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Stromatolites?


Ron E.

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The Little Sugar Creek has a spot where these rocks are commonplace. I thought the first one was fossilized mud. Then, once I started learning more about fossils, I discovered stromatolites.

I believe that is what i have here.

The first one is a bit blurry, I had to shoot it through aquarium glass without flash to avoid washing it out. You see, these rocks look fantastic in a freshwater tank! I have a java fern rooted on the first one, I don't want to disturb it.

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Here's a second one, in my angelfish breeder tank

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And here's a third. I only have two tanks ;-)

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What do ya'll think? Are these stromatolites? Thanks, Baldy

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If i had to say, I would say the first might be, but I am not so sure of the latter two..

All the stromatalites i have seen have just been little mounds from the side, rather than the entire structure, so i could easily be wrong..

"To do is to be." -Socrates

"People are Stupid." -Wizard's First Rule

"Happiness is a warm Jeep." -Auspex

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If i had to say, I would say the first might be, but I am not so sure of the latter two..

All the stromatalites i have seen have just been little mounds from the side, rather than the entire structure, so i could easily be wrong..

The thing is that these were all collected within 100' of each other. The rock structure really does look identical, that first one has been in the tank for a couple of years and has lots of algae growth on it.

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Haha.. like I said, Ive only seen one view of one type of stromatalite, so I am not one to actually ID them....

but they are very nice...

"To do is to be." -Socrates

"People are Stupid." -Wizard's First Rule

"Happiness is a warm Jeep." -Auspex

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Haha.. like I said, Ive only seen one view of one type of stromatalite, so I am not one to actually ID them....

No worries, mate :-)

But your comment did cause me to remember some more detail, and thanks.

BTW, I know where more of these puppies are B)

Also, I have another real mystery fossil/pseudofossil, but I'm not going to overwhelm the board. I'll wait until this thread dies out.

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Do you know the age of the formation where it was collected at?

As far as I know, still in the Boone Limestone, early Mississippian. It's close to where highway 71 first enters SW Missouri.

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I think they are all stromatolites, but in your view, you are showing either looking down on them or up at the bottom. The diagnostic feature of a stromatolite is the laminae, visible in cross section. Attached are a few of my stromatolites I have picked up along the way, all are out of the St. Peter sandstone, which is Ordovician.

Brent Ashcraft

ashcraft, brent allen

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Pics wouldn't upload, trying again.....

Hmmmm, anybody else having problems uplaoding pics??????

ashcraft, brent allen

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Pics wouldn't upload, trying again.....

Hmmmm, anybody else having problems uplaoding pics??????

I just uplaoded some no problem. Have you resized them? sometimes that helps. Did you click on the drop down and click on the plus sign to add them?

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Pics wouldn't upload, trying again.....

Hmmmm, anybody else having problems uplaoding pics??????

TEST

post-423-1247963570_thumb.jpg

Nope, I guess not...

Try resizing them, if they're big.

"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!

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Try again....I had resized them to 500kb or so, have gone further down. Picked up a computer virsu last week, got it all cleaned up, but things still aren't working quite correctly.....

Seems to be working know with the much smaller photos, maybe bad karma yesterday.

Well maybe Karma is still a littl sick, pics double posted as you can see......

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ashcraft, brent allen

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Try again....I had resized them to 500kb or so, have gone further down. Picked up a computer virsu last week, got it all cleaned up, but things still aren't working quite correctly.....

Seems to be working know with the much smaller photos, maybe bad karma yesterday.

Well maybe Karma is still a littl sick, pics double posted as you can see......

Thanks, ashcraft! That confirm it. The structure of these puppies is exactly like yours!

Regarding the virus, I've been running desktop Linux for two years now. A bit tricky to set up, but afterwards, anyone can run it. I've personally set up ten or so individuals, some totally computer-illiterate, and they are surfing the net free of all sorts of bad stuff like worms, virii, and Microsoft ;)

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Very nice examples.... They cut & polish them in the uk....Heres a couple I have collected, although not like radiused spherical balls like yours, mine must just of been chunks or parts of a layer, found in a lower Jurassic quarry.... They are chunks of 'Cotham marble' or 'Landscape marble'... when cut & polished this material resembles a landscape.... or so thought to resemble one by the Victorians...I think they make pendants out of it aswell.... I'll get them cut one day....lol

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heres a link to some for sale polished

http://www.fossilsdirect.co.uk/details.cfm?prodref=SP712

Cheers Steve... And Welcome if your a New Member... :)

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Very nice examples.... They cut & polish them in the uk....Heres a couple I have collected, although not like radiused spherical balls like yours, mine must just of been chunks or parts of a layer, found in a lower Jurassic quarry.... They are chunks of 'Cotham marble' or 'Landscape marble'... when cut & polished this material resembles a landscape.... or so thought to resemble one by the Victorians...I think they make pendants out of it aswell.... I'll get them cut one day....lol

heres a link to some for sale polished

http://www.fossilsdirect.co.uk/details.cfm?prodref=SP712

Kewl. And don't forget, stromatolite-ophiles, that I have access to more, if interested. It's amazing how good these things look in freshwater tanks, surrounded with plants and driftwood. My sig tells the rest of the story, if you'd like to get your hands on some ;)

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Dave Freeman (a friend of mine and MIA member of the Forum) threw this in with some bird stuff I bought from him:

post-423-1248026605_thumb.jpg

(...this is your brain in algae)

It has been cut, but not polished.

(Dave's website is: http://freemansfossilsales.com/default.aspx )

"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!

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Auspex.... That is beautiful...........The structure of that is mind boggling....

Cheers Steve... And Welcome if your a New Member... :)

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Auspex.... That is beautiful...........The structure of that is mind boggling....

Thanks!

This piece was a "gimme", below his standards; you ought to see Dave's good stuff!

"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!

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ashcraft..... Thanks for that..... I love seeing the machinery from the prep shop....I wish I could nip round to cut mine ....lol

Cheers Steve... And Welcome if your a New Member... :)

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