Ramo Posted Monday at 01:00 PM Share Posted Monday at 01:00 PM A couple days ago I was in the chalk and came across what first look like petrified wood. It is super light for size glows green under a UV light. I tried floating a piece in salt water but it sunk. The close up Pictures show a couple oysters attached to it. The fresh brakes are very shiny. Is there anyone on here that can help me figure out what this is? I’ve seen wood in the chalk that has changed to coal, but nothing like this. For one species to mourn the death of another is a new thing under the sun. -Aldo Leopold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocket Posted Monday at 01:12 PM Share Posted Monday at 01:12 PM interesting. My first idea was, that it is a part of a huge bone, but the structure is different Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FranzBernhard Posted Monday at 03:23 PM Share Posted Monday at 03:23 PM Flame and hot needle test is in order. Franz Bernhard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moth.11 Posted Monday at 04:20 PM Share Posted Monday at 04:20 PM Great find. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramo Posted Monday at 08:18 PM Author Share Posted Monday at 08:18 PM Well, I first tried the saltwater test with just 2 tablespoons of salt. Just now I used 7 tablespoons in a medium glass and it did float. I heated up a small nail and it did go in a little ways. Gave off stinky smoke. I’m thinking it very well might be amber. 1 For one species to mourn the death of another is a new thing under the sun. -Aldo Leopold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mahnmut Posted Monday at 11:15 PM Share Posted Monday at 11:15 PM Wow, thats a big chunk of amber. And always when I think that (never about an own find yet ) I also think: or is it something manmade? I do not want to be a spoilsport, just thinking about possible IDs. If your finding conditions exclude manmade resin, then I can think of nothing but amber. Very cool! Best regards, J Try to learn something about everything and everything about something Thomas Henry Huxley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randyw Posted Monday at 11:32 PM Share Posted Monday at 11:32 PM (edited) What was the smell? It should have a pine like smell when heated. The hot needle should NOT penetrate easily into the piece…. Edited Monday at 11:33 PM by Randyw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randyw Posted Monday at 11:35 PM Share Posted Monday at 11:35 PM Example of amber under u.v. For comparison Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramo Posted Tuesday at 01:10 AM Author Share Posted Tuesday at 01:10 AM That first picture is under a UV light. The red-hot nail I pushed in only went in about 3-4 mm before stopping. I have heard of amber in the niobrara chalk, but am unable to find any photos of examples of it. It is definitely not man made. If you look closely at the photos you will see congesta oysters attached to the "blob" which rules out something man-made. 2 For one species to mourn the death of another is a new thing under the sun. -Aldo Leopold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randyw Posted Tuesday at 04:32 AM Share Posted Tuesday at 04:32 AM That’s awfully deep. I’m having serious doubts about it being amber… once again when you stuck the hot nail in what did it smell like? Kansas amber glows a blue green color under u.v. Light similar to the examples shown. The major location it has been found was turned into a lake by the corp of engineers and buried by a mudslide it is very fragile with a mohs hardness of 3.0 wich is higher then almost every other amber… in normal light it can be any color from a dark red to a milky honey color. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mahnmut Posted Tuesday at 07:08 AM Share Posted Tuesday at 07:08 AM Hi again. I try to summarize the evidence: -density is right, -looking at the first pic fluorescence looks good, though hard to tell because of the visible lighting. -colour is within the variation. -No idea about the smell for niobara amber (pine like for baltic amber?) -melts perhaps a bit to easily? But a nail would contain more heat (amount of energy) than a needle , so go in further before cooling? Not sure what that tells. -If the oysters are pre-manmade old and attached to it as opposed to molten into it then its a clear case for me. The Corps of engineers may well have left some resin with all the misleading properties behind, but the P. congesta seem to make your case. So, its all in the detail. Best regards, J Try to learn something about everything and everything about something Thomas Henry Huxley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FranzBernhard Posted Tuesday at 07:51 AM Share Posted Tuesday at 07:51 AM Any chance for natural, recent to subrecent resin / tree sap? Acetone test is now in order! Franz Bernhard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mahnmut Posted Tuesday at 08:39 AM Share Posted Tuesday at 08:39 AM 34 minutes ago, FranzBernhard said: Any chance for natural, recent to subrecent resin / tree sap? Acetone test is now in order! Franz Bernhard Hello Franz, Pseudoperna congesta is cretaceous, I think? so if its attached and not embedded, that excludes recent sap as well as artificial resin. And that amount of resin is quite unusual for recent trees of the region, as far as I know. Best Regards, J 1 Try to learn something about everything and everything about something Thomas Henry Huxley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mahnmut Posted Tuesday at 08:41 AM Share Posted Tuesday at 08:41 AM Nothing against a little acetone on a small piece of that huge chunk, but I think the most diagnostic thing to do now is taking a really close look at those oysters and their relation to the substance in question. Cheers, J 1 Try to learn something about everything and everything about something Thomas Henry Huxley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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