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Showing results for tags 'sacramento mountains'.
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Hi, noone will hurt my feelings if this turns out to be geological and not an orthocone cast. I was exploring for other fossils when I chanced upon 3 separate specimens of the following. They were all about the same dimensions and appearance so I decided to bring one home. What the heck it only weighed a couple of pounds. 7.5" x 3" at the widest. Elliptical shape on left end a side view
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- lower pennsylvanian
- orthocone
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Recently completed a lengthy set of walkabouts in the lower Pennsylvanian. I have a lot that I can pseudo-identify and am comfortable leaving them alone for now. OTH, I am hopeful someone with the skills will provide some helpful nudges in assigning more accurate names to the following: I believe this is a coral. This is about 4" tall and 3.5" wide Zoom in I'm calling it a snail but I know that is not correct. Max length is 1.5" And then these mystery spine-like objects on a sort of mash plate. It is hard to tell but the long intermittent one, swooping from lower left to upper right, maybe indeed be a single long strand 3" long
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- new mexico
- pennsylvanian
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I never cease to be amazed by the crazy things I find while stumbling around in the great outdoors like this odd remains of a crinoid. Mother Nature keeps me endlessly entertained. The rock has shells, bryozoa and other TBD's. The rock the specimen is in also just really, really light for its size and very porous in appearance. Lots of voids, some with very tiny shells inside. this seeming spiral gastropod is probably 2mm long and hiding in a void. not the best pic as taken indoors with lighting at night...but I hope you get the idea.
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- crinoid
- pennsylvanian
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Apologies, I was out looking for other kinds of permineralized material today and just as I was leaving the search area I found this sliver of material. For some reason I just can't get a good pic of it to convey the material better. I do hope to get back there to search for more material but my thought is this is fern. Maybe I need to get a bit more daylight and a little further away. 2.5" length, 1" width, 3/4" tall
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It’s winter and time to explore as many canyons as possible before it gets hot here. As always; in search of exercise, fossils and other items of interest. A visual summary of the ascent of one side canyon and the descent of the another. The entrance to the two canyon loop Today I had to share the trail Ordovician formations with small cave Ordovician staircase walkway in canyon bottom, Silurian cliffs at top of pic As the main canyon ascends, the hiking eventually meets where Ordovician contacts Silurian At the top of this Silurian dry falls is the Devonian but not much of it. This Devonian area is just before the canyon splits into two canyons
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- brachiopods
- crinoids
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Greetings. I chanced upon this in the way out yonder in a Pennsylvanian formation while out on a hike...and wondered to myself 'Self, is this a brachiopod with a quartz crystal lophophore or a brachiopod with some quartz crystals in it'. Time to ask the pros or those in the know...
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- brachiopod
- lophophore
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I was traipsing around in a wild geologic zone 'red ellipse'. Lots of faulting, etc. I was in the orange area when I found a block of what could pass for recently dried mud having quite a few tiny brachiopods about 5mm in width. Maybe the brachiopod lovers could help put a generic name to this one so I can do more research? There are some larger brachiopods of a similar appearance (yet different) on the specimen but the largest barely gets to 10mm. I will post additional pics tomorrow when I get better lighting.
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Okay, I know these two pics will look pretty indeterminate, but would anyone be able to get me past cephalopod and gastropod and into an area where I can research and expand my knowledge. Both these were found in the Mississippian, Lake Valley Formation, Andrecito Member (early Osagean). Clear association to Zoophycos with which these were found.
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- andrecito formation
- cephalopod
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A daylong venture into the back canyons of the Sacramento Mountains to look for minerals and fossils. From the trailhead & back was just under 9 miles and lots of rock scrambling through Ordovician-Pennsylvanian formations. A dryfall requiring a climb around Overhang with rippled sandstone floor having iron concretions A view back down hill partway to summit Horn corals Maybe coral?
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- fossils
- mississippian
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Hopefully this will be quick and easy for those who have the knowledge. I was meandering in the hills and came across some horn corals. I am used to calling the smaller one on the left a horn coral. I am presuming the one on the right also a horn coral. Would someone kindly provide sufficient naming to each so I can do some offline research and reading? Apologies for fuzzy pic. Camera seemed to only want to focus on the backdrop material.
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- horn coral
- mississippian
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Okay, this is way, way out there, but it's a maybe. I am sitting on the fence for going real or mother nature. I was strolling around the mountains today. On an Silurian plateau I spied this piece of cherty material with what may or may not be a small crinoid. It is a bit banged up, kind of rusty looking, but seems like an immature crinoid??? Otherwise, a very interesting want-to-be. Material is missing from some areas which would have been helpful and it wraps around the edge of the rock making it challenging to photograph. On the entire chunk of rock there are no other features of note. Size from 8 on the ruler as it wraps around the other side comes out to about 35mm
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- crinoid
- sacramento mountains
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Sacramento Mountains - escarpment approach for a walkabout
Kato posted a topic in Fossil Hunting Trips
Due to lost climbing experience I had made a failed approach into an escarpment canyon climb last year. A few months later with skills rebuilt I decided to tackle one of the canyons on the east side of Alamogordo, NM again. The escarpment rise fairly abruptly from the trailhead. Approximately 1,100 feet in 1.3 miles to the highest point of the walkabout. This summary will include some pics from my earlier failed attempt. My goals...to visit a unique looking mud mound, find fossils and get away from it all. One the way up the canyon bottom I spotted this ghostly apparation in an exposed slab. Halycite? The main geologic feature of interest was this formation called 'Teepee Mound'. Look to left side of formation for teepee The geologists summary of what is going on My approach was to continue far up canyon to a higher altitude then cut back west to approach the teepee shape. About midway up the teepee shape from the east looking back to the basin. These formations were thick with crinoids. The teepee actually seemed to be suspended by columns of material. Likely supporting material leached away over the years by water.
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- geologic formations
- sacramento mountains
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Okay, I had originally just thought this specimen was a 'mother nature playing games' kind of rock when I was out exploring on a day that turned out to be filled with lots of trace fossils. After some online research for Ordovician trace fossils I came across some Flickr photos for Petroxestes pera, bivalve borings, that were once called 'turkey tracks'. The particular photo panel labeled, Petroxestes pera bivalve borings on limestone hardground (Turkey Track Layer, Waynesville Formation, Upper Ordovician; Flat Fork Arm of Caesar Creek Lake, Warren County, Ohio, USA) , looks quite similar to the strange marks I found in this upper Ordovician formation here in southern NM. Any trace fossil turkey track experts willing to comment? Thank you in advance, Kato
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While on a walkabout, I chanced across a lower Mississippian formation called Andrecito having this fossil remnant that I believe is Zoophycos. Would someone who knows please advise if this correct? Thank you, Kato
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- andrecito formation
- sacramento mountains
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Okay, in our area we aren't supposed to have Mesozoic layers due to an unconformity....but...is this a rudist?
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On a walkabout before another wintry event here in Alamogordo, chanced across two brachiopods. Are these dictyoclostus variants?
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Hi, while on a walkabout for crinoid calyx found this particular formation having what seems to be a branching bryozoan fossil. This particular formation seemed to be quite full of fan type corrals as well as what I think are branching bryozoa (most in the length of 4"-6"). This one was about 4" long. Would someone kindly confirm the fossil type or please guide me to a correct naming?
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While out before a snowstorm hit the area I was in search of fossils in different areas back in a deep canyon. I found this on a slope for an area known for Silurian/Devonian formations. The Devonian (Sly Gap) is known for sandstone which this specimen is in. Above that it is Mississippian with no such sandstone that I am aware of. I'm gathering some samples to begin learning fossil prep. As this is sandstone, I recall from college using DMSO to loosen sandstone matrix...so it was going to be a sandstone experiment versus the limestone specimens I've got lined up for when my vibro engraver shows up. Anyway, enough babble....any ideas? Length is 2" on the dot.
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I have managed to find some fossils I want to preserve such as these ferns and some cordaites. As best as I can read online it seems these should not be cleaned to ensure to not ruin them. Or is that wrong? Is there something to soak them in that won't harm them? Afterwards, what is best to preserve them with? Should they be kept away from sunlight to reduce fading? Basically, would anyone recommend a link or two to read to keep these looking nice. Thank you, Kato ===================== Ferns Cordaite with multi-color staining from different oxidization rates from pyritization???
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- crinoids
- fern fossils
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I was on a walkabout with my smallest pack and came across this specimen in the bottom of a dry canyon bed. It has obviously been somewhat tumbled and rounded over the years. 16" at the widest dimension. I found a couple of other specimens that are much bigger. Over 2x larger. This was the most interesting due to the strange folds of material on the top and right side. My first guess was some type of reef material but I've never seen anything like this before and cold find nothing online even coming close. Maybe just a bunch of fossilized shells on end? With the odd folds I sort of ruled that out. I only have this single shot. My bad. Going to try and bring it out in my biggest heaviest duty pack...a tad over a 2 mile ruck to the closest road. Thankfully downhill. Unless someone tells me it is a leaverite.
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- coral reef
- sacramento mountains
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Hello, thank you in advance for any help. I have recently moved near the southern part of the Sacramento Mountains in New Mexico and have been finding some fossils. This one, I think might be part of a coral, but I can't identify it. It does not appear to be a complete specimen if you look at the end view. Found in Deadman Canyon off of Alamo Canyon just east of Alamogordo, NM. It was found as float in a debris field and I've been unable to identify the rock formation it came from in the surrounding exposed strata at this time. Apologies for the lower quality pics due to cell camera limitations. Around here the primary fossil appears to be crinoids....the black colored object with white striations, is in what appears to be a red sandstone with no other identifying fossils such as crinoids to help date the formation. Side view End view
