Search the Community

I was just going through a handful of Pioche Shale (Early-Middle Cambrian, Nebraska Nevada) trilo plates I bought a while ago, and found this interesting piece. I'm leaning more towards algae than worms, as they are reminiscent of the carbon film preservation of algae from Cambrian formations in China. Any thoughts?

I have been working through the trilobite specimens I dug recently at the Oak Springs Trilobite Site in eastern Nevada. I came across this feature in the shale that I can't identify. When I split the piece of shale I found this oval-shaped feature on both halves. It could be geologic or possibly some sort of fossil. It has the same reddish color as some of the trilobites I found, but it's clearly not a trilobite. When I turned one slab over I found the shape extended through the thickness of the slab (about 7 mm or 1/4 in thick) but was no longer a simple oval on the other side, it was much wider. It did not extend through the thickness of the other half of the slab. Anyone have any idea what this is? This is from the Combined Metals Member of the Pioche Shale. The Combined Metals Member was named by the mining community. Apparently this ore was fairly rich in silver, lead, and zinc sulfides and was mined heavily in the early part of the 20th century. Here is the shape from the inside of the split slab (looks the same on both halves). Scale in mm: And here is what it looks like on the other side of the slab:

I usually do not buy fossils, but once in a while I see a deal, and can't resist. I won this auction of Cambrian trilobites. The only info on them is that they are from Pioche Nevada. Pioche Shale. There are 2 trilobites on the plate, not really well preserved, but ... I'm thinking one is Olenoides nevadensis. and the other may be Olenellus gilberti. Pictures are from the auction - sorry for the quality: Any thoughts are appreciated.

Found these trace fossils and possible pseudo fossils at an exposure of the Pioche Shale, Early Cambrian, just outside Las Vegas, Nevada on 6/29/14. A little help with the IDs would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.