Vertebrate Fractured bone in-situ - Wyoming

[Geo_406]

Good morning,

 

 

Attached are photos of a fossilized bone in-situ, found in a medium-fine grain, moderate-well sorted sandstone. The fossil was found exposed on a talus boulder at the base of an outcrop so identifying the exact Fm is dubious.

 

Location: Opal Bench, Lincoln County, Wyoming, USA

Formation: Eocene ( Bridger? Laney Shale? members of the Green River Formation)

Size: Length ~3-4 Inches/8-10 cm, Width - ~1.5 Inch/~3 cm (hard to tell, embedded in host rock)

Description: Bone fossil, Fractured only at the top, with a rounded end (like a femur) at the lower left in image1/image2. Right side appears to be a straight edge but not fractured. Slightly concave like a scapula shape maybe at the base? Darker in two photos after cleaning with a toothbrush and slightly soapy water.

 

 

Specimen was found in an area prolific with Eocene turtle shell fragments, few crocodilian teeth, and near a laterally continuous bed of fossilized turitella. No clue if the fossil is mammalian or reptilian. Probably unlikely to be identified to a species, but would be interested to know the bone if possible.

 

*specimen was collected on private land with the landowners permission.

 

Thank you for taking a look, and please let me know if I can provide any more information or closer photos to assist in identification.  I have a geology background with limited Paleo if any descriptors are wrong or I'm missing any helpful details let me know and I'll do my best to provide.

 

-R

 

[Fossildude19]

@jpc

[jpc]

8 hours ago, Geo_406 said:

 

*specimen was collected on private land with the landowners permission.

 

Always glad to see this when dealing with things like fossil bones in Wyoming, esp in the Bridger Fm.

 

Glad you are finding things out there.  I get a soft-shelled turtle feel from this one, esp from the second photo where it seems to have two layers.  But... I would expect sst shell pieces to have the distinctive texture of these animals, which a do not see.  Can you show some pix with the light at a low angle so that the texture of the flat surface can be seen?   Or a closer up view.  No need to include the whole rock.  Speaking of the rock, are you dynamiting out there?  (in reference to the drill holes).  : )

The little curved piece looks interesting as well.  

[Geo_406]

Thanks @jpc!
 

I saw in another post here a bone with a similar end shape and thought maybe a SST humerus? These guys did get up to 2m in length back in the Lake Gosiute days.

 

The wife tried portrait mode and sent me these photos for some close ups, and included the little guy below. Maybe I can carefully reveal some more of that eventually. 
 

And that’s a negative on the dynamite, just put the whole 60# rock in the truck as is. Used a masonry bit to trim it to a 25# rock, lots of work to go to see if I can make it a cabinet piece. In that case, you’ll see another post asking what I can do to preserve it. This is way more work than my mineral specimens 🤦🏻‍♂️.

[jpc]

I am still thinking it is a piece of sst carapace.  I'll see if I can find something similar in my pile of bones.  Feel free to PM me in the next few days if I do not reply here.