Search the Community

Can anyone tell me if these are actual fossils or just geological formations, although they look like fossilize plants to me, it would be very surprising to find fossilized plants from the late Ordovician period. both rocks were found in the Nicolet River Formation on the banks of the Richelieu river

Hi, I am still new at identifying brachiopods, I know there is a great diversity of similar species, which makes it even more difficult for me. Can you help me identify these two brachiopods, they both feature a semicircular outline, concavo-convex profile, and small size (~1.0 cm wide). They also have a wide, straight hinge numerous and very fine lines and ribs. Not sure if they are the same species, one of them has a larger size with a bit smaller width compared to length. So I don't think they are the same species. The plate was found in the Nicolet River Formation south of Montreal, QC Any help would be appreciated, thanks !

Hi fellow fossil collector, can you identify this brachiopod for me? I recently found a very different brachiopod, where I usually collect my fossils in an Upper Ordovician formation (Click here to see the site). I can easily find hundreds of swerbyella, but this fossil is very different from what I usually find, its huge size, 3 times larger than any fossil i usually find, and its different shape puzzles me. It measures approximately 3cm x 2.5cm. It also has intriguing concentric protuberances composed of a primary and secondary shell on external shell surface. As you can see it is very fragile, there is a crack going through it which is about to break it in half. Is there a way to consolidate the crack without damaging it further? Thank you!

I don't know if this is the right place for this tread, as it's not really a trip, it's more like a few hours of outing. It won't call it hunting either, the fossils are underwater so it's more like fishing. Anyway, this is one of my many trips to this place, it's not very far, and it allows me to take a nature walk on weekends. Do not expect to see anything bigger than a few centimeters, this is the late Ordovician, historically the formation of rocks in the area is due to its immersion, towards the end of the Ordovician geological era, which led to the establishment of marine sediments. Then raised by tectonic forces, the whole region was subjected to a long erosion from the end of the Ordovician to the end of the Tertiary. Subsequently, after being covered with a thick layer of ice during the Quaternary, the St. Lawrence Lowlands were submerged by the Champlain Sea following the collapse of the underlying foundation, therefore , by the weight of glaciers. After dropping clays and sands, the sea has declined, following the recovery of the base, and left the area in its current state. The site is not as gorgeous or rich in fossils as other site we see in this forum, but it is rich in brachiopod, crinoid, bryozoan and gastropod. Here are some pictures to give you an idea of the site, it is a small beach where I do my fossil fishing, in fact at this time of year I tend to call it ice fishing, even if it is close to the rapids and there is no ice formation in the water. This is a good thing because the fossils are not hidden under snow or ice, and it can still be found at this time of year. There was lot's of fossils just underneath the water line, some of them I could take, most of them were large plate that I couldn't detaches, It was difficult to take picture of the fossils under water, because the wave, I had to take picture in between each wave , and when the water was calmer. A large plate full of brachiopod, couldn't get it out, it was still attached rock solid, beside the water was to cold for my pore hands. A couple of bryozoan under water crinoid rings underwater Other nice fossils that I found It was a nice day and ice was calling to be taken in picture, it was omnipresent during all of my hunt for fossils, I will post other picture in nature forum. I think this is a fossil but I really don't know what it is, I might have to post for an ID Request This is the end of my fishing day. See the Nature Photography thread for more picture of that day. LINK The End

My first post was so popular that I decided to do a second. I went to the same place, and found more many rich and colorful fossils, and got enough material to write to you about it. For those who missed my first post, you will find it HERE As you will see in this article, I combine my two passions, collecting fossils and color photography. I love color, creating black and white photographs of fossils is good for scientific research, when you are a paleontologist and want to record the small details for science and posterity. But for people who are just starting to explore the world of fossils, we need something more inspiring, because to be fair, fossil photos are generally drab, and generally unappealing to the general public. Not that fossil collectors don't take great photos, I see fantastic photos all the time on TFF, but usually in a different context. I'm just trying to be a little different and take a picture of the fossils as I see them, in their natural environment. Maybe this will inspire the next generation of fossils collectors. This site is part of the Lorraine group (Chambly sub-formation). It contains the most recent sedimentary rock in the region, a series of clay and limestone schists that are redder towards the top. It's made up of clay schists, a sedimentary rocks of dynamic origin, formed by the splitting of existing rocks and calcareous schists, a sedimentary rocks formed by the accumulation of animal or plant matter in bodies of water. This region also bears the marks of the Quaternary geological era. Immediately after the last ice age, the whole St. Lawrence Valley and its waterways became a vast inland sea (the Champlain Sea) that stretched as far as today's Lake Champlain. The site is not as gorgeous or rich in fossils as the other sites we see in this forum, but it is rich in brachiopods, crinoids, bryozoans, and a few gastropods. Sorry @Kane no trilobites. Here are some photos to give you an idea of the site, it's a small beach where the fossils are underwater, so I'm literarily fishing for fossils. The formation is made up of many colorful stairs and steps leading to the water's edge. Like a time machine, each step takes you back a thousand years, where you can discover at each staircase the remains of a thriving fauna, long extinct. Don't expect to see anything bigger than a few inches, this is the Late Ordovician historically rock formation in the Richelieu River Valley in the St. Lawrence Lowlands rests on sedimentary rocks. which are some 450 million years old and formed during the Cambrian Period of the Paleozoic Era. I was able to photograph this hash plate full of sowerbyella at that special moment, when the water was receding after a previous wave. This is not a painting, just a photograph of what typical Ordovician fauna might have looked like 500 million years ago, almost as if we were there. I try to keep my hand dry and out of the freezing water, picking up the fossils between two waves, leaving the fossils out of the water. It was difficult to photograph the fossils underwater, because of the waves I took the photo at a time when the water was calmer and just before a wave came crashing on it. A lonely sowerbyella taking her beauty bath I found bi_valve playing hide and seek, with the bubbles A lot of times I hear that fossil and water aren't a good mix, but in my case it's a perfect match. The water acts as a sort of magical act, bringing these 450 million year old fossils back to life, infusing them with vibrant colors and hiding the passage of time. These normally terness fossils have a second life in this freezing water, small imperfections are hidden, making the texture smooth and lustrous, with beautiful vibrant colors. In homage of the Beatles, I call this one the Yellow Submarine Some brachiopod pile up over each other, I don't know what cause this rainbow of colors, the diffraction, the translucidities' of the fossils. Whatever the reason, it's a beautiful effect and a total surprise. A colorful brachiopod on a colorful rock I really like the contrast of theses two plate Don't need to search, no fossil here. Just a color full formation. Crinoid columnals are the most commonly recognized crinoid fossils, they are individual pieces of the column, or stalk, these resemble small washers. Olympic logos gone wild or Crinoid columnals, you choses. I particularly like the circles with a small star inside Columnals are joined together in life by elastic ligaments and skin. However, when the animal dies these soft tissues quickly decay and the stem break apart into individual ossicles, they leave behind a great many fossils. After the crashing waves, they sometimes cover themselves with air bubbles, giving this strange old world a new dimension. The hole in the center of the columnal is called the axial canal. It is most commonly round but may also be pentagonal or star-shaped, like this 1 millimeter fossil. Despite their small size some fossils can still be the star of the show. Bryozoans consist of a skeletal structure of calcium carbonate that has numerous tiny holes or openings dotting the surface. These holes once housed individual bryozoan animals called zooids, that derived their nutrients from the seawater. Atlas Of Ancient Life I found this briozoma all alone on this big boulder, strangely it comes out of the rock and comes back in right away. This is another bryozoan, it was on a smaller rock and I was able to collect it for my collection Most colonies were only a few inches in diameter but a colony of an Ordovician form found in the Cincinnati region ( Florence, Kentucky) is more than 26 inches in diameter and is one of the largest known bryozoan colonies. I really like this formation for it's richness of colors Photo taken in direct sunlight of a wet bi-valve Again, mother nature was playing with ice producing these wonderful sculptures everywhere we look. It was such a nice day, I couldn't resist taking some in picture. See other Ice sculpture Here. Crinoid columnals trapped under translucent ice. I found all theses fossils in just haft a day at that very special place. For those of you that did not see my previous post about my first fossil fishing trip, your in luck because it is still available HERE.

I found this while fossil hunting see my post The day I went fishing for fossils. I'm wondering what it is , it's between 4 and 6 inches I guess, didn't have an rule with me at that time .

I found this on one of my hash plate, is it what I think it is, a very small cephalopod ?

Hi, I found theses black fragment of some sort onto on a couple of plates from the Ordovician that I found. Can someone help to 'Fossil ID' them? If you can also help ID the brachiopod, that would be appreciated (-: Thanks!

Is this a graptolite ? It's my first one.........maybe

I found the following Teeny-weeny fossil, among this colony of brachiopods. We can see many similar fragments all having the same size. I posted pictures of some of the best fragments. Found it in Nicolet River Formation near Montreal, Quebec. For me it looks like, maybe, a fragment of conularid, but I wasn't able to find anything exactly like it on the internet. Does somebody know what this is?

I recently found this peculiar fossil, I know that it is from the Ordovician period, because of the formation where it was found. But I cannot figure out if it is a piece of a trilobite or a cephalopod, or something else? It look like it have to round half that are joining in the middle.