shorty Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 Ok, don't laugh! This has been hanging around our house for years. Kids laugh cuz it looks like dog poop. Could it really be a coprolite? It was found in Woodstock, Illinois on a hill where we usually find corals, shells and crinoid fragments. I don't have any info about the age of the rocks there. I think they're all hills left by the glaciers. Thanks for your help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barefootgirl Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 I have no idea, but if it looks like poop and makes people laugh I say keep it! You can always use it for a door stop. In formal logic, a contradiction is the signal of defeat: but in the evolution of real knowledge, it marks the first step in progress toward victory. Alfred North Whithead 'Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already tomorrow in Australia!' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmorefossil Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 any bones or feathers sticking out? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shorty Posted May 15, 2009 Author Share Posted May 15, 2009 any bones or feathers sticking out? Nothing's really 'sticking out'. It's pretty smooth. there are a couple little round circular outlines - like the size of the head of a pin, but I can't get a clear picture of them. lots of little lines & air bubble looking spaces. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shorty Posted May 15, 2009 Author Share Posted May 15, 2009 That's been this rock's whole purpose of being at our house! It sits by the front sidewalk and everyone goes, "Eww, that rock looks like poop!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Dactyll Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 Shorty ..........You could fool me to with that...... Cheers Steve... And Welcome if your a New Member... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shamalama Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 I like what you THINK it is better than what it PROBABLY is... a weathered piece of Limestone. The small pinhead sized objects are probably fossils, maybe of coral or crinoids. If it fizzes when you put vinegar on it, it might be a redne... oops... a Limestone. -Dave __________________________________________________ Geologists on the whole are inconsistent drivers. When a roadcut presents itself, they tend to lurch and weave. To them, the roadcut is a portal, a fragment of a regional story, a proscenium arch that leads their imaginations into the earth and through the surrounding terrain. - John McPheeIf I'm going to drive safely, I can't do geology. - John McPheeCheck out my Blog for more fossils I've found: http://viewsofthemahantango.blogspot.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Traviscounty Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 If the small pinhead sized objects are seeds, then it is a sign of a high fiber diet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shorty Posted May 15, 2009 Author Share Posted May 15, 2009 I tried the vinegar on the back. couldn't see fizzing, but when I rinsed it off it left a clean spot - so I guess that's a yes? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shamalama Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 I tried the vinegar on the back. couldn't see fizzing, but when I rinsed it off it left a clean spot - so I guess that's a yes? Sounds like it, unless you just never rinsed the back of the rock off before now. -Dave __________________________________________________ Geologists on the whole are inconsistent drivers. When a roadcut presents itself, they tend to lurch and weave. To them, the roadcut is a portal, a fragment of a regional story, a proscenium arch that leads their imaginations into the earth and through the surrounding terrain. - John McPheeIf I'm going to drive safely, I can't do geology. - John McPheeCheck out my Blog for more fossils I've found: http://viewsofthemahantango.blogspot.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest N.AL.hunter Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 Limestone test: It is best to usually scratch the area to be tested first, then apply the vinegar to the scratched area to see if it fizzes. You want an un-weathered surface for your test. If it does, it is limestone, if it doesn't, but adding the vinegar to the powder produces fizzing, it might be dolomite. The added Magnesium in dolomite doesn't allow it to fizz as easily as limestone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicholas Posted May 16, 2009 Share Posted May 16, 2009 I think weathered piece of stone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossil_femme Posted May 16, 2009 Share Posted May 16, 2009 looks pretty crappy to me... wink "don’t you lock up something that you wanted to see fly..." chris cornell / soundgarden Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFossilHunter Posted May 17, 2009 Share Posted May 17, 2009 Did you ever think it might turn out to be..both? a Goofy looking coprolite... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommabetts Posted May 17, 2009 Share Posted May 17, 2009 I would say just a crappy looking rock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shorty Posted May 18, 2009 Author Share Posted May 18, 2009 Thanks to everyone for all the crappy replies! I haven't had a chance to test if it's dolomite vs. limestone yet. But if it is either one of those, does that mean it's unlikely to be a coprolite? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest solius symbiosus Posted May 18, 2009 Share Posted May 18, 2009 Since the area in which it was found is Ordovician, and Silurian, it is almost certainly not a coprolite. Dolostone forms during diagenisis of carbonates, so that would have no bearing, but I don't think the rock is dolostone, any that I have seen looks different, i.e., sugary texture, and yellowish color. It is just a weathered stone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shorty Posted May 18, 2009 Author Share Posted May 18, 2009 Perfect! Thanks for the answer! I'll call it a conversation piece and not send it to show and tell as dino poop! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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