|
Post by jasoninsd on Jul 31, 2021 17:05:33 GMT -5
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I'm merely in tune with what is beautiful to me. Once in a while I encounter a specimen that strikes me in awe. This one is such a thing. The top one I quoted above I can see making a bunch of cabs...or being left as a specimen piece. The bottom one, I completely see as deserving to remain as a specimen slab! (I can see the outline of a panther/mountain lion head in the top slab of the one directly above.)
|
|
|
Post by stephan on Jul 31, 2021 20:05:47 GMT -5
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I'm merely in tune with what is beautiful to me. Once in a while I encounter a specimen that strikes me in awe. This one is such a thing. Holy crap (yes, pun is both intended and an expression of pure amazement). That is incredible. jasoninsd I see critters, too, but in a more semi-meta (semi, because it’s the wrong dinos) way for the bottom slab. Ichthyosaurus on the left (facing down); plesiosaurus on the right (face-up) — a dino yin and yang. Absolutely mind-blowing.
|
|
|
Post by jasoninsd on Jul 31, 2021 20:10:30 GMT -5
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I'm merely in tune with what is beautiful to me. Once in a while I encounter a specimen that strikes me in awe. This one is such a thing. Holy crap (yes, pun is both intended and an expression of pure amazement). That is incredible. jasoninsd I see critters, too, but in a more semi-meta (semi, because it’s the wrong dinos) way for the bottom slab. Ichthyosaurus on the left (facing down); plesiosaurus on the right (face-up) — a dino yin and yang. Absolutely mind-blowing. OMG! You found Nessie! Now that you point it out, I see them too!
|
|
|
Post by stephan on Jul 31, 2021 23:50:01 GMT -5
Holy crap (yes, pun is both intended and an expression of pure amazement). That is incredible. jasoninsd I see critters, too, but in a more semi-meta (semi, because it’s the wrong dinos) way for the bottom slab. Ichthyosaurus on the left (facing down); plesiosaurus on the right (face-up) — a dino yin and yang. Absolutely mind-blowing. OMG! You found Nessie! Now that you point it out, I see them too! And I see the feline face, too… when I look at the correct slab.
|
|
|
Post by fernwood on Aug 1, 2021 3:11:25 GMT -5
Amazing specimen. I see an ancestor of buffalo in the first one. Sea creatures in the second one.
|
|
Brian
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since July 2020
Posts: 1,506
|
Post by Brian on Aug 1, 2021 14:59:14 GMT -5
That one is incredible, Randy!
|
|
RWA3006
Cave Dweller
Member since March 2009
Posts: 4,190
|
Post by RWA3006 on Aug 2, 2021 8:12:27 GMT -5
|
|
wpotterw
spending too much on rocks
Member since September 2016
Posts: 422
|
Post by wpotterw on Aug 2, 2021 11:44:33 GMT -5
That would make a really nice countertop. Need bigger movements...
|
|
RWA3006
Cave Dweller
Member since March 2009
Posts: 4,190
|
Post by RWA3006 on Aug 3, 2021 6:45:17 GMT -5
TURD TUESDAY
|
|
RWA3006
Cave Dweller
Member since March 2009
Posts: 4,190
|
Post by RWA3006 on Aug 4, 2021 8:01:51 GMT -5
|
|
RWA3006
Cave Dweller
Member since March 2009
Posts: 4,190
|
Post by RWA3006 on Aug 5, 2021 6:34:58 GMT -5
|
|
RWA3006
Cave Dweller
Member since March 2009
Posts: 4,190
|
Post by RWA3006 on Aug 6, 2021 8:20:27 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by rockpickerforever on Aug 6, 2021 12:51:41 GMT -5
I found and cut this rock years ago. Picked it up in far SE California, while out prospecting on one of our club's claims. The rocks sitting on the surface must endure atomic blast furnace conditions, so their upper surfaces, actually, their entire outer surface, are all cracked and gnarly looking. The outside of it. The inside. The colors make me think coprolite? You can see it is not large, not even a handful. When other animal's poop (not dinosaurs) fossilizes, is it still called a coprolite? The area this was found in covers many different geological horizons, but I don't know that dinosaurs lived there. Some other animals, though. What do you think, Randy RWA3006 ?
|
|
RWA3006
Cave Dweller
Member since March 2009
Posts: 4,190
|
Post by RWA3006 on Aug 6, 2021 18:19:39 GMT -5
Good questions Jean, rockpickerforeverTo my knowledge, any fossilized poo from any species can be called coprolite. Many human coprolites have been found, though I'm not sure about the degree of fossilization they have. I get the impression that most of the coprolites found around the world tend to not be very agatized like the ones I find in my area. In fact many of them are rather plain and ugly inside when cut open and the only thing I find interesting about them is the exterior shapes. Your pretty specimen looks really fun and when I look at the exterior I think it has an agate nodule type of appearance, plus the colorful interior likewise looks like agate. Coincidentally that's very similar to the specimens I find in my area except for one little nuance that I notice which is it seems to lack a rind like so many of the ones I have. Most of my coprolite specimens are entirely agatized except for a weird rind of less agatized and softer material around the exterior. Yours doesn't appear to have that trait but I hesitate to use this feature as a positive identifier in every instance. I would say the best clue to determine it's identity is to date the layer it came from and see where it falls. I've found in my coprolite hunting efforts that I am wasting my time if I'm not near a Jurassic or Cretaceous layer, or at least a bit downhill from one of these layers. In fact my finds are so dependent upon a specific layer I have found that not only do I need to be within a Jurassic horizon, I also need to be real close the Brushy Basin Member within the Morrison formation. I also encounter coprolite deposits in lower strata where they have been transported by erosion forces to a downstream location. I've had good success in following dry washes downhill from the BB Member layer. Another excellent clue to consider is if coprolites have be previously found in the area. All of my coprolite experience is focused in the southern Utah area and I'm unfamiliar with deposits in other regions, so I'm reluctant to consider myself to be competent in assessing specimens from other areas. The colors and patterns within your specimen are similar to many I've encountered and I wouldn't be surprised if it is an old turd. On the other hand, I wouldn't be surprised if it's an agate nodule instead. I really don't know, except that it's pretty and makes a nice piece.
|
|
RWA3006
Cave Dweller
Member since March 2009
Posts: 4,190
|
Post by RWA3006 on Aug 6, 2021 18:42:35 GMT -5
Here's a photo of one I recently cut that has a prominent rind. You can see it's at least a half inch thick in places. The interior regions are significantly more agatized than the outer layer. Interestingly this one also has a rare patch of marcasite in it too.
|
|
RWA3006
Cave Dweller
Member since March 2009
Posts: 4,190
|
Post by RWA3006 on Aug 6, 2021 19:11:54 GMT -5
Here's a sample that was found in a broken condition and you can see an obvious rind surrounding the inner agate regions.
|
|
|
Post by rockpickerforever on Aug 6, 2021 19:14:23 GMT -5
Thanks, Randy. I have a geologic map of the area, taken off the internet. I know exactly the area it was found in, so I'll see if I can pin it down to type and age of strata.
|
|
RWA3006
Cave Dweller
Member since March 2009
Posts: 4,190
|
Post by RWA3006 on Aug 8, 2021 11:47:09 GMT -5
I think it's time to share photos of something I've been noticing lately. It all starts back about 40 years ago when I spent a decade building log homes. I had a sawmill with a 52" diameter circle blade and did my own logging. The best logs for building houses come from trees that have died in a standing position and had spent several years drying and shrinking.... this way they don't shrink after you build the house and cause settling issues. By now you're wondering what this has to do with coprolite, but stay with me.
When I would purchase a permit from the US Forest Service to go logging it was a permit specifically issued for me to target standing dead trees of mostly the lodgepole pine species that had been killed from a pine beetle infestation. We often encountered large patches of timber that had been murdered by what the locals referred to as "bark beetles"
The larvae of these beetles would typically bore tunnels just under the bark effectively girdling the cambium layers around the circumference of the tree killing it. Tunnels often went through the deeper areas of the tree and I encountered thousands while sawing logs which gave me the opportunity to become a connoisseur of bark beetle tunnels.
I observed that most tunnels were packed with larvae dung which resembled fine sawdust. The bugs ate the wood with big fierce jaws and excreted it behind them as they bored their merry way through the hapless tree.
Now days I saw coprolites in half instead of logs and my experienced eyes have been spotting familiar sights, this time not from pine beetle larvae, but from ancient dung beetles. I'm seeing anomalies in coprolites that I am convinced are dung beetle tunnels, often packed with beetle excrement. The similarities with my previous experience are so familiar that there is no doubt in my mind.
I'll now share some photos where you can see the evidence. Some samples are difficult to discern, but you should be looking for anomalies that resemble tunnels packed with different material than the surrounding rock.
|
|
RWA3006
Cave Dweller
Member since March 2009
Posts: 4,190
|
Post by RWA3006 on Aug 8, 2021 11:47:31 GMT -5
|
|
RWA3006
Cave Dweller
Member since March 2009
Posts: 4,190
|
Post by RWA3006 on Aug 8, 2021 11:48:27 GMT -5
|
|