RWA3006
Cave Dweller 
Member since March 2009
Posts: 4,633 
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Post by RWA3006 on Dec 15, 2020 9:34:25 GMT -5
Look it over with a magnifying glass and see if you can find any structures in the matrix. I've been surprised a few times by doing this. I get the impression it might be a turd from a carnivore but probably a long shot. Not to sound like more of an imbecile than I already am, when you say "structures", what would the structures be like? I apparently have a tendency to "see" what I'm wanting to see...  (I'm thinking I would "see" those structures as being little dinosaur toes since I'm looking to see if this is carnivore poo...) I'm thinking bone fragments, fish scales, worm holes, etc. I've found bits of coral that I suppose was ingested with mouthfuls of beach gravel. |
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Post by jasoninsd on Dec 15, 2020 9:42:32 GMT -5
Oh jeez, see what I started? 
Ok, so if it was Cretaceous there's a possibility it really is poop. Another one to take to the geologist to see what he thinks.
At least someone else started it this time and not me! LOL Definitely one I'm taking with me. I'm going to talk with my dad later this morning and see if he has any "contacts" still down at the college. I have no idea if anyone would want to meet right now due to Covid concerns, but it's worth a shot if everyone's cautious...plus it's too cold right now to go hounding or do any cabbing anyway! Not to sound like more of an imbecile than I already am, when you say "structures", what would the structures be like? I apparently have a tendency to "see" what I'm wanting to see... (I'm thinking I would "see" those structures as being little dinosaur toes since I'm looking to see if this is carnivore poo...) I'm thinking bone fragments, fish scales, worm holes, etc. I've found bits of coral that I suppose was ingested with mouthfuls of beach gravel. I really didn't see any of that stuff...but I was right to be looking for little dino toes, though! LOL |
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Post by stephan on Dec 15, 2020 9:44:28 GMT -5
Look it over with a magnifying glass and see if you can find any structures in the matrix. I've been surprised a few times by doing this. I get the impression it might be a turd from a carnivore but probably a long shot. I went to poozeum.com and poo-rused their picture database. I didn't see any carnivore poo that even closely resembled this piece. I looked at it with a magnifying glass and didn't see any inclusions (bone, teeth). So, even though it looks like a pile of crap, I doubt very seriously it is. I'm still curious though as to what could have caused the "bending" and "twisting" of certain sections of the different materials in this rock. If/when I'm able to get down to the geology department at the SM&T, I'm going to take this one as well as some others... Operating on the theory that we are talking about jasper/chalcedony of some sort, the swirling could come from a mixing of the fine particles(think of sand dunes one the move, with different hues of particles, but much, much finer) before they became cemented into stone. Se some examples: Volcanic ash:  Golden Picture Jasper shield by Stephan T., on Flickr  IMG_6603_Owyhee flower jasper by Stephan T., on Flickr  IMG_6626_More Oregon/Owyhee jasper by Stephan T., on Flickr  IMG_6616_Wonderstone by Stephan T., on Flickr Radiolarian "muck":  Unknown jasp-agate freeform by Stephan T., on Flickr (Wish I had a picture of the larger slab) Really? There is a poozeum? Someone beat you to it RWA3006 .  Lake Berryessa jasper #2 detail by Stephan T., on Flickr If you zoom in on this one, in the center, you will see a wiener dog, chasing a dinosaur |
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Dec 15, 2020 9:49:39 GMT -5
Oh jeez, see what I started?
Ok, so if it was Cretaceous there's a possibility it really is poop. Another one to take to the geologist to see what he thinks.
At least someone else started it this time and not me! LOL Definitely one I'm taking with me. I'm going to talk with my dad later this morning and see if he has any "contacts" still down at the college. I have no idea if anyone would want to meet right now due to Covid concerns, but it's worth a shot if everyone's cautious...plus it's too cold right now to go hounding or do any cabbing anyway! I'm thinking bone fragments, fish scales, worm holes, etc. I've found bits of coral that I suppose was ingested with mouthfuls of beach gravel. I really didn't see any of that stuff...but I was right to be looking for little dino toes, though! LOL Even if you can find someone to look at them in person, you may be able to send pictures and at least get an initial thought about them. |
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Post by jasoninsd on Dec 15, 2020 9:56:47 GMT -5
At least someone else started it this time and not me! LOL Definitely one I'm taking with me. I'm going to talk with my dad later this morning and see if he has any "contacts" still down at the college. I have no idea if anyone would want to meet right now due to Covid concerns, but it's worth a shot if everyone's cautious...plus it's too cold right now to go hounding or do any cabbing anyway! I really didn't see any of that stuff...but I was right to be looking for little dino toes, though! LOL Even if you can find someone to look at them in person, you may be able to send pictures and at least get an initial thought about them. I was thinking that same thing...we are totally on the same page  |
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Post by jasoninsd on Dec 15, 2020 10:06:11 GMT -5
stephan - here's a couple pics of the bending and twisting I was trying to describe. The first pic shows that main blob in the center with the "grain" swooping upward and to the left...different than the surrounding material. The second picture shows material "S-curving" through the surrounding material... actually forming two S's in the process... These are the things that piqued my interest with this piece. I can't remember ever seeing another piece in this area where the "grains" in the different layers weren't some semblance of "linear" in nature. Maybe a slight curve to the grain of the rock, but never "swooped" like this S-curve section...  
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Post by stephan on Dec 15, 2020 10:24:49 GMT -5
Yeah, I noticed those, too, and they actually remind me of petrified burl wood. Just to muddy the waters some more....
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Post by jasoninsd on Dec 15, 2020 12:27:45 GMT -5
Yeah, I noticed those, too, and they actually remind me of petrified burl wood. Just to muddy the waters some more....  |
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Post by stephan on Dec 15, 2020 22:11:11 GMT -5
jasoninsd, just to make it even more perfect:
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RWA3006
Cave Dweller
Member since March 2009
Posts: 4,633
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Post by RWA3006 on Dec 16, 2020 9:08:04 GMT -5
Here's one that is just weathered chert.  |
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Post by jasoninsd on Dec 16, 2020 9:24:38 GMT -5
Here's one that is just weathered chert. That's a great example of what I was seeing on the poozeum website. Thanks for posting that! Most of the carnivore poo had similar surface texture to what you posted...and not to be overly graphic or anything, most of what I saw online actually looked like a "turd" (similar to yours). The piece I posted has an exterior that is seemingly either jasper or chalcedony in nature, and doesn't exactly resemble a single turd. Plus there's no indication of any kind of inclusion showing anywhere on the exterior (no apparent bone, scale, or worm hole). I spoke to my dad yesterday. He said he doesn't have any contacts in the geology department at SDSM&T any longer (it's been many years since he retired), but said they have always been real cordial about just popping in with specimens. I'm not too sure amid Covid concerns right now, but I'm going to give it a shot in the very near future just to see what they have to say about this one and a couple other "odd ducks" I've found recently...the worst they can say is "Get the heck outta here..." LOL |
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NevadaBill
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2019
Posts: 1,332
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Post by NevadaBill on Dec 18, 2020 15:04:32 GMT -5
Here's another beast I found while out hounding last week. Before anyone says anything, I know it's not a fossil! LOL This looks (to my very untrained eye!) like it has pockets of chalcedony throughout the rock. The only reason I picked it up was because it reminded me of NevadaBill 's thread on stromatolites...and no, I don't think it's that either. I don't usually...okay ever...see rocks like this, so of course I had to adopt it! There's no uniformity to it and it's not like any conglomerate I've seen out here. The different "sections" aren't linear per se. They're bent and twisted. It's dimensions of "the beast" are 10"x4"x3". Just thought it was very interesting and very different from the norm I run across...      Dude! That is a cool rock! Man, just look at the Agate all twisting its way through the middle of that.
When you get a few more pieces and start to feel more Ok with parting with some of it, then I would be really interested in seeing some of that get sliced in to slabs! That is going to make some awesome cabochons I think. A lot of it looks really solid. Unlike my stuff.
So, here is what some of my twisty stuff looks like. These are small pieces. The color is Agate though.
Like, here is some more:
And here is a bigger one:
And another:
But I am kind of like you, in that I have not really sliced them up yet. Maybe some day. But I like them in my Cactus Garden right now for accent rocks. Like a whole piece all still together or something. Maybe some day when I get more I can cut them up.
Hope I didn't ruin your post here by putting my own ugly ducklings in there or something. Sorry about that.
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NevadaBill
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2019
Posts: 1,332
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Post by NevadaBill on Dec 18, 2020 15:06:15 GMT -5
Yeah, I noticed those, too, and they actually remind me of petrified burl wood. Just to muddy the waters some more....
LOL!! I was thinking the same. Hehe
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Post by parfive on Dec 18, 2020 17:15:49 GMT -5
Last rock looks mighty interesting, Bill, the swirly flame one.
Needs to move to the front of the line over in the saw dept. : )
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Post by jasoninsd on Dec 18, 2020 17:24:36 GMT -5
Here's another beast I found while out hounding last week. Before anyone says anything, I know it's not a fossil! LOL This looks (to my very untrained eye!) like it has pockets of chalcedony throughout the rock. The only reason I picked it up was because it reminded me of NevadaBill 's thread on stromatolites...and no, I don't think it's that either. I don't usually...okay ever...see rocks like this, so of course I had to adopt it! There's no uniformity to it and it's not like any conglomerate I've seen out here. The different "sections" aren't linear per se. They're bent and twisted. It's dimensions of "the beast" are 10"x4"x3". Just thought it was very interesting and very different from the norm I run across... Dude! That is a cool rock! Man, just look at the Agate all twisting its way through the middle of that.
When you get a few more pieces and start to feel more Ok with parting with some of it, then I would be really interested in seeing some of that get sliced in to slabs! That is going to make some awesome cabochons I think. A lot of it looks really solid. Unlike my stuff.
So, here is what some of my twisty stuff looks like. These are small pieces. The color is Agate though.
Like, here is some more:
And here is a bigger one:
And another:
But I am kind of like you, in that I have not really sliced them up yet. Maybe some day. But I like them in my Cactus Garden right now for accent rocks. Like a whole piece all still together or something. Maybe some day when I get more I can cut them up.
Hope I didn't ruin your post here by putting my own ugly ducklings in there or something. Sorry about that.
If I could find an entire hillside of rocks like the one I'd found, I'd slice them in a heartbeat! LOL But that's the only one I've ever come across that was anything like it... I think your agates are amazing! I love the micro-banding around the left one in the second picture...but that last rock you posted is an absolute jaw-dropper! There's no way I'd ever do anything with that one other than put it on a pedestal or replace the TV with it, or something along those lines! I LOVE that one! Ruin my post??? Ha! No such thing! Have you seen some of the things I've posted in some people's threads! LOL As far as I'm concerned, post whatever you want in my threads...especially when you're posting AMAZING shots of some gorgeous rocks!!! |
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Post by jasoninsd on Dec 18, 2020 17:36:55 GMT -5
Last rock looks mighty interesting, Bill, the swirly flame one. Needs to move to the front of the line over in the saw dept. : ) I have to respectfully and wholeheartedly disagree! LOL |
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Post by stephan on Dec 19, 2020 12:12:57 GMT -5
And here is a bigger one:
And another:
But I am kind of like you, in that I have not really sliced them up yet. Maybe some day. But I like them in my Cactus Garden right now for accent rocks. Like a whole piece all still together or something. Maybe some day when I get more I can cut them up.
Hope I didn't ruin your post here by putting my own ugly ducklings in there or something. Sorry about that.
Amazing finds. I’d keep them whole unless I found duplicates. They are beautiful specimens. |
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Post by rockpickerforever on Dec 19, 2020 15:33:03 GMT -5
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Post by stephan on Dec 19, 2020 18:56:46 GMT -5
I doubt it, too. I’d say its your basic, albeit gorgeous, jasper. |
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Post by jasoninsd on Dec 19, 2020 22:30:33 GMT -5
If you ever hound any like this, I'd love to see pics if you can/will. I think this rock is an amazingly beautiful stunner! See how much interest your rock is producing NevadaBill ? I'm so glad you posted these pics! I doubt it, too. I’d say its your basic, albeit gorgeous, jasper. How come I can't find any "basic" jasper out here that looks like that! LOL |
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(I'm thinking I would "see" those structures as being little dinosaur toes since I'm looking to see if this is carnivore poo...)
