jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,555
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Post by jamesp on Nov 28, 2016 11:53:28 GMT -5
Sabre52, thought you might like the preservation of this biological matter. Paying you back for all the rock ID's Cloudy today so I whipped these out real quick with a desk lamp. Will do better with bright sun eliminating severe white balance adjustment. Terrible photos. Trying to saw down the tubes too. I wonder if this was silicified from dissolved diatoms in limestone like Florida coral is. The coral has superb preservation detail and it was silicified via diatomic silica.
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,555
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Post by jamesp on Nov 28, 2016 11:56:12 GMT -5
It ain't pretty but darn well preserved.
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,555
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Post by jamesp on Nov 28, 2016 12:00:11 GMT -5
Shoot me dead as it was sawn out of a fine artifact scraper. Got lots of scrapers, not any of this material.
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,487
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Post by Sabre52 on Nov 28, 2016 15:11:23 GMT -5
Nice, and what a wonderful replacement of the plant vascular structures. As we discussed before, I ssppect much of the palm fiber was buried in old marine sediments during periods of very heavy rains. Those old Cretaceous sediments, being full of silica radiolarian and diatom skeletons, sponge spicules and such would yield enough dissolved silica for full replacement of the wood, just as happened in the coral you mentioned. Amazing how those replacements are so freaking nice they replaced the structures at a microscopic level. You can even make out some of the vessels in the vascular bundles. Too cool!.....Mel
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,555
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Post by jamesp on Nov 28, 2016 17:54:03 GMT -5
Nice, and what a wonderful replacement of the plant vascular structures. As we discussed before, I ssppect much of the palm fiber was buried in old marine sediments during periods of very heavy rains. Those old Cretaceous sediments, being full of silica radiolarian and diatom skeletons, sponge spicules and such would yield enough dissolved silica for full replacement of the wood, just as happened in the coral you mentioned. Amazing how those replacements are so freaking nice they replaced the structures at a microscopic level. You can even make out some of the vessels in the vascular bundles. Too cool!.....Mel Thought you would like the detail for an organism more delicate than coral. Sun should return later in week. Maybe good light will give better definition. Also sawed with the tubes which may expose more structure. 17 new bryozoans were discovered in Savannah River Chert. It was kind of a big deal in the scientific community. Bryozoans fairly delicate too. It too is formed from diatomic type silica. Very unusual to find a wood silicified with this process out here in the east, mainly marine organisms.
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Fossilman
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Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,709
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Post by Fossilman on Nov 29, 2016 11:06:54 GMT -5
HOLY MOLLY,that is smokin' cool!!!!
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,555
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Post by jamesp on Nov 30, 2016 8:12:05 GMT -5
HOLY MOLLY,that is smokin' cool!!!! That is the only piece of that palm like material I could find. That Native man must have liked it. The first to be interested in lapidary.Maybe next time I can find his rock pile.
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