snuffy
Cave Dweller
Member since May 2009
Posts: 4,319
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Post by snuffy on Apr 1, 2011 18:05:14 GMT -5
I have a question about coprolite. I have ordered it in the past,but the colors vary so much. I know I've got some more that I've gotten in trades and grab box purchases. Besides seeing the dump pile,how can you best distinquish it from other agates and such when its in chunks? I've seen many pics on here,just wondering.All the crap around here is pretty fresh. ;D. Maybe some pics would help.
snuffy
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Post by texaswoodie on Apr 1, 2011 18:31:49 GMT -5
I've often wondered the same thing. I see stuff all the time that people call coprolite and it just looks like an agate to me. Good question Snuff.
I think it's all DS.
Curt
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CallMeShane
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since August 2010
Posts: 112
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Post by CallMeShane on Apr 1, 2011 19:00:09 GMT -5
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snuffy
Cave Dweller
Member since May 2009
Posts: 4,319
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Post by snuffy on Apr 1, 2011 19:18:23 GMT -5
Interesting read, Shane. What I have bought and seen the most is supposed to be dino poop. Thanks for the info.
snuffy
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,463
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Post by Sabre52 on Apr 1, 2011 21:14:24 GMT -5
Snuffy: I'm with you on this one. I've heard that under a microscope, some poop shows obvious organic fragments. I have a good scope but can not make out any stuff in mine that looks like organic inclusions. I do know most my examples were provided by folks that supposedly found them associated with dino bone but danged if some don't look more like pseudomprphs after barite and some look just like any other red/orange agatety stuff. I suspect a lot of what is sold as coprolite is not and is just a poop pile looking agate but who knows for sure unless you can actually see the organic inclusions.....Mel
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Post by johnjsgems on Apr 2, 2011 7:28:13 GMT -5
Most the coprolite sold is sold as fossil dino poop. You see "turtle coprolite" pretty commonly as well. I've seen rock dealers that should know better selling the agate pseudomorphs after barite as dino poop. The coprolite generally has a very random mishmash of splotches inside and if not water worn a bumpy exterior. The agatized barite has a pretty distinctive interior. Problem is mostly on the uncut stuff but you can usually find some sign on the exterior of the barite of curved barite crystals. The agatized barite is very common in the dino areas of Utah where I collect.
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Post by mohs on Apr 2, 2011 20:35:59 GMT -5
what I’m learning is that there is lots of fake schist out there...
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Post by Jack, lapidaryrough on Apr 2, 2011 21:25:20 GMT -5
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Post by Woodyrock on Apr 3, 2011 0:09:37 GMT -5
When you collect coprolites, there are a couple of things to look for. First, there are town basic types.......carnivore, and herbivore. The carnivore tends to be round turds with a flattened bottom, and frequently have bone fragments in them. Herbivores made large piles resembling cow pies, again with flattened bottoms. The material the animal eat can be best determined by first dissolving the agate with flouric acid (very dangerous stuff). Chunks of coprolite are more difficult to identify unless you are collecting them yourself where intact coprolites are found. The herbivore dinos were herd animals, and like todays cows, will eat, lie down and chew their cud, then all get, and dump. This may be the explaination as to why coprolitees are found in large concentrated patchs. Woody
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