much for fear of destroying it. Anyone have a clue?







Kevin P

[susie q]

It looks to be a stock of some sort with the hollow center..crinoidal origin possibly, I've found them here pretty big but they look totally different on the outside from what you found or maybe a piece of coral tube??? Studying the pictures better..the pitting, porous texture showing is starting to make me wonder if it might not be a portion of a bone.

Can you see any segmentation in it at all?? In pic one, looking at the center hole, you can slightly make out a faint star shape which is why crinoid popped in my head but it doesn't have the other features I'd expect to see, you talk about faint rings but they should be far more prominent. A coral tube of sorts is a definite possibility but more and more the bone theory intrigues me..care if I make a copy of the pic to forward to some of my expert buddies who are the most reknown Archaeologists across the country and pick their brains about it Kevin??

[MAIL MAN]

The rings do appear to be segments, but they can only be seen on one side and with the correct lighting. Please do consult your friends and maybe we can solve this mystery.

Kevin P

[susie q]

Mystery solved..they are in complete agreement that it is a very severely weathered crinoid piece..not a bone though the appearance suggests such at first glance, it's way too thick they said for it's size and diffinately not coral. Now they are wondering what is in that OH water that could do such destruction to something that has survived 300+ million yrs till it was exposed, they've never seen anything like that before either...sorry it didn't turn out to be a cool bone

[MAIL MAN]

Susie Q thanks for your help identifying this. My guess for why it looks the way it does is that it is from a layer of native rock just above the blue clay layer we find down here. I have found that the native fossilized rock in this layer appears to be normal from the top but has deep channels cut through the underneath that are course and even sharp to the touch. I'm not sure what causes this but it is common enough that I am no longer surprised when I find them. It is doubtful that I will be dredging that deep any time soon, so if I see one of these rocks laying around at the Double D I'll get a picture and post it here. Any idea what causes this?

Kevin P

[susie q]

Is the native rock slightly harder than the clay layer? Pat took me to a spot somewhere outside of Columbus and we took a hike in the woods and we encounter a blue clay layer outcropping in a stream, it wasn't a big exposure but the rock above it and around it was hardened form of mudstone. What I remember of the Double D was that awesomely beautiful green stone I asked you about, the further I dug down..the more I ran into it. This wasn't the algae stained rocks..it was completely different.

Maybe what you are finding is the casts (hollowed out areas) left behind where crinoid were once embedded or the tubes that critters created and used to move around under the long ago sediments, there were many burrowing type animals/creatures. The only other things I can think of that would erode the rock that way was some pretty strong undercurrents and of course pollutants will eat away at rocks too.

[MAIL MAN]

I found some of the rocks in question and was able to get a few pictures.

This is the top side and it looks just like the native limestone bedrock.



This is the a picture of the bottom side which is usually found just above the blue clay layer. The channels cut through these are usually rounded and run in random directions across the rocks, sometimes connected but not always.



This shows the very rough texture on the rock where this occurs.



Kevin P

[MAIL MAN]

Another good example.



Kevin P

[susie q]

Those pics are awesome..I can't wait to get down there again and see these in person. Underground water channels created them seeing the closeup pics, I love how the channels worn into the rocks just meander here and there. Is southern OH known for caves? This is the early process that creates them and over the eons you get passagesways and chambers created. PA is riddled with caves and complexes, I've explored more than I can remember, I've lost count over the yrs.

I'll be a permanent resident of OH after this Fri, so looking forward to getting settled and starting my new life with Patrick..all those 12hr roundtrips I'm not going to miss but I'll still go back to PA occasionally to see my family and friends and especially my NYGold family, I'm really going to miss the beauty of NY and PA and all those awesome fossils that others will find now. Kevin, line me up some fossil outings to soothe my hurting soul.

[MAIL MAN]

I gave Patrick a box of these fossil rocks at the meeting Sunday, they should be waiting for you when you see him.
I have heard of some caves on the west side of town, but haven't actually seen them. A tourist destination for 200 years called "7 caves" or "Highland caves" is about 50 miles northeast of here near Bainbridge and not far from the OSPA's first claim in Humboldt.
Since 2005 you can approach the entrance to only 1 of the caves and spelunking is no longer allowed. The sight is now a nature preserve and they claim to have 4 species of native bats living in the caves.
http://arcofappalachia.org/visit/seven-caves.html

Kevin P

[MAIL MAN]

Does anyone have a clue what this might be?















Kevin P

[susie q]

It's a crinoid crown Kevin..very nice find!! It's a bit weathered but still shows good detail, I was able to ID it by the next to last picture..this is what it would look like if was in better condition..

[MAIL MAN]

I know this isn't a fossil but it does appear to be stone and I'm looking for some help identifying it. I found it at the Double D claim and assumed, because of its shape that it was a plumb bob. I recently looked at it more closely and noticed it was made of stone, not lead like I originally thought. It weighs .552 oz and seems heavy for its size.
Could it be a stone needle? It would come to a very sharp point if I could remove the rest of the foreign material, which I stopped doing in fear of breaking it. When tapped with a piece of metal it rings like stone and appears to be stone when viewed through a 10X loupe.










Any ideas?

Kevin P

[susie q]

Congrat's on finding an Indian relic..that's just too dang cool. Usually they formed them..needles out of antlers or bone. Given the size of it, it's quite chunky I would guess maybe, if it is a needle.. it could have been used for weaving purposes..maybe blankets or forming their fishing nets. The weights they made from rocks attached to their nets so they would sink, that I have seen are shaped very different but maybe some form of weight possibly. I'd check with different museums that has displays of Native American artifacts found here in OH to see if they can ID it..send an email with the pics attached to the Curators and see what they may offer on what it may be.