A very old question... fossils

[Agent_zed]

Hi,

I was thinking of buying a fossil for my other half (happy birthday here's an old rock ) but not really sure how to know if they are genuine or not.
Don't really want to buy an overpriced decorated rock

Any tips or things to look out for?

thanks

 

[Cobbs]

Hi,

I was thinking of buying a fossil for my other half (happy birthday here's an old rock ) but not really sure how to know if they are genuine or not.
Don't really want to buy an overpriced decorated rock

Any tips or things to look out for?

thanks

I see you're in the southwest - any chance you could get to the Jurassic coast and find one for yourself?

 

[Tris]

There was a good fossil shop in Lyme Regis, many fossils seemed to come with provenance.

Where do we send flowers afterwards?

 

[Agent_zed]

I see you're in the southwest - any chance you could get to the Jurassic coast and find one for yourself?

I'm at the very north end of the south west so closest place for fossils is probably going to Ogmore in Wales. Although I've found fossils before they are almost always sea creatures. I am looking for a leaf ideally like a fern. I did find one in slate when I was a kid and went to Brecon but I've no idea where that ended up.

 

[Cabinetman]

Worth a trip to B&Q last lot of sandstone slabs had some beautiful ferns right there on the surface, you could put one in a picture frame
Ian

 

[Phill05]

If you find yourself up in Derbyshire take a look around Wirksworth / Brassington / Buxton lots of fossil's around here rich Limestone and Sandstone there is a very special one here called Hopton marble it is full of fossil's, there is also the National Stone centre they will tell you all about the stone, how about this:

Over a million year old tree we found in a large block and sliced it into plaques for some good friends of ours.



Shine a light and you can see the effervescence light up:

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

Go to Lyme Regus, many shops that sell them for a good price.

 

[Agent_zed]

Thanks but Lyme Regis is 90 miles away and a 4.5hr round trip so probably not worth it unless I happen to be down that way for some other reason.

 

[Jester129]

Temu sell them, and you'll never guess which huge online retailer also has them - the big river store!
That took all of 10 seconds to find.

 

[Agent_zed]

Temu sell them, and you'll never guess which huge online retailer also has them - the big river store!
That took all of 10 seconds to find.

it wasn't that I couldn't find them. It is how do I know if they are genuine, rather than a random rock with an imitation fossil on it. As for Temu, I might as well burn my money now.

 

[selectortone]

Come to Bournemouth. The place is full of fossils, most of them driving small Japanese hatchbacks.

 

[Richard_C]

The original question - how do I know its genuine - is a good one and I always wonder how you would tell. Fossil and rock shops always seem well stocked, where does it all come from? A quick google for 'fossil forums' brings up 2 or 3, including a UK one. That might be a useful place to ask the question, assuming the people there collectively know as much about fossils as we do about wood.

If you do find an answer please come back and tell us. I have no urgent need for a fossil but I would like to know.

(I do have a nice looking 30cm-ish ammonite propped up in the garden, but I know the guy who casts them )

 

[Tris]

There is a lot to recommend an afternoon spent fossicking in a good site. The experience of setting eyes on the remains of something that existed before humans could ever see it is a great reminder of how irrelevant our species is to the planet. If many of these creatures had not gone extinct humankind would not have advanced so far, if we would have existed at all. Wouldn't it be fascinating to know what the dominant species will be once humans are extinct? Or maybe that's just me

 

[TRITON]

Any tips or things to look out for?

The fist when she realizes you're implying she's an old fossil

 

[Richard_C]

Wouldn't it be fascinating to know what the dominant species will be once humans are extinct?

The cyanophytae (cyanobacteria) perhaps - can survive almost anything.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyanobacteria