Has Anybody Found the Precambrian Fossils in Utah?

[DeepTimeIsotopes]

So I've had a hankering for some Precambrian fossils. In Utah, according to this article, there is cyanobacteria fossils present in Utah. Does anybody have any examples of Cyanobacteria fossils that they'd like to show the world so I can have an idea what I'm looking for? If you know anything extra about localities or examples of the Red Pine Shale fossils and don't want to share with everybody we can PM. I'm just trying to get a feel for them before I head out. Thanks.

[ynot]

Can't help, but good luck out there!

[DeepTimeIsotopes]

6 minutes ago, ynot said:

Can't help, but good luck out there!

Thanks! If I get any, I'll certainly post them.

[KimTexan]

Stromatolites are created by Cyanobacteria. I don’t have any Precambrian, but search and I imagine you’ll find examples of them.

[Wrangellian]

I agree with the above - I don't know about Utah specifically, but Stromatolites is all I can think of that you would see macroscopically out in the field. That article looks like it's showing microscopic cyanobacteria fossils. Do an image search for 'stromatolite' if you're not already familiar with what the various stroms look like - also 'oncolite' and 'thrombolite'.

[Auspex]

Get out your microscope: LINK

[DeepTimeIsotopes]

On 8/8/2018 at 9:46 PM, KimTexan said:

Stromatolites are created by Cyanobacteria. I don’t have any Precambrian, but search and I imagine you’ll find examples of them.

 

On 8/9/2018 at 12:02 AM, Wrangellian said:

I agree with the above - I don't know about Utah specifically, but Stromatolites is all I can think of that you would see macroscopically out in the field. That article looks like it's showing microscopic cyanobacteria fossils. Do an image search for 'stromatolite' if you're not already familiar with what the various stroms look like - also 'oncolite' and 'thrombolite'.

Stromatolites are a good idea. I was hoping to get the actual organism not just the trace fossils they left behind but that may be my best chance at finding the organisms anyway. I will certainly look into that. 

 

On 8/9/2018 at 9:18 AM, Auspex said:

Get out your microscope: LINK

Yeah, they're going to be pretty small. I do have access to microscopes for viewing and saws and grinding wheels to make thin sections. That article does mention that some of the organisms were colonial and can be viewed without microscopes. I guess we'll see what I can get then. 

[Wrangellian]

Do show us what you find and how!

[Shimmeron]

Finding cyanbobacteria fossils near the Great Salt Lake is easy see: https://geology.utah.gov/map-pub/survey-notes/glad-you-asked/is-there-coral-in-the-great-salt-lake/

 

Finding fossilized cyanobacteria on land, or at high elevation sites is a bit more tricky.But it depends on what your looking for, are you looking for just stromatolites, or the coral looking marine formations they left behind? To get to most soft bodied marine fossils your going to have to search on high altitude limestone shale cliffs that have known fossils in the area. Indications of a good marine fossil site are the presence of water marks, flow lines, coral rocks, mud stone, clay, calcium carbonate staining, limestone, dolomite, basalt etc...and evidence of trace fossils in there area. I know a good spot in Utah that you can have a look at if you want to Pm me. Once your there your going to need to dig down into the actual shale spill to get to the more preserved specimens, or you'll end up with sun baked fossils rocks. Your going to need to traverse up and down the shale spill to some extent. I've found better preserved fossils in and around trees that border a limestone spill. Digging on limestone shale spills is dangerous and should not be done unless you know what your doing w/ the right equipment. Its good to have a spotter. Sometimes the spill can be up to 20-30 feet in some spots with hidden cavities that you can fall into, or that can cause rock slides i.e. especially where the limestone spilt onto boulders or large fallen trees on the steep cliff faces. But the best soft tissue specimens are found at these kinds of sites, as well as at similar sites around the world with a very similar environment (see Burgess shale in Canada & The Maotianshan deposits in China). They are often found at high elevation limestone shale deposits on mountain sides, in canyons or in high altitude hill country.

 

Asking people about cyanobacteria fossils may not get you much, as I've asked my USU Geology professors similar questions and found that there are many fossils experts out there, but very few that are proficient in site specific marine fossils like this. Even on forums like this I often ask a lot of dumb questions just to see if I can get more information rolling, but have found that some of the more puzzling things about marine fossils are questions that just have to be answered once your out there digging and learning yourself. 

[ynot]

6 hours ago, Shimmeron said:

They are often found at high elevation limestone shale deposits on mountain sides, in canyons or in high altitude hill country.

So, basically they are found where rock (of the right age) is exposed.

[Shimmeron]

The right ingredients need to all come together in that spot too. Past temperature variations on one ridge 

can make or break a fossil site. Sometimes a  heavy tree presence can actually preserve fossils better when 

they grow along side limestone shale spills.

 

If you were a baker, here's your ingredient list:

 

*Typical marine rocks in the area like limestone, basalt, dolomite , loess, silica etc...

*The right kinds of minerals present like bertheirine and calcium carbonates.

*evidence of trace fossils in the area so you don't waste time digging

down on just any shale site

* Mud stone, clay, coral formations, or coral rocks.

* Rocks with flow lines, water marks 

* Excessive iron presence, magnesium, sulfur and copper carbon ore in the area is often ideal as well

for certain marine fossils.

*microorganism presence

*evidence of oxidation or oxidized rocks in the area is an excellent marker too!

 

1. Ross P. Anderson, Nicholas J. Tosca, Robert R. Gaines, Nicolás Mongiardino Koch, Derek E.G. Briggs. A mineralogical signature for Burgess Shale–type fossilization. Geology, 2018; DOI: 10.1130/G39941.1