rockhoundoz
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since March 2017
Posts: 131
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Post by rockhoundoz on Aug 7, 2021 14:01:37 GMT -5
Hello & good summer wishes fellow rockers 😁 Found this rock a few months ago, thinking it was the common 'moss agate' type around here, which I believe to be some type of coral or other sea-life fossil. But then after cleaning & cutting, it kinda reminded me of agatized palm root fossils that I've seen. Any ideas? Possibly palm root? Just another agatized chert sea-creature? I'm usually wrong when I have hopes of finding interesting fossils, lol, somehow I can't seem to grasp the idea of cellular structure in a rock 🙃. Also, think it's one of the very few rocks that I kind of wish I hadn't cut- the outer skin was more colorful than the interior... Outer skin pic: Cut surface, & then zoomed in a bit on a more colorful area: &I never know whether this type of thread is better in the fossil forum, or the ID forum...
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Post by perkins17 on Aug 7, 2021 14:11:29 GMT -5
rockhoundoz, I am willing to agree with you on the sea animal identification. I am guessing it's a sea sponge or coral.
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rockhoundoz
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since March 2017
Posts: 131
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Post by rockhoundoz on Aug 7, 2021 14:41:19 GMT -5
rockhoundoz, I am willing to agree with you on the sea animal identification. I am guessing it's a sea sponge or coral. Thanks for that perkins17 👍. I had not considered the possibility of fossilized sponges. Most of our silicified rocks out here are some type of coral or bryozoan, as well as mollusks.
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Post by perkins17 on Aug 7, 2021 17:09:01 GMT -5
rockhoundoz, I think sea sponges can be petrified? I'm really not super sure but it kind of looked like one.
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Post by perkins17 on Aug 7, 2021 17:43:14 GMT -5
Correction rockhoundoz, it is possible did a Google search to verify.
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Post by jasoninsd on Aug 7, 2021 20:37:28 GMT -5
That is pretty wickedly cool! I like the way there's fortifications around pretty much every one of those little pockets. I know you're questioning the cut...but that interior looks amazing to me!
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quartz
Cave Dweller
breakin' rocks in the hot sun
Member since February 2010
Posts: 3,340
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Post by quartz on Aug 7, 2021 22:40:17 GMT -5
Isn't the "better-looking" outer skin still on the other side of the cut? Best of both worlds.
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marmamook
off to a rocking start
Member since August 2021
Posts: 12
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Post by marmamook on Aug 10, 2021 7:56:01 GMT -5
yeah, these pictures to me look like it is sideways. narrower flat side on the bottom, then you can kind of see the structure of the sponge. it appears to have been slightly crushed
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rockhoundoz
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since March 2017
Posts: 131
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Post by rockhoundoz on Aug 10, 2021 12:17:05 GMT -5
rockhoundoz, I think sea sponges can be petrified? I'm really not super sure but it kind of looked like one. Yah, I also google-sesrched it after your sponge suggestion, & like you, discovered that sponges can be fossilized, & also then remembered that several years ago, I'd already identified another type of local fossil as sponges: JasoninSD: Thanks! I also really love this one, because although it's a pretty common fossil type in areas where I hunt, I've never seen another one that has such nice fortifications around each pocket/tube/"pore" so to speak :-). Here are some more pics of other sides, showing the tubes/ pores - fwiw, being totally uneducated on the subject, I'm guessing these tube-like structures are called pores, given that the sponges are called Porifera: And then a pic of a small group of other fossils of the same type, for variety: Those two specimens at upper left show the structure a little better, I think, & unlike the others, are not agatized, but replaced with some softer material: & some nice colors from other agatized ones :-) : & finally, another one, which I also had assumed was coral, but now wondering if this isn't also a sponge (of some other type) : Detail: To Quartz: unfortunately, on that 1st fossil, since I was trying to get a smooth slab from as close to that colorful skin surface as possible, I completely annihilated that surface 😬. Non of the other surfaces had those nice pink colors. I've learned from past similar Kentucky material of that locale, that the best colors are usually closest to the skin. I'm guessing that's from iron & other minerals staining the outer layers over the millenia. Marmamook: Interesting thought, so you think that the 'tubes' would be parallel to the sea-floor, so horizontal rather than vertically oriented? I was assuming they would be vertical, but I don't know anything about sponges 😋
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Post by perkins17 on Aug 10, 2021 12:27:33 GMT -5
rockhoundoz, I think sea sponges can be petrified? I'm really not super sure but it kind of looked like one. Yah, I also google-sesrched it after your sponge suggestion, & like you, discovered that sponges can be fossilized, & also then remembered that several years ago, I'd already identified another type of local fossil as sponges: JasoninSD: Thanks! I also really love this one, because although it's a pretty common fossil type in areas where I hunt, I've never seen another one that has such nice fortifications around each pocket/tube/"pore" so to speak :-). Here are some more pics of other sides, showing the tubes/ pores - fwiw, being totally uneducated on the subject, I'm guessing these tube-like structures are called pores, given that the sponges are called Porifera: And then a pic of a small group of other fossils of the same type, for variety: Those two specimens at upper left show the structure a little better, I think, & unlike the others, are not agatized, but replaced with some softer material: & some nice colors from other agatized ones :-) : & finally, another one, which I also had assumed was coral, but now wondering if this isn't also a sponge (of some other type) : Detail: To Quartz: unfortunately, on that 1st fossil, since I was trying to get a smooth slab from as close to that colorful skin surface as possible, I completely annihilated that surface 😬. Non of the other surfaces had those nice pink colors. I've learned from past similar Kentucky material of that locale, that the best colors are usually closest to the skin. I'm guessing that's from iron & other minerals staining the outer layers over the millenia. Marmamook: Interesting thought, so you think that the 'tubes' would be parallel to the sea-floor, so horizontal rather than vertically oriented? I was assuming they would be vertical, but I don't know anything about sponges 😋 That's really interesting. I wish I lived near an interesting rockhounding site.
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Post by perkins17 on Aug 10, 2021 12:27:54 GMT -5
Those are some awesome specimens.
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rockhoundoz
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since March 2017
Posts: 131
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Post by rockhoundoz on Aug 10, 2021 12:39:28 GMT -5
Those are some awesome specimens. Thanks, & yes, even though living in rural KY mostly has it hardships, the rocks are definitely an enjoyable silver-lining. Also, re. living near good rockhounding sites, I don't know where you live, but you might be surprised how many interesting things are available near most locations. After I moved back to KY from Washington state for 3 years, I lamented the boring rockhounding here, until after a few years, finally discovered our little pockets of cool stuff.
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Post by perkins17 on Aug 10, 2021 21:36:42 GMT -5
Yeah. Where I live, no books say anything about rockhounding unless you're in for a day trip. I tried one nearby location once and found nothing of much interest.
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