Brevicollis Posted June 20 Share Posted June 20 Hello, my friend found this very interesting piece during fossil hunting at the cliffs of Schönhagen, baltic sea. We think that this is pyritised wood, as there are many pyrite cristals and it shines really golden when held right. It consists of many string like structures and really apears to be wood of some sort. Is pyritised wood rare to find here ? And also, how can you prevent pyrite fossils from crumbling to dust ? I've heard, that they'll disolve eventually, but that this process can be stopped with the right materials. Thanks for any help ! (Sorry for the bad pictures, my phone has a really crappy camera) Are good signatures really that important ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brevicollis Posted June 20 Author Share Posted June 20 Here some more pictures, hopefully the pyrite is more visible this time. As you guys can see, it crumbles really easy, so it appears like its sadly already in the disolving phase Are good signatures really that important ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andúril Flame of the West Posted June 20 Share Posted June 20 It is difficult to see fine details from the pictures provided, but to me there do not seem to be any obvious indications of pyrite. If it is present, then it does not seem that this particular specimen is suffering from pyrite disease. Instead your piece appears to be a chunk of lignite, a very low grade of coal, which is a common occurrence in nearshore deposits. Lignite often tends to be very fragile and can crumble easily when handled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockwood Posted June 20 Share Posted June 20 There's pyrite with it but calling it pyritized might be a bit strong. Pyrite is often seen in association with lignite. Decaying organic material creates the conditions necessary for its formation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocket Posted June 20 Share Posted June 20 unusual for the beach there, did you friend find it at the beach or in situ? It´s not a place with preserved pyrite-fossils or wood, so I am a bit wondered about the find Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockwood Posted June 20 Share Posted June 20 I wonder if there's a simple test for the decay products of pyrite that could determine if the piece was originally pyritized. Iron oxide could look quite similar to lignite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brevicollis Posted June 20 Author Share Posted June 20 (edited) 3 hours ago, rocket said: unusual for the beach there, did you friend find it at the beach or in situ? It´s not a place with preserved pyrite-fossils or wood, so I am a bit wondered about the find In between the pebbles between the water line and the cliff. It was just laying there, like every other pebble. It had been probably washed up, as it layed closer to the water line than the cliff. Edited June 20 by Brevicollis 1 Are good signatures really that important ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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