Pottery or natural?

[Gentleone444]

Found this creek walking...is it pottery or naturally worn?

[pkfrey]

That looks like a piece of fossilized mudstone that has fossil ripple marks that would have formed from the tides coming and going from around the edge of an ancient body of water, ocean, lake,pond, etc.

[Gentleone444]

Thank you pkfrey I see what you're saying. Does this occur at such a small size? The ripples are about 2to 3 mm thick

[pkfrey]

You can find stratified deposits that contain fossil wave ripple marks that stretch for miles. . But then erosion, or something like construction comes along, and breaks up the areas, and the result is hundreds or thousands of these smaller pieces. This recently happened here in Pa., near Phoenixville. While doing road work, someone noticed strange marks in the bedrock. They turned out to be the three toed footprints of a small dinosaur, Coelophysis. And the trail of footprints was several hundred yards long, until road machinery busted up the rocks, and they were lucky to save a rock with a single print in it. This is the only evidence of the dinosaurs existence in Pa., during the Triassic Period. If what you have is actually fossilized ripples, it's just a smaller piece broken from a much larger slab of rock. Where you found it at the creek, check the banks for stratified sandstone deposits. You may also find fossil seashells as well!

[Gentleone444]

I see what you are saying but I'm asking about the groove size as they are very small. Do wave grooves occur this tiny?

[pkfrey]

The fossil wave marks can be so varied as to size, form, very pronounced, or very small. That would all depend on the geologic conditions that saved the ripple marks to be fossilized. But remember, I'm only guessing that's what you have from the looks of it.

[Gentleone444]

Ok thank you! I hope someone else chimes in on this! I know its just a shard but I have very little in my area and am pretty excited...hopefully someone else chimes in.

[Kyflintguy]

I'm going to agree with Paul , ive picked similar pieces right out of cliffs in eastern Ky, along with other fossils...

[Gentleone444]

Cool thanks guys! Well its a cool fossil anyways and I learned something

[clovisoid]

I'd agree it's probably fossil, but a cross shot of it would help eliminate pottery. (A picture of the broken edge.)

[Gentleone444]

[Gentleone444]

[Scorpion68]

That cross section does not show what I would expect early pottery to be like. Most of what i've seen had a coarse texture and mixed with other material to strengthen the pottery.



These are from my collection and I'll try to find the earlier post that had a reference to a website that helped me identify it as pottery. ...Chuck


If you do a bit of Googling using the location where you found it in combination with terms like “punctuate” or "punctuated" and "fibre-temper" or “fibre-tempered” you may turn something up. Alternatively a trip to a local museum with the piece in your hand.

There are some Georgia and adjacent states examples detailed here. Note the “Thomas Creek” example about half way down the page for example:

http://www.peachstatearchaeologicalsociety.org/index.php/8-pottery/227-georgia-punctated-pottery

I’m not suggesting that it is actually that type (which is most usually sand-tempered) but it is of a very similar decorative style which was also used elsewhere in the southeast.

The above info was taken from my pottery post on page 2 of this same forum a couple of months back. Although the website deals with pottery from the southeastern area the search on Google might yield similar info regarding your find in Pa. ...Chuck