Real vs. Fake Trilobite Fossils and How to Tell the Difference (Revised)
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- Опубликовано: 6 сен 2024
- Useful information for determining whether trilobite fossils are originals or casts (with a little geology humor thrown in).
Like this video to help the Proetus trilobite pay for rehabilitation.
Special thanks to everybody that provided constructive criticism in my previous "Real vs Fake Trilobites..." video! Because of your feedback, I was able to make a much better version.
If you'd like to support my work, you can do so by adding to your rock collection!
www.ebay.com/s...
Pictures not taken by me:
lacy bryozoan (public domain, from NOAA)
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archimedes - screw type bryozoan (Pic taken by Ghedoghedo on 26 August 2013, not altered)
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creativecommon...
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trilobite plate (Pic taken by DanielCD on 5/17/05, not altered)
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Music used:
Book Bag - E's Jammy Jams
"You’re free to use this song in any of your videos." - RUclips
Let's Do It - Topher Mohr and Alex Elena
"You're free to use this song and monetize your video." - RUclips
Dispersion Relation by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommon...)
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Artist: incompetech.com/
References:
Fossil casts are not fake:
gimpasaura.blog...
Moroccan trilobite casts from Tucson, AZ gem + mineral shows:
www.fossilmuseu...
How to I.D. fake trilobites:
www.fossilmuseu...
Fake Moroccan fossils:
fakefossils.web...
Always wanted a trilobite. They're hard to get, so I guess, I'll make one myself. Wink, wink...
You guys are a sublime source of information. Never a dull episode. Respect.
not that hard to find are you living in north america ?
I go to the Arizona Gem Show every year, this is great info thank you! I used this last weekend and spotted 3 fake sellers, never trust every little vendor tent you see!
you could also try and prep them yourself to take off the matrix from a covered part they might have missed, to see if it's really under there
Great job! One thing I noticed was that the casts featured trilobites that were very well centered, something that you often don’t see when rocks are cracked. Fossils are often found by a piece of it sticking out the side of a rock.
Good observation!
I have a lot of respect for your extensive knowledge about trilobites and fossils and fakes. Thank you, sir.
1.) Really great comprehensive educational video. 2.) I highly respect the deadpan delivery of those jokes
All the above is great advice but here's something I stand by. I think it's good, if you are going to buy, to find, or better yet be recommended a shop and don't be afraid to question the seller, genuine traders won't mind answering questions. Then build up a relationship with that seller, not only will you be in a better position to trust what they offer but they'll get to know what you like and may be able to look out for specimens that would be of interest to you.
Excellent summary and so very useful! Link has been added to my slide deck for historical geology! Thank you.
Special thanks to everybody that provided constructive criticism in my previous "Real vs Fake Trilobites..." video! Because of your feedback, I was able to make a much better version.
Mine has a label and it’s from a gem and mineral shop. There’s a couple cracks too and detailed so definitely real. I love him
Thanks! I fell in love with a curled up trilobite I found on eBay. Judging from how small it is, there's no way it was tampered with lol.
In Morocco fake casts are so cheap even if they scam you it is cheap paper weight. They made really good stone like cast
Thanks for sharing! I've been wanting to buy some from the shows but was nervous about their authenticity.
You're welcome! I'm glad the info was helpful.
Got another trilobite and its a Hollardops sp, and its also real but I found out that my first 2 trilobites were not fully real.. one was heavily reconstructed and the other a cast. So 4.5/6 of my trilobites are real and its still good in my opinion as the reconstructed one still looks nice to show how big the species was (its the size of a plate).
2:50 one smokes and one is alcoholic
Great video!
Thanks a lot for this
2:50, Same bro, I’m both stoned and plastered.
Very useful video
So the airbubble would be the same for any fossils?
Yes, it's a good thing to look for any time plaster or resin might be used. Crinoids are another good example.
Can you do a video on a mastodon bone?
Excellent video!
I'd *definitely* buy a trilobite from you if you were selling some!
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed the video. I do have some trilobites and other fossils and minerals for sale in my Etsy store currently:
www.etsy.com/shop/GeocomMineralsLLC?ref=seller-platform-mcnav§ion_id=37935869
Amazingly informative. Thanks!
This was awesome thanks!!
Your welcome!
Is it lame to still be that guy to say "first"? Ah who cares. First!
Hmm ok then that confirms my Parallejuras trilobite is real.
So the top of my rock (that my trilobite is on top of) is gray and smooth but the bottom is normal so is it polished or something else
Some trilobites, like the ones from the Wheeler Shale in Utah, can have smooth layers where the trilobite fossil is exposed. It's hard to tell without seeing the exact specimen, but I'd check the rock type and locality first to see if they form like that naturally. Uusally the matrix rock around the fossil is not polished but I can't rule it out for sure without seeing it.
Very useful. Thank you.
Hey would i be able to send you a photo of something and get your opinion? I read somewhere applying heat is a good way to detect resin and i did that and nothing happened but the price seemed to good to be true that being said it was at the tucson gem show and there are some excellent prices
There are some good wholesale prices in Tucson. Casts usually have air bubbles/pits present , so that's one indicator. I'd also recommend looking for a fracture that goes through the trilobite. Many trilobite fossils are quarried and found by breaking rock. The repair work is a pretty good indicator of authenticity.
I'm pretty busy these days, but hopefully the tips in the video can help.
@@EarthScienceFun43 it's also on a curved rock it would seem like a fake would be on a flatter surface
You talked about a mortality plate as if it is not possible to have a bunch of trilobites of the same species all together.
I was in Miami Beach few years ago, and they had put some big rocks at the end of the beach near the mouth of a channel, and by my surprise, there were more than 10 trilobites on the face of the rock, the waves of the beach pretty much took away all rock surrounding the fossils and polished them, it looked as if they were alive, when I saw from afar, I thought it was a bunch of huge black roaches, which it would be weird to find in the sea water... :-) I was so pissed off that I didn't have a chisel and a hammer with me... they looked like it would be so easy to remove without damage. By the way, I am not an expert, but I know it was the most common type of trilobite fossil there is, if anyone wonders...
Cool find! It is definitely possible to find mortality plates in the field with many trilobites present. They are exceedingly rare and often faked though, so I wanted people to be well aware of that. Most of the mortality plates that I see at gem shows are replicas/casts.
I'm from Miami and I bet you found Chitons.
I have been to an open dig quarry in Utah and they allowed people to dig all day and/or take out rock with them. I found many of what I called death beds in the stuff I broke open. 4 to 5 good specimens with a lot of trilobits present was standard. I wasn't aware it was rare because I found quite a few layers of them in the rocks at the site and in the ones I brought home to open later.
Great video. I'm from Brazil and a bought a trilobite from china, but i dont know if it's real ou fake. Can I send to you some photos of them?? thank you so much
I wouldn’t suggest buying fossils from China
I live in Morocco, do you know where I can buy some real fossils ? if I want to buy from you, I have to deal with the shipping and customs costs as well XD thank you !
I don't know of any specific shops, but you can use the tips in the video to check for real vs fake pieces if you find some for sale. Maybe there are some local rock/fossil shops that have specimens?
@@EarthScienceFun43 I found many in the souk of Marrakech but I am sure they are not real ! but I will take a serious look next time and see if I can find something ! thank you
Is there an online source that sells trilobite fossils you would recommend as trustworthy? I don't have access to Moroccan fossils dealers, but I do have the internet.
Unfortunately I don't know of one right off the bat. I'd recommend going with somebody USA based that has detailed descriptions of the fossils and their ages to start. Somebody that's been a fossil dealer for a while and has a record of good business. And definitely use the tips from the video to verify what they are claiming.
Best of luck with finding a good source for trilobite fossils!
Only way a fake fossils would be cool. If it was marked a reperduction. And it was cheap compared to the real thing. That way collectors that couldn't afford the bigger fossils could have something like that in there personally collection. Like me lol I been collecting my hole Life both finding them myself and buying both fossils and meniral crystal etc. I would love to have a huge trilobite or huge ass ammonite.
I agree casts are not frauds in fact smithsonian has offered a really nice replica of a trilobite from master replicas not a fraud either very nice but pretty expensive price due to being a great quality replica
Oh no. I just bought from Etsy.
what if the real fossils are just really good fakes?
Fake
Fake