Fossil or Concretion? - Added close pics with ruler.

303-Acid · 23rd April 2012, 1:44 PM

Howdy,

I was down Great Ocean Road/Cape Otway late last week and did the walk down Wreck Beach. In the cliff face I spotted some bumpy orb like objects and some discs that looked like pie tops. The cliff face was soft, sandy dirt.

I emailed a pic to the Melbourne Museum and a Palaeontology specialist got back to me saying that they didn't appear to be fossils but rather Concretions. LINK.

Now I've Googled Concretions and can't find any that look like the ones I saw. What are your opinions?

Fossils or Concretion?

This one I took at Blanket Bay is more like a Concretion...

Jezmad · 23rd April 2012, 4:09 PM

I'd say concretions. Without seeing the rock up close or having a sense of scale it's hard to work out.
For Marine fossils there tends to be huge amounts in the rocks, rather than a couple spread out.

Next time, take the photo with something in the frame, say your phone if using a camera, a lighter, a pen, anything that you can work the size of. It helps greatly in working this sort of stuff out.

303-Acid · 23rd April 2012, 4:28 PM

Cheers for that...We actually grabbed a couple of others that were loose. I was hesitant at taking them but it would have been a shame for them to wash away. I'll photograph them when I get home. They're about the size of an orange, have ridges around them as well as little bumps. The disc one would be about dinner plate sized.

303-Acid · 23rd April 2012, 6:22 PM

Here are some closer pics with a ruler. They kinda look like seeds or seed pods.

derty sanchez · 12th May 2012, 2:44 AM

They look like concretions to me. Sand that has been cemented post deposition, usually eminating from a single nucleation point within the concretion. Have you smashed any open yet?

http://www.google.com.au/search?q=co...w=1248&bih=741

Goose1981 · 12th May 2012, 3:16 AM

Definitely looks like a concretion.

Smack it with a hammer and have a look inside.

ikonz0r · 12th May 2012, 6:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Goose1981

Smack it with a hammer and have a look inside.

First thing I would have done before sending any pics anywhere

303-Acid · 12th May 2012, 10:07 AM

Thanks guys. They still look cool mantelpiece so I won't smash them.

23rd April 2012, 1:44 PM	#1
303-Acid Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Beaumaris, Vic Posts: 1,727	Fossil or Concretion? - Added close pics with ruler. Howdy, I was down Great Ocean Road/Cape Otway late last week and did the walk down Wreck Beach. In the cliff face I spotted some bumpy orb like objects and some discs that looked like pie tops. The cliff face was soft, sandy dirt. I emailed a pic to the Melbourne Museum and a Palaeontology specialist got back to me saying that they didn't appear to be fossils but rather Concretions. LINK. Now I've Googled Concretions and can't find any that look like the ones I saw. What are your opinions? Fossils or Concretion? This one I took at Blanket Bay is more like a Concretion... __________________ Laptop: Dell Studio XPS 13 [Intel Core 2 Duo P9600 2.66GHz \| 4GB RAM \| 120GB SSD \| NVIDIA Hybrid SLI \| Windows 8 Pro] PC: [Intel Core Quad Q9550 @ 3.2GHz \| 8GB DDR2-1066 RAM \| MSI P45 Neo2 \| 120GB Sandisk Extreme SSD \| 2x HD6850 Crossfire \| Asus Xonar D1 \| Windows 8 Pro] Last edited by 303-Acid; 23rd April 2012 at 6:32 PM.

23rd April 2012, 4:09 PM	#2
Jezmad Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: WA Posts: 1,278	I'd say concretions. Without seeing the rock up close or having a sense of scale it's hard to work out. For Marine fossils there tends to be huge amounts in the rocks, rather than a couple spread out. Next time, take the photo with something in the frame, say your phone if using a camera, a lighter, a pen, anything that you can work the size of. It helps greatly in working this sort of stuff out. __________________ Originally Posted by Agg: sabretooth, stop dicking around with the space-time continuum BF3 - Jumpinjez - Add me on Origin i5 2500K - Asrock Z68 Pro 3 - G.Skill 8GB kit - Corsair Force 3 120GB - Sapphire 6870 - 500GB Samsung - Antec Trupower 550 - Coolermaster Centurion 590

23rd April 2012, 4:28 PM	#3
303-Acid Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Beaumaris, Vic Posts: 1,727	Cheers for that...We actually grabbed a couple of others that were loose. I was hesitant at taking them but it would have been a shame for them to wash away. I'll photograph them when I get home. They're about the size of an orange, have ridges around them as well as little bumps. The disc one would be about dinner plate sized. __________________ Laptop: Dell Studio XPS 13 [Intel Core 2 Duo P9600 2.66GHz \| 4GB RAM \| 120GB SSD \| NVIDIA Hybrid SLI \| Windows 8 Pro] PC: [Intel Core Quad Q9550 @ 3.2GHz \| 8GB DDR2-1066 RAM \| MSI P45 Neo2 \| 120GB Sandisk Extreme SSD \| 2x HD6850 Crossfire \| Asus Xonar D1 \| Windows 8 Pro]

23rd April 2012, 6:22 PM	#4
303-Acid Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Beaumaris, Vic Posts: 1,727	Here are some closer pics with a ruler. They kinda look like seeds or seed pods. __________________ Laptop: Dell Studio XPS 13 [Intel Core 2 Duo P9600 2.66GHz \| 4GB RAM \| 120GB SSD \| NVIDIA Hybrid SLI \| Windows 8 Pro] PC: [Intel Core Quad Q9550 @ 3.2GHz \| 8GB DDR2-1066 RAM \| MSI P45 Neo2 \| 120GB Sandisk Extreme SSD \| 2x HD6850 Crossfire \| Asus Xonar D1 \| Windows 8 Pro]

12th May 2012, 10:07 AM	#8
303-Acid Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Beaumaris, Vic Posts: 1,727	Thanks guys. They still look cool mantelpiece so I won't smash them. __________________ Laptop: Dell Studio XPS 13 [Intel Core 2 Duo P9600 2.66GHz \| 4GB RAM \| 120GB SSD \| NVIDIA Hybrid SLI \| Windows 8 Pro] PC: [Intel Core Quad Q9550 @ 3.2GHz \| 8GB DDR2-1066 RAM \| MSI P45 Neo2 \| 120GB Sandisk Extreme SSD \| 2x HD6850 Crossfire \| Asus Xonar D1 \| Windows 8 Pro]

12th May 2012, 2:44 AM	#5
derty sanchez Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 94	They look like concretions to me. Sand that has been cemented post deposition, usually eminating from a single nucleation point within the concretion. Have you smashed any open yet? http://www.google.com.au/search?q=co...w=1248&bih=741