Fossil earthcache

[Influence Waterfowl Calls]

I have listed an earth cache at a stone table that has fossils all over the top! I asked and they oked it as possible even though it is not where it was. It was brought from who knows where by a previous owner of the land that it is currently on. My problem lies in that geoware wants to know exactly what it is that is fossilized and I have no way of telling! I don't have a lab with enough funding to find out! Here is a picture of what is all over the top of the table... can any one help?

[+Juicepig]

My educated guess is that those are worm traces (not actual worms, but the holes left by worms). Where is the area the rock is from and how old is the rock?

[Influence Waterfowl Calls]

It is in western Kentucky so I would guess it is from around here. I have no clue on how old it is. If it is worm trace fossils that would be even better! I have never seen that before! I did notice some of the fossils seem to have chipped off if that helps! I will have to research the worm thing!

 

Thanks!

[+Cav Scout]

Are there blastoids or crinoids on the rock as well? Blastoinds look like little flower buds and crinoids are disk like.

[+TerryDad2]

What kind of rock is it? Mudstone, limestone?

 

That would help narrow down the possibilities. Right now it looks like worm casts is your most likely possibility.

[+shearzone]

I am guessing the picture is taken in the plane of bedding rather than perpendicular to bedding? Also, have you taken weak HCl to the rock? A strong fizz would indicate that this is a limestone, a weak fizz would suggest that this is a dolostone and no fizz at all would likely mean that this rock contains little or no carbonate at all (thus probably a clastic rock). The fossils most obvious in the picture are no doubt trace fossils, but I am no ichnologist so I can't tell you what they are. However, I do know that guessing that these are worm tracks is an admission to not knowing what else these could be (see my Tyndall Limestone Earthcache).

 

edit: spelling

Edited August 4, 2008 by shearzone

[GeoNaturist]

What's the scale?

 

Looks like a bunch of tangled roots and leaves, debris etc to me..

[+shearzone]

I am going to guess that these traces are either Planolites or Paleophycus, but not being an expert in trace fossils, my untrained eye can't tell the difference. I don't normally bother trying to identify these things, I only use these things to tell which way use to be up in deformed rocks!

Edited August 4, 2008 by shearzone

[Influence Waterfowl Calls]

ALL HAIL JUICEPIG!!!!!!!!

 

On your suggestion of it being worm traces, I did some research, changed the listing, and it is published!!!

 

A fossilized table? (GC1EFNP)

 

Thanks to everyone!!!!!!!!!!

[+shearzone]

ALL HAIL JUICEPIG!!!!!!!!

 

On your suggestion of it being worm traces, I did some research, changed the listing, and it is published!!!

 

A fossilized table? (GC1EFNP)

 

Thanks to everyone!!!!!!!!!!

 

Just because you got the earthcache published, I wouldn't be so quick to attribute these traces to worms. Depending on the age of these rocks, a number of different organisms can produce quite similar looking trace fossils, many of which may not be worm-like at all! For all we know, the largest, sinuous traces could conceivably have been the tracks of a lazy jellyfish dragging its tentacles along the seafloor! Traces only indicate organism behaviour (resting, feeding, farming, burrowing, location, escape, etc.), they are not specific to any one species. From the pictures alone, I can see more than one different type of trace fossil, which likely indicates a happening place that likely had a large biodiviersity at the time of deposition. The problem with jumping to conclusion as to what organism could have created these traces can be called the unscientific method. A more logical way to find out what an ichnologist would call these traces (I suggested two types, above, but they could be wrong), then figure out what depositional environment (estuary? beach? delta? inner shelf? outer shelf? deep water? etc?) these are likely to have formed in, AND THEN you can suggest a narrowed down list of organisms could have been responsible for the creation of these traces. Try taking a sample to your local university or college's geology department and ask for a sedimentology, stratigraphy or ichnology specialist. It helps if you call ahead and book a meeting. Professors and grad students are often willing to help, especially when the identification of something like this could take less than a few minutes once you've found the right person to ask! Then, you can be confident you got it right, and keep skeptics such as myself quiet. As I said earlier, calling these worm tracks is an admission to not knowing what else could have created these tracks. If nothing else, at least call these traces as being the tracks of a worm-like organism, because all we know is that these were likely soft-bodied organisms.

 

To Juicepig: no offence meant here towards you, you suggested a good idea, I'm just saying that there is likely a more answer definitive answer out there that one can hang their hat on. That's not to say that saying worms made these is incorrect, just that all other possibilities should be eliminated before settling on worms.

Edited August 5, 2008 by shearzone

[Influence Waterfowl Calls]

Hey you may be right but the important thing is that people learn from the earthcache! I did! I don't remember anyone saying anything about trace fossils in school! So I learned about them while doing this cache! When I get a chance I will see if someone from the local college can confirm what they are! That is a great idea! Until then...

[+Juicepig]

To Juicepig: no offence meant here towards you, you suggested a good idea, I'm just saying that there is likely a more answer definitive answer out there that one can hang their hat on. That's not to say that saying worms made these is incorrect, just that all other possibilities should be eliminated before settling on worms.

 

none taken! You are of course correct

 

I did say my answer was a guess!

[+BilboB]

I agree with Shearzone. If you dont really know what you have in front of you, it is not up to the earthcache finder to tell you, you should be the subject matter expert to confirm thier findings. My two cents is you should not have listed it in the first place until knowing what you have.

[Influence Waterfowl Calls]

Well Mr. Expert, I will have you know I knew what they were! They are fossils!!! That was the point of the listing! Now Mr. Geoware wanted me to teach you what they were fossils of and not how fossils were formed. Seeing how I found a unique location, not one with a sign or tour guide Barbie to tell you EXACTLY what they were and I do not have a GO GO GADGET FOSSIL LAB stuck somewhere in my coat, I had to find what he wanted in other ways. I found it, changed the listing, and got the approval! I have found earthcaches at a natural spring and no one asked them to list the exact mineral content of the water! And no one made you list the EXACT type of sand at the dunes, which has kiosk to tell you the info you needed to list the cache! Stop judging and just try to be helpful. If you can't be... Then cork it!

 

Good Day!

[+Rev Mike]

Well Mr. Expert, I will have you know I knew what they were! They are fossils!!! That was the point of the listing! Now Mr. Geoware wanted me to teach you what they were fossils of and not how fossils were formed. Seeing how I found a unique location, not one with a sign or tour guide Barbie to tell you EXACTLY what they were and I do not have a GO GO GADGET FOSSIL LAB stuck somewhere in my coat, I had to find what he wanted in other ways. I found it, changed the listing, and got the approval! I have found earthcaches at a natural spring and no one asked them to list the exact mineral content of the water! And no one made you list the EXACT type of sand at the dunes, which has kiosk to tell you the info you needed to list the cache! Stop judging and just try to be helpful. If you can't be... Then cork it!

 

Good Day!

 

I am pretty sure you asked for help and received it.

It is clear that you have edited the page to include some of the excellent information that shearzone provided you in this thread... so why get nasty now?

Edited August 8, 2008 by Rev Mike

[Influence Waterfowl Calls]

Nothing was directed at him! I was reacting to what bilbob had to say. I have had it with people who do not know the WHOLE story and try to judge what happened! I asked for help because there is no sign or park ranger to ask. So if you can help, great!

[+BilboB]

whatever