Fossils that I'm pretty sure aren't native to my grandmother's rose garden...

[Beaglejuice13]

I noticed these in my grandmother's rose garden recently. She told me they were inside the pitcher of an antique wash basin she bought at a garage sale so she threw them in her rose garden lol. I don't know much at all about fossils, I'm more into rocks and minerals. I had sold weathered shells before so I brought these home to see what I could find out about them. They look very similar to fossils in alot of pics online from the Caloosahatchee Formation Deposits near Ft. Meyers, Florida, USA. What do you guys think?

 

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[Charlie P. (NY)]

I don't think they are fossils. Just old shells.

Cone shell, whelk (the one with the long nose) and a bunch of conch shells.

 

[Beaglejuice13]

Is there any easy way to tell the difference between weathered and fossilized?

 

[Megalodon]

Is there any easy way to tell the difference between weathered and fossilized?

A few people have told me that real fossils don't burn while some modern materials will burn/carbonize. Not sure if this applies to all fossils...

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

Is there any easy way to tell the difference between weathered and fossilized?

Shells are already mineralized (calcium carbonate) but fossilized shell is stone. Weight is one way. Being surrounded in a stone matrix another good indicator.

 

[ToddsPoint]

I heard the best place to find shells is the first rest area in GA heading north on 95. The shells people gathered on the FL beaches that still had the critter inside start stinking by then and they toss them. Those look like Florida fighting conch shells. Gary

 

[Beaglejuice13]

Exactly what I thought. Florida fighting conch fossils from the caloosahatchee formation deposits. I'll attach the lead I found so you can see what you think. Remember I said grandma bought antique wash basin at garage sale and these were left inside the pitcher? Well turns out the wash basin belonged to someone's mother who'd passed away, she was from Florida....
Probably wishful thinking, but I thought I'd see what you all thought, here's a screenshot of that lead....

 

[Red-Coat]

It’s almost impossible to tell whether some shells are fossilised or not. Even for an expert. The only reliable indicators are:

- The body of the shell is composed of something which is not calcium carbonate, or is calcium carbonate in a form that’s obviously crystalline, or non-opaque, or has unexpected colouration that goes all the way through to the interior (not just the surface).

- The shell was found in a lithified matrix, and particularly if found at a considerable depth in a sedimentary formation that clearly has overlying strata representing a long time period. Or if the surrounding matrix is a mineral or rock type that doesn’t form in short periods of time.

- The shell was found in close association with other preserved organisms in undisturbed strata and which meet the above criteria, and particularly if those other organisms can be identified as palaeologically extinct.

- The shell itself can be identified as from an organism which is palaeologically extinct.

In addition, marine shells found far from the sea and/or at high altitudes are likely to be fossils. As long as you are sure the area hasn’t seen recent flooding/tsunami deposition and can tell the difference between marine and freshwater organisms. And you are sure that the shells have not been brought into that area by humans… either industrially dumped or as shell-mound debris from human consumption.

 

[Jason in Enid]

The burn test for fossilized bone, it wouldnt work on a shell. I don think these are fossilized just because they are all still hollow. IF it was fossilized it would be filled with matrix or minerals.

 

[Red-Coat]

The burn test for fossilized bone, it wouldnt work on a shell. I don think these are fossilized just because they are all still hollow. IF it was fossilized it would be filled with matrix or minerals.

You're correct about the burn test, but not about the 'hollowness'. It's not uncommon to find fossil shells in sandstone, siltstone or clay matrices that are so loosely cemented you can wash them clean under a running tap using just your fingers or a paintbrush to loosen up and remove any infill.

Nevertheless, I am doubtful that we're looking at fossil shells here although, as I said above, it can be impossible for even an expert to be sure about that (without detailed scientific testing).

 

[newnan man]

Florida is full of shells everywhere. I have some from 30' down in a dirt pit, some are from spoil islands in the intercoastal waterway. Some made into chisels and tools by Native Americans. All look exactly the same as yours. Chalky soft and fragile. I even have some with crystals stuck to them. Those are very old!