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Showing results for tags 'chesapeake bay'.
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Due to the extremely fragile nature of this specimen, and the species in general, I was loathe to clear out any more of the matrix from the interior of the shell, so bits and pieces of other shells are present. The large central piece is the inner "cup," which attaches to the "saucer" at only a very small point in the tip. Collected from landslide material in the bay. Donated to the Delaware Museum of Natural History.
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Collected from matrix from Shattuck Zone 17 that washed into the Chesapeake Bay by landslide. Donated to the Delaware Museum of Natural History.
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Unusual coloration. Typically these are red, sometimes with buff patches, but not usually all buff. The broken areas show the buff color to be a layer on the outside as there is red showing through the breakage. Collected from fallen cliff matrix in the bay containing index fossils of the Drum Cliff Member, Shattuck Zone 18. Donated to the Delaware Museum of Natural History
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Hi everyone, Newbie fossil hunter here. I visited Flag Ponds Nature Park yesterday (June 10, 2018) and came up with some finds that I am having a difficult time identifying. The park is on the west side of the Chesapeake bay near cliff formations from the Miocene epoch. All of these fossils were found in/along the water. Most interesting to me is a small pointed black fossil with deep crevices. I've never come across any like it and I haven't been able to find anything at all online to even give me a hint as to what it may be. The other bone fragments I found seem to come from flat bones, which suggest to me that they might be part of ribs or jaws. My best guess for the larger chunky bone in my pictures is that it might be part of an epiphysis, perhaps also from a rib. Another little find was a portion of something that looks like a tooth, but perhaps not a shark tooth. I also picked up a portion of what would have been a nice sized shark tooth, but I'm just not sure what kind of shark. Finally, I also found a couple of small white disks and am not sure what those are. I wanted to share these finds with you to see what you think they are! More detailed pictures to follow. Any help is much appreciated!
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Greetings from the Shenandoah Valley, Virginia, USA. I just discovered this forum when I was searching online in an attempt to ID some fossils I found yesterday. The first time I ever came across a fossil on the beach was two years ago during my first trip to Flag Ponds Nature Park in Maryland. I found maybe 10 tiny shark teeth. Even though I grew up in Maryland (close to DC) and lived less than an hour's drive from the Chesapeake Bay, I'd never really visited the western shore of the Bay and was ignorant of the stories that the cliffs and waters there had to tell. Last year, I discovered Brownies Beach and made two trips there last year, once in the spring and once in the fall. This year, I made one trip to Brownies and just yesterday, made my second ever trip to Flag Ponds. That's literally the extent of any fossil hunting I've ever done. As you see, I have very little experience, but I think it's fair to say that the bug has bit me and I now have a lingering fascination with the natural history of the area and the creatures that once roamed there. So far, I've only ever found tiny or smaller fossils-- tiny teeth, small bits of bone, and many, many questionable bits that I've kept until I've determined if they are "bone or stone." I'd really like to find some nice sized teeth this year, like a mako or hemi (or...dare I dream...bigger!) and hopefully some interesting bones. I'm looking forward to meeting you all, learning, and sharing! From yesterday:
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I had another great day at Brownies. A bit windy and much cooler than you would expect for late April, but this Spring has been chillier than usual here in Maryland. There was no crowd today, which was very odd, but I am not complaining! Not many big teeth out, but I did manage to find my personal best today, a Mako that measures 5.4 cm. I was so excited about that, that I almost called it a day, but I had only been on the beach for two hours, so I decided to keep going. Then after not much more luck I found what I believe to be a piece of a dolphin jaw. I had a hard time trying to photograph that tonight, so I will try again tomorrow. I also found a nice piece of whale rib, around 7 cm long. I left it in the car, so I will have to photograph it with the jaw. Today was a great day for finding bones. I found a heap of small bones, which I will photograph later. Then toward the end of the day I found the two teeth with cusps. I need to read more about cusped teeth, I am weak in that area. One disappointment of the day was watching a father & his son digging in the cliff. They had climbed up a hill of loose material about 15 feet up and we're digging right into the cliff. They were oblivious to not only the rules of the beach, but also their own safety. It made me sick to watch them. I will update this report tomorrow.
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Please help me identify my pretty cool find
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I decided to work on my lighting setup & I think I am getting closer. These are some of my favorite teeth from the past year. The one on the right end is not leaning against the backdrop, it is actually 3-dimensional, almost as if it has a built in kickstand or tripod. I don't know which species it belongs too. The caramel colored one is my absolute favorite so far, I was shocked to find that one last fall on the beach, just barely on the edge of the waves..
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Hi everyone, I went to Flag Ponds in Calvert County yesterday & found this interesting needle-like tooth. It is 2.5 cm long. It has a channel up one side that is just barely wide enough to get the edge of my fingernail into. Any idea what it is? I do love finding the oddball fossils! Thanks. Update, I uploaded a different photo. You would never know that this is sitting directly under a 60 watt bulb. Imagine a "crying emoji" sitting at the end of this sentence!!
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So... Okay, I just started getting into hunting for fossils. I've always loved fossils and gems and the lot. I went gem mining for the first time when I was about 10 or 11 in McKinley, VA, and since then - I've loved it! My family went on a trip to Cherokee and the Smoky Mtns when I was younger, and we found all kinds of unearthed fossilized things and gem mines. Saturday, we went to Westmoreland State Park up in Montross for the first time, and even though it was chilly and rainy, we found five or six decent shark teeth. I've done a little research, but I'd prefer what other people - and not articles - have to say. Where's the best places to find fossils in VA?
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I found this tooth this week not far from Flag Pond Nature park. It is longer and has a curve so it doesn’t look like the dolphin teeth I have found before. Is it an aberration or something different?
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After some careful thought and many references to suggestions from TFF members, I decided that my first fossil site would be Bayfront Park aka Brownie’s Beach in Chesapeake Beach, Maryland. I packed up my newly bought expedition gear, sifter and all, and headed out. It was a little over an hour’s drive, which is not bad at all if you ask me. It was the day after Black Friday, so I had thought maybe everyone would just want to stay at home. But given it was a weekend, and families were in town for Thanksgiving and looking for something fun to do, my timing ended up not being ideal. When I showed up, the place was pretty busy, but I started collecting right away. There were quite a few other collectors, and in talking to them I learned that small teeth were a common find here, and in very large quantities. I actually didn’t find anything for a while, due to a number of things. The conditions were mediocre, considering how crowded it was and how the beach was riddled with those pesky autumn leaves that make combing the tide lines a real pain. Also, I was able to be at the park during low tide, but I would hardly call it that, as the water barely retreated at all. Must’ve just been the wind direction. But regardless of the imperfect circumstances, I was able to get a nice handful of small fossilized shark chompers and ray plates. My largest tooth, although still small, was actually the first one I found! A decent Physogaleus contortus I believe. Unlike the other teeth, I didn’t even have to sift for that one. Just found it chilling among some pebbles on the sand bank near the entrance of the park. The second I saw it I went “Ooh! That’s a tiger” and gladly picked up my first ever fossil. It will always hold a special place in my heart, even if it’s not the best find. Aside from my tiger, I found a bunch of Lemons, some real nice baby Sand Tigers, and I think some small Dusky. Again, I'm new so please correct my identifications. I also got my hands on some ray plates, and (although I had no idea what it was when I picked it up) a dolphin/porpoise tooth! I’m not quite sure what the black object next to it is, but I believe it to be something like a snail shell. If anyone has any clue what it is, let me know! Overall, I’d say I had a good first fossil hunting trip at a really beautiful site and I got to meet some nice people who share my passion. I got some cool finds and I can’t wait to hunt some more. I won’t let the small teeth scare me away from Brownie’s; I definitely plan on returning in better conditions to get some bigger, better finds. I actually plan on going in the winter, not too long from now! Hope you enjoy the trip report. Hoppe fossil hunting!
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In anticipation of the long Thanksgiving holiday weekend, and a trip back to the beach for more fossil hunting fun, I took some photographs from my last hunt on the Chesapeake.
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- chesapeake bay
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Collected from matrix washed into the Chesapeake Bay by landslide. Donated to the Delaware Museum of Natural History.
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This piece was excavated out of a block of matrix deposited in the Chesapeake Bay by a landslide. It was donated to the Delaware Museum of Natural History.
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Collected from matrix deposited in the Chesapeake Bay by landslide. These shells are extremely fragile and are not to be found loose on the beach. Most disintegrated when I was working the matrix. This specimen was donated to the Delaware Museum of Natural History.
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Collected from matrix deposited in the Chesapeake Bay by landslide. Donated to the Delaware Museum of Natural History.
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I never knew if the oyster shells on the beach were fossil or modern until I pulled this out of a block of matrix deposited by landslide into the Chesapeake Bay. This specimen was donated to the Delaware Museum of Natural History. Genus changed from Parahyotissa.
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Collected from matrix deposited in the Chesapeake Bay by landslide. Donated to the Delaware Museum of Natural History.
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Collected from matrix deposited in the Chesapeake Bay by landslide. Donated to the Delaware Museum of Natural History.
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So, I found this last week in Southern MD. The question before my esteemed miocene experts is.. Did I find the ear drum of a whale..? or am I being fooled by a cleverly shaped rock? ( Also, this is before the specimen fully dried out. ) Thanks for any assistance!
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Excavated from a block of submerged martrix deposited in the Chesapeake Bay by landslide. The common name, geoduck, is pronounced "gooey-duck." This specimen was donated to the Delaware Museum of Natural History.
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This is a particularly fragile type of shell, made of many fine layers, and is prone to disintegrate as these did. This rare steinkern was found on a block of matrix submerged in the Chesapeake Bay. Dimensions are for the best-exposed steinkern on the block. The entire block is 14 cm wide x 10 cm high x 5 cm deep.
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