[Rockhounds] Salmon Creek poop (NOT)

[Tim]

They don't, it's a Miocene swamp or lacustrine delta with low grade lignite
seams and poorly preserved wood. If you see the "raw" concretions before
they have been worn smooth by the creek,  they aren't casts of anything
either (unless that something had a fractally convoluted surface). The point
of the article is that if no other fossilized remains are associated with
it, then it probably isn't coprolite. See Occam's Razor...


Tim Fisher 
Ore-ROCK-On! 
Email address at http://OreRockOn.com

-----Original Message-----
From: rockhounds-bounces at lists.drizzle.com
[mailto:rockhounds-bounces at lists.drizzle.com] On Behalf Of Jay Bates
Sent: Monday, June 01, 2009 12:27 PM
To: Rockhounds at drizzle.com: A mailing list for rock and gem collectors
Subject: Re: [Rockhounds] Salmon Creek poop (NOT)

Many petrified woods do not show visible plant material nor traces of 
minerals associated wood. They are called limb casts. I think if the 
coprolites come from the right formation associated with dinosaurs like 
those found in Utah, there is a good possibility they are casts of real 
dino dung. If not, what are they then?  Doubts disprove nothing.


pmodreski at aol.com wrote:
> That's a great article about coprolites, Tim, thanks for sharing the link.
>
> Aside from the Salmon Creek "coprolites" probably not being real
coprolites, I talked with Karen Chin once when she gave a lecture about
coprolites at CU (I mean the lecture was at CU, not the droppings)... and
she expressed some doubt about whether the warty-looking chalcedony nodules
found in western Utah and thereabouts and generally known among rockhounds
as coprolites, also really are.? For a couple of the same reasons: no
phosphate content, and no visible partly-digested plant or animal fragments
embedded within them.? I don't think anyone has really subjected those
Jurassic supposed-coprolites to any in-depth scientific study--Karen said
she personally had never studied those--and until someone does, I think
their status will remain questionable; though all the rockhounds recognize
them and rockshops sell them as?"coprolites".
>
> Pete
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Tim <nospam at orerockon.com>
> To: 'Rockhounds List' <rockhounds at lists.drizzle.com>
> Sent: Mon, 1 Jun 2009 8:58 am
> Subject: [Rockhounds] Salmon Creek poop (NOT)
>
>
>
> http://www.earthmagazine.org/earth/article/68-7d8-8-1c
>
> A very well thought out article on the "coprolites" from Salmon Creek WA.
>
>
> Tim Fisher 
> Ore-ROCK-On! 
> Email address at http://OreRockOn.com <http://orerockon.com/> 
>
>
>
>
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