How is this a fossil???? i see carvings

[ron902]

While landscaping in Ky i dug this rock with carvings up. some ppl say its fossilized remains, but i think they look like letters an symbols....HELP!!!!!!!!! I feel its some type of writing.

[Havilah_Springs]

Tag

[Tigger]

While we're waiting for Harry P. to chime in with a good explanation for you, could you retake a couple pictures to show more detail?

Move the quarter and give us a good image of the broken edge, and also zoom in on the area in question - the part that looks like symbols to you.

Do you have a macro option on your camera? Take the pix outdoors, in good light, propping up the rock so you have a good angle.

Once we have closer pix, we can describe what you're seeing better.

[spanish hill hunter]

http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.p...;attach=741363

my rock with carving/fossil?

[IAMZIM]

What you are seeing is the cross-section of several shells. Imagine a shell cut width wise and u look apon a "u" shape. I have several fossils like this, FULL of shell cross-sections, but for now i can't post any pics of it cause a freind has them, as he is supposed to do some cutting and polishing for me. When i get them back ill try to post some pics.

[NorCal Gal]

I can totally see what you mean, Ron... When you look at the rock straight on, the markings DO resemble glyphs or figures of some sort. The giveaway photo (as far as I'm concerned), though, is in that (can't remember if it's) second or third photo that shows the surface of it from the side. There I can make out the shapes of some of the indentions which very much resemble impressions of shells from the Cambrian Period I have seen (and even own a few of). Also, during my various studies in reference books and online, I've seen some pretty weird impressions left by fossils that you'd SWEAR were also some type of human carvings, figures, hieroglyphics or even letters of an alphabet...

Here's a link to a really great example:
http://ib.berkeley.edu/labs/slatkin/...eb/fossils.jpg

Great find in any case!

Happy hunting!

NorCal Gal