ashcraft Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 A student brought a bone into me that he found in a local creek that is known to produce pleistocene material. The black patena might be Mn staining, but it looks alittle different......maybe. Any insight? Brent Ashcraft ashcraft, brent allen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 I was about to observe that it has a patina of significant age, but then I opened the second pic and saw where the "crust" had flaked off to reveal white, degraded bone. It mightn't be as old as it looks at first glance. "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...
gatorjames85 Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 I would agree that it probably isn't that old due to the flaking, but I would think it could be pretty old and still do that if conditions were right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracer Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 i definitely think it isn't a "new" bone, because parts of it do have a "crust" on it, and it looks somewhat different in several ways from new material. but that doesn't mean it's pleistocene. On bones like that, when i pick them up, i first notice if they are noticeably heavier than a modern bone. if so, then at least some secondary mineralization has occurred (unless they're very wet, in which case the weight may be just from water). A second thing i do is push a fingernail tip onto the open end "spongy" or cancellous bone. if my fingernail crunches that stuff easily, then i know it's not heavily mineralized. really old, well-mineralized cancellous bone resists crunching pretty well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrehistoricFlorida Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 This is a fresh bone. No doubt about it. <500 years old. www.PrehistoricFlorida.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cris Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 Gonna have to agree that it's fairly newer due to the flaking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicholas Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 I'm with the others for the age. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Menser Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 How now brown....oops forgot my meds.... Be true to the reality you create. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seldom Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 How now brown....oops forgot my meds.... Oh no not you too. Galveston Island 32 miles long 2 miles wide 134 bars 23 liquor stores any questions? Evolution is Chimp Change. Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass; it's about learning to dance in the rain! "I like to listen. I have learned a great deal from listening carefully. Most people never listen." Ernest Hemingway Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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