posted on Jan, 16 2016 @ 06:49 PM
Hey all,
Since ATS doesn't have a dedicated geology/paleontology page, I was unsure exactly where to post this. Anyway, I live in central Texas in Austin. I
like to go hiking every once in a while on our local hiking trail, called the barton creek greenbelt, and look for fossils. There is tons of
limestone, chert, and occassionally some quartz (small amounts) found on the canyon walls. Because of the majority being limestone, there is an
abundance of marine fossils to be found. However, I'm unsure exactly what the makeup of these fossils are.
I've found various fossils over the years in Texas and Pennsylvania (where I grew up), and there is a clear difference between something that is
fossilized that I can clean until it can't be cleaned anymore, and the fossils I find here on the greenbelt. Normally when I clean fossils, I use
vinegar and gentle brushing. This has always worked in the past, but these fossils SEEM like they'd completely dissolve if I left them in too long.
I guess what I'm saying is that these fossils aren't mineralized, or at least don't seem to be. I've attached a picture of one I found today for an
example (also, anyone know what it may be?) I found this in the first rock I looked at. I could see a small part of it beveled out of the rock, and
used my hammer to knock off the attached rock. This was found in the same area where I've previously found small ammonite shells. Unfortunately, today
was a dull day, and this was the only thing I found (though I did find some neat quartz veining, but it was tiny).
edit on 1/16/2016 by Schmidt1989 because: (no reason given)