Fossiliferous

Saturday, August 17, 2013

Whale Baleen Fossil

I have a carved wood bowl where I keep my unusual rocks and finds. The other day I was looking at the rocks and picked up this one. I remember finding it and bringing it home because of the eroded lines, it was interesting. I ignored it though because I didn't think it was a fossil. I thought it was just eroded sedimentary rock. However, when I re-examined it, I instantly thought of the fossilized whale baleen pictures I had seen on-line. I did a search and the images that came up were from Cabrillo Marine Aquarium and the fossilized baleen looks similar to mine. This might be baleen fossil. I don't remember what beach I found it on!

Image of whale baleen (click to see image)

Sunday, August 4, 2013

Several fossils found at the beach

Notice the square peg shape.

I'm not a paleontologist or geologist, I just collect. I find the fossils and rocks sculptural and they all have a connection to the earth and to living.

I wish I knew what this was!

I bought it at a thrift store years ago. I am guessing it was used to distribute seeds or is a sacred water vessel. I saw something similar at the LA County museum in the pre-columbian exhibit. Would love it if someone could recognize what it is.

Some rocks...

I found this rock in the Eastern Sierras:

I was so certain this rock was a meteorite, a chondrite! I thought I spotted chondrules with my magnifying glass. I researched on the internet and did the tests experts recommend before submitting a tiny piece to a meteorite specialist. I was so 100% certain! Only to be disappointed by the letter back saying it was probably a meta-volcanic rock. Meta being that it had changed it's properties because of heat. I still think it is a meteorite. It looks so similar to the meteorites on display at Griffith Park Observatory and in this link: http://www.meteorite-pictures.org/Chondrite-Meteorite-Pictures/

Close up using the Zoomy showing sand size spheres all clustered together. I found the rock among ryholite tuff.

One person's trash is another's treasure...

The rain and ground squirrels usually turn up new trash treasures for me to find. They look like ordinary rocks, but with closer inspection one can spot human workings of the stone. Local basalt and possibly imported volcanic rock.