ThePlateau Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 Hello all. I found this forum while doing a search to identify a large fossil I have. The "rock" was given to me by a friend of mine that use to be an avid caver. It's been in my garden for many years and kind of just got lost in plain sight for a long time. I recently had to take time off of work due to a back injury and I have found myself with a lot of time on my hands to attempt to occupy my mind. While out walking in my yard I noticed the rock and I began to wonder about it's origins, what kind of creatures where they and if maybe I had a geological payday sitting in my flower garden ( I know that it's unlikely, but it's fun to think it's possible.) I am including some pictures of the fossils I took with my cell phone. Any information provided would be appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimB88 Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 Hello from a fellow East Tennessean! Those are trace fossils made by soft bodied critters as they fed, I believe Planolites. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pleecan Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 Nice ichnofossils ! PL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 Those are pretty cool! Thanks for showing them to us! I always like to see ichnos! Regards, Tim - VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER VFOTM --- APRIL - 2015 IPFOTM -- MAY - 2024 _________________________________________________________________________________ "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~ ><))))( *> About Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xonenine Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 welcome to the forum, very nice fossil post! "Your serpent of Egypt is bred now of your mud by the operation of your sun; so is your crocodile." Lepidus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piranha Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 Outstanding details on a fantastic fossil- Thanks for posting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 That is an attractive specimen Probably not the payday you'd hoped for, though; its value is more aesthetic than monetary. "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...
ThePlateau Posted June 6, 2011 Author Share Posted June 6, 2011 If I understand correctly, this is the result of an ancient critters' presence but is not the actual physical remains of those creatures? I live near a State park called Bays Mountain Park and Planetarium and they have a HUGE rock that looks very similar. I remember seeing it as a child and being amazed at being able to see something that died millions of years ago and not have to guess at what it looked like. Thanks for the comments and for sharing I think I'm going to browse the forums here and check out some more pictures. Also, I want to apologize for my pictures being so large, I didn't realize that I had uploaded the full size version until I came back to read you replies. Thanks again for the education. Any day that I learn something new is a good day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwcounts Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 probably not planolites due to the distinctive internal structure... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xonenine Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 looks like an Arthrophycus, maybe...(pg13)TN Fossil Intro "Your serpent of Egypt is bred now of your mud by the operation of your sun; so is your crocodile." Lepidus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThePlateau Posted June 6, 2011 Author Share Posted June 6, 2011 probably not planolites due to the distinctive internal structure... So instead of being the burrows of the worms these might be the actual worms? Forgive me guys but I am playing catch up. With every new term posted here I am taking it to google and Wikipedia to educate myself. The pictures I have found of trace fossils seem to be smooth in texture, but the fossil I have shows ringed segmentation of the fossils kind of like the texture of a modern day earth worm but larger. I am very curious now to learn the exact composition of my garden guardians. I'd love to know the species name or family. Again thanks for responding. I enjoy hearing anything anyone can add. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThePlateau Posted June 6, 2011 Author Share Posted June 6, 2011 looks like an Arthrophycus, maybe...(pg13)TN Fossil Intro Yes..yes ! That looks more like it. Thank You very much ! Now I am off to learn more about "Arthrophycus". P.S. I like the quotes on the front page of the PDF you linked to. Funny. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThePlateau Posted June 6, 2011 Author Share Posted June 6, 2011 After some light research, and a Google image search, I have no doubt that my fossil is Arthrophycus. Very cool, indeed. It's amazing how much detail was left behind by these creatures when they made their burrows. To my laymen eye, they appeared to be a mass of giant earthworms in a twisted pile. Thanks for the education, friends. I am glad to now know what is in my own back yard,and since they don't eat anything, I think I'll just let them stay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 Trace fossils like this one tell us things that the actual remains of the critters generally don't; behavior, species interaction, and clues as to the environment at the time. "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...
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