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Here is the next part of my north slope trip pictures. After camping for two days I headed west and stopped on the Canning River to fish for char. The gravel bar I landed on had pieces of fossil coral and the river cut bank was of the same Kingak Shale with some large concretions. The view out of the plane shows the Ignek valley, east and west. After fishing headed west and stopped at the Kavic Camp for fuel, bring cash as avgas is $12 a gallon and glad to get it! Saddelrochit Mountains Looking west Ignek River valley Looking east Ignek River valley with Ignek Mesa behind the rear lift strut. Coral present in Canning River bed. Pingo- a feature of permafrost, ice lens buildup of up to 300/400 foot elevation. Polygons- ice lens in the soil giving the polygon shapes seen next to the pingo. No place to land here or would have checked it out. Reached the Colville River in the evening and flew all the way to the Killik River where the Colville takes a sharp bend. Killik River Colville River at the Killik River bend. Upon returning home read that there are known dinosaur track ways there and would have like to hike over and see them. Camp at Killik River ( the next day) Landed for lunch and was greeted by several bunches of caribou Kobuk and caribou bone Lignite present on most of the gravel bars. Colville River bar where fossils were seen. Bone or antler fragment.

Fossil hunting in Long Creek Hood County Texas, found these (all the same shape) fossils. Are they a pelecypod, oyster, gryphaea? Any suggestions appreciated! It almost looks like a weathered bi-valve. See the last pic I posted.

I am fortunate to live in a fossiliferous neighborhood in Fort Worth Texas. Not only have I found a strata of gryphea across the street from my house, but I have found pelecypods in my backyard and an ammonite in Arcadia park down the street from where I live. Just recently I found more gryphea in my yard. All of the fossils in my neighborhood are, according to my research, Lower Cretaceous in age. I took one of my grandsons down to one site a mere one hundred yards from my home and he found excellent specimens of gryphea. (Samples are attached). Have any of my fellow Texans found gryphea in their locations? ----- Olenellus

Hi everyone! Holidays mean more time to photo and post. As previously mentioned in my previous post, I am finding a lot of fossil impressions and voids in chert and mudstone on a small artist residency and farm in Kingsbury, Texas, in Guadeloupe County. And some petrified wood. Most of the casts I find are pelecypods and some gastropods; however I am finding some other stuff, some of it total mystery. This time I will post the mystery items first. Let me know your thoughts! This first mystery (3 views) has tight incised lines around the darker shape - most evident in central photo. The next item, below, has lots of impressions. The closeup on right shows a spiral on left side, is that a worm, or a gastropod internal cast/mold? I think the horizontal cavities on right of closeup are some kind of coral? Here's some coral ... or petrified wood? (two images Photoshopped together) And also...the below is super interesting...at first I thought it was just a chip, or a shell impression. But starting to think insect wings! At first I thought this could be a bryozoa (left photo below), but I think it is more likely a worn pelecypod impression, re like the typical one on the other side other rock (right photo). And here's some pet wood, various types And bone? Or coral? I keep thinking bone because of smooth sides.

I found this a couple of years ago and have periodically taken it out to examine it as I've found the accumulation of fauna adhering to it's surface as very interesting. For awhile I affectionately referred to it as an accretion (as opposed to a concretion), envisioning a clump of mud rolling around in the wave action of a shoreline picking up bits of dead fauna. But now, with the fairly recent posts that have come up about crustacean burrows, I'm second guessing. On the exterior of this piece are brachiopod shell bits and molds, possible pectinid shell molds, crinoid columnals, and tiny gastropod steinkerns and exterior molds with decoration. The dark clumps appear to be pyrite. There are two depression areas, one on the large end, and a smaller one that is offset of the smaller end. These I speculate to be the exposed chamber, should this be a burrow. Notably within these depressions are oval shaped pellets and an interesting fibrous texture. So, I now defer to your opinions! Thank you for looking!

I am so happy with the help I received earlier today! Here are just a few more Aurora, North Carolina fossils. I have some ideas on a couple, but I cannot make an exact match! #1 and 2: The same specimen, showing each side. I am wondering if it is not a bone fragment? I know whale and fossil bone pieces are found here! #3: I believe it i some type of Murex - but I cannot match it exactly, other than I think it is a Whelk! #4: I Pelecypod - I was never very good with these! #5: Another pelecypod; I am thinking Nucula! #6 & 7: Two views of the same fossil; it LOOKS like murchisonia, except that I think they were extinct by the time these fossils were made! #8: Another similar gastropod. #9 & #10 - Sorry for the bad quality, these were made with my computer microscope! #11 & 12: Some type of claw? Now, a REALLY important question: I REALLY like invertebrate fossils - because that is what I can find near me! I have nice references for those! They are free from the State of Pennsylvania. (I will be happy to upload if anyone wants). I also have the AUdobon Guide to Fossils - and the Smithsonian Fossil Guide. I have downloaded some wonderful (and free) OLD books - some of which really are still useful in many cases - A Dictionary of the Fossils of Pennsylvania VOL I, II and III. (Free for download, they are out of copyright - However so much has changed for many areas - STILL useful to help identify) I have references that help me with the Alabama formations, and British Columbia ones. What GENERAL references you you folks recommend? In my main collecting field, (Coins - Ancient, modern, medieval) we always tell new collectors BUY THE BOOK FIRST. I have even authored 9 or 10 coin books myself! So - I realize this advice about books applies here as well! What are your favorite references? For Gastropods - Trilobites - Brachiopods - Pelecypods, etc. All recommendations are welcome! Again, many thanks! I am happy that I am returning to something I loved as a young person! And I appreciate this wonderful group so much! Dpaul7

Hello! I just moved to Florida and finally settled in, and as I was unpacking, I realized that I had several fossils in my rock collection that begged for their own separate display. Which made me study them up close again. And wonder what they were! So, googling around, I found out that my "mud clams" are pelecypods, and a "wavy" piece of rock is a fossilized turtle shell. And so I am here on the Forum to learn even more!