Hapchazzard Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 So I broke open a random limestone(?) rock and found this thing. I'm pretty clueless as to what it could be, my only guess is a chiton. I'd love to be able to give an exact age, but I just found the rock in my yard. It's almost certainly Mesozoic since there aren't any paleo/cenozoic formations nearby. If the rock is very local, it's probably early Jurassic, but I can't guarantee that. As for the rock type - the outside is white and has no grains, so I thought limestone, but the inside is dark gray and has a lot of sparkly grains. Does anyone know what the rock type could be? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guguita2104 Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 Hello ! I don't think it's a chiton/polyplacophoran, because they only have 8 shell plates. I'm leaning towards bivalve, but your pictures are too blurry to identify it precisely (try to take them in a brighter place???). Regards, Guguita 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coco Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 Hi, I am OK with Guguita : chitons always have 8 plates. Your fossil has more... But i can't help you anymore. Have a look on my signature (PDF Library 2), you will find several publications on chitons Coco 2 ---------------------- OUTIL POUR MESURER VOS FOSSILES : ici Pareidolia : here Ma bibliothèque PDF 1 (Poissons et sélaciens récents & fossiles) : ici Ma bibliothèque PDF 2 (Animaux vivants - sans poissons ni sélaciens) : ici Mâchoires sélaciennes récentes : ici Hétérodontiques et sélaciens : ici Oeufs sélaciens récents : ici Otolithes de poissons récents ! ici Un Greg... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caterpillar Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 Maybe an ammonite 2 http://www.paleotheque.fr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guguita2104 Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 Maybe an ammonite That's also a possibility. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ynot Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 You said it looks like limestone but sparkles on the broken edge. It has been crystallized and the "sparkles" are the calcite crystals cleavage faces. The white skin is where the calcite in the rock has weathered Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plax Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 I'm with caterpillar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ynot Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 I'm with caterpillar I think the ammonite is the most likely candidate. Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fifbrindacier Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 Maybe you could try to open that rock carefully to see what ammonite you have. You can have good counsels here to do that. But if you don't feel it good, don't try, let it as it is. "On ne voit bien que par le coeur, l'essentiel est invisible pour les yeux." (Antoine de Saint-Exupéry) "We only well see with the heart, the essential is invisible for the eyes." In memory of Doren Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hapchazzard Posted July 13, 2016 Author Share Posted July 13, 2016 Hey guys, thanks for all your replies, they were all very informative! So it's obviously not a chiton, and most likely it's an ammonite. I tried to crack the rock a little bit more, but it ended up failing miserably and I just split the fossil in half While I stll have the two pieces, I don't think I have the proper equipment to expose more of the fossil(only have a massive chisel, while the rock is pretty small), so I'll put the examination of this fossil on a hiatus. However, if it is possible to remove parts of the rock with some common tool, please do inform me, and I'll try (It's no big deal if it gets damaged more, it's already in a bad shape anyway) Also, a thanks to Tony for the info on the lithology/limestone! This is my first time to be doing paleontology "in the field", and some things are not nearly as clear-cut and obvious as they are in the books. All of this practical information will be very useful to me in the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fifbrindacier Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 (edited) If it is limestone, you can use vinegar, it will fizz. You can also put it in water about 24 hours, then froze it and after put it in boiling water. Do that until it shows cracks, then you may continue a while or ham it the most lightly possible. Try to be careful with the pieces of your fossil because maybe you can still glue it. Edited July 13, 2016 by fifbrindacier "On ne voit bien que par le coeur, l'essentiel est invisible pour les yeux." (Antoine de Saint-Exupéry) "We only well see with the heart, the essential is invisible for the eyes." In memory of Doren Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ynot Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 Putting acid (vinegar) on it may dissolve the fossil as well as the rock. Unless You have a lesser piece of the same formation to do tests on, it would be better to leave as is. Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hapchazzard Posted July 14, 2016 Author Share Posted July 14, 2016 Alright, I'll try the freezing/boiling method in a few days, and I'll report here if I find anything interesting. And again, thanks for the tips and info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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