jase Posted May 3, 2010 Share Posted May 3, 2010 Hi, I don't know if this is the right thing to post here as i am sure it is not considered a fossil,but i am hoping someone can help.I come from the UK,and there is an area of ground near me at my local forest that has been dug up and exposed large areas.It is mostly comprised of stone and a kind of brittle slate which you can split open into sheets.Inside this slate i find imprints of leaves of which obviously do not grow in the area.The site is owned by the forestry commission,and there are just pine trees there now. What i would like to know is,how do i go about identifying these leaves and what period did they come from. Also,what kind of time scale are we looking at for these imprints of leaves to take place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracer Posted May 3, 2010 Share Posted May 3, 2010 they're probably like 300 million years old or sompin, and we've gots a couple of big time experts on that sort of stuff so take some photos and post them here and prolly you've have an answer before you can say "holy paleo, batman!" weclome to the fossil forum, where there are a whole bunch of cool fossil people, and me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimB88 Posted May 4, 2010 Share Posted May 4, 2010 (edited) Take some pics and share them with us, we have many knowledgeable people around here. :pic: Oh, and welcome to the forum! Edited May 4, 2010 by JimB88 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jase Posted May 4, 2010 Author Share Posted May 4, 2010 Here are two pics of the leaf i was hoping someone could identify.Sorry about the blurred image,my camera cannot take close ups very well.I have outlined one of the pics and darkened it so you can get a better idea of the shape.The leaf is about 3" long,and just under 3/4" width.I have not seen anything in my local area of which to compare the leafs are unusually long,although obviously there are bound to be species of tree that share the leaf's similar characteristics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimB88 Posted May 4, 2010 Share Posted May 4, 2010 Ok, pics are the first step. Now find a geologic map of the U.K. so we can tell how old the rock is that the leaves come from (this will help in I.Ding them.) there should be plenty of those maps on the web so just Google it. With the age we can eliminate plants that wouldnt have existed then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted May 4, 2010 Share Posted May 4, 2010 We have members in the UK who are familiar with the geology, and can probably inform us as to the age of the deposit from whence this came. Please tell us where in the UK this site is. "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jase Posted May 4, 2010 Author Share Posted May 4, 2010 (edited) Here is a geographical map of where i am.I have crudely marked the location.I come from Swansea in south Wales Again i am sorry for the wording on the map not being clear but from what i can see from the key examples the area is; Carboniferous(limestone,sandstone,shales (from which i have found the example from)and coal seems.There is also an old coal quarry nearby. Metamprphic rock;Lower palaeozonic and proterozoic,of which i cannot make out the two example given. I hope this helps,and have found it surprisingly interesting. Edited May 4, 2010 by jase Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted May 4, 2010 Share Posted May 4, 2010 Carboniferous "coal country"; now we're getting somewhere! Given the blurry quality of the image, I can but guess at it by general shape from a list of suspects...it could possibly be a tree fern leaf. Maybe Neuropteris? "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimB88 Posted May 4, 2010 Share Posted May 4, 2010 That helps, it kind of looks like a part of a cordaites leaf. Just a guess though, there are far more qualified people here than me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jase Posted May 4, 2010 Author Share Posted May 4, 2010 Carboniferous "coal country"; now we're getting somewhere! Given the blurry quality of the image, I can but guess at it by general shape from a list of suspects...it could possibly be a tree fern leaf. Maybe Neuropteris? Well that looks identical to what i am seeing here,that elongated leaf with pronounced curves where it meets the stem.I am going to do more some research about it.I was looking at dates around 300 million years ago,if that's right ?. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted May 4, 2010 Share Posted May 4, 2010 ...I was looking at dates around 300 million years ago,if that's right ?. That's the reason for there being nothing similar growing in the area; your find was already fossil before the dinosaurs were milling about! Pretty cool, no? "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jase Posted May 4, 2010 Author Share Posted May 4, 2010 That's the reason for there being nothing similar growing in the area; your find was already fossil before the dinosaurs were milling about! Pretty cool, no? Well aye,and i find it quite addicting already.The site is only 3 miles from my home,and i am going out on the weekend to look for more,and spend most of the day there.I did find it unusual that i could not find any other type of leaf fossil there. My next question is,what are the chances of finding fossilized insects,along side these leaf examples ?.I am not sure but i think i read that fossils this way are much harder to come by,and they dont compress the same ?. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted May 4, 2010 Share Posted May 4, 2010 It all depends on the environment of the site at the time it was deposited (and over time, that could have shifted several times), but generally speaking, fossil insects will be much rarer. Give it a look! "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jase Posted May 4, 2010 Author Share Posted May 4, 2010 It all depends on the environment of the site at the time it was deposited (and over time, that could have shifted several times), but generally speaking, fossil insects will be much rarer. Give it a look! Ah right well that is something to consider.Like i said i am going again on the week end,and hopefully bring back more leaf examples,and maybe who knows ill be showing some pics of something with wings instead of leaves. Thanks for the help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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