Nautiloid Posted May 13, 2020 Share Posted May 13, 2020 A few weeks ago I went on a fossil hunting trip to Albany County. I was hunting in the New Scotland formation which is lower Devonian in age. It was very quick and easy to collect in and the dry dredging technique was quite useful. The rock was a very thin shaly limestone which could break easily but many of the fossils had been silicified, making it easy to pop them out of the rock. I found many different species of brachiopods, some gastropods, lots of corals and large bryozoa and a few trilobites 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nautiloid Posted May 13, 2020 Author Share Posted May 13, 2020 Here is all of the stuff before cleaning. 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nautiloid Posted May 13, 2020 Author Share Posted May 13, 2020 Here are some of the nicest brachiopods. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nautiloid Posted May 13, 2020 Author Share Posted May 13, 2020 Here is an unidentified dalmanitid trilobite free cheek. Based on the size I am thinking it could be Neoprobilium nasutus. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted May 13, 2020 Share Posted May 13, 2020 Love those brachs! Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nautiloid Posted May 13, 2020 Author Share Posted May 13, 2020 @Tidgy's Dad Thanks!! I’m a huge fan of this formation because of the diversity of brachiopods. There are a lot of interestingly shaped ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted May 13, 2020 Share Posted May 13, 2020 Indeed. I don't know the formation, but you have a spiriferid, possibly Howellella cycloptera, a rhynchonellid that could be Eatonia medialis and an orthid, maybe Platyorthis planoconvexa? These are really just guesses from my notes, as I say, I don't know this formation but those may be a starting point. If I'm wrong and you know, please tell me what they are. 3 Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted May 13, 2020 Share Posted May 13, 2020 9 hours ago, Tidgy's Dad said: Indeed. I don't know the formation, but you have a spiriferid, possibly Howellella cycloptera, a rhynchonellid that could be Eatonia medialis and an orthid, maybe Platyorthis planoconvexa? These are really just guesses from my notes, as I say, I don't know this formation but those may be a starting point. If I'm wrong and you know, please tell me what they are. Looks like you are probably correct on most of them, Adam. Well done sir. EDITED TO FIX SPELLING ERRORS. 3 Tim - VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER VFOTM --- APRIL - 2015 __________________________________________________ "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~ ><))))( *> About Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted May 13, 2020 Share Posted May 13, 2020 7 hours ago, Fossildude19 said: Looks like you are probably correct on most of them, Adam. Well done sir. I've no idea on that last possible stroph at all. And I've never heard of Unicyclus? New genus? Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nautiloid Posted May 13, 2020 Author Share Posted May 13, 2020 I believe the last one is a Costistrophonella headleyana. The first one is a Howellella cycloptera and the second is a Machaeraria formosa. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nautiloid Posted May 13, 2020 Author Share Posted May 13, 2020 The third one is some sort of orthid brachiopod. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrangellian Posted May 13, 2020 Share Posted May 13, 2020 Good report- looks like a successful trip. All these collecting reports this evening have made me start itching to get out, myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted May 13, 2020 Share Posted May 13, 2020 8 hours ago, Tidgy's Dad said: I've no idea on that last possible stroph at all. And I've never heard of Unicyclus? New genus? Sorry, ... Should have been Uncinulus abruptus. Thanks for pointing that out, Adam. Seems it may be wrong, anyway. Here are some plates from Wilson's Field Guide to the Devonian Fossils of New York. @Nautiloid Better pictures of your specimen would be helpful - try taking them on a non-reflective surface, and with the views shown here. Oblique views are difficult to use to ascertain ID's. 3 Tim - VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER VFOTM --- APRIL - 2015 __________________________________________________ "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~ ><))))( *> About Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilNerd Posted May 13, 2020 Share Posted May 13, 2020 I'm glad that I wasn't the only one who was able to get out recently. Love the diversity of brachs you have! Thanks for sharing. The good thing about science is that it's true whether or not you believe in it. -Neil deGrasse Tyson Everyone you will ever meet knows something you don't. -Bill Nye (The Science Guy) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Tahan Posted May 13, 2020 Share Posted May 13, 2020 Nice trilo bits! Good job with the ID on the brachs too. Successful trip Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nautiloid Posted May 13, 2020 Author Share Posted May 13, 2020 @Al Tahan Thanks!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica Posted May 13, 2020 Share Posted May 13, 2020 Beautiful brachiopods - thanks for showing us! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nautiloid Posted May 13, 2020 Author Share Posted May 13, 2020 @Monica you’re welcome!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffrey P Posted May 13, 2020 Share Posted May 13, 2020 I find a lot of rhynchonellid brachiopods in the Lower Devonian. I confess, I have difficulty distinguishing some of them, partly because they tend to be distorted, or too weathered and because there are so many species. Congratulations on your finds and thanks for posting them. The Helderberg Plateau is a very interesting place from a geological and paleontological perspective. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted October 10, 2022 Share Posted October 10, 2022 Costistrophonella has been synonymized with Strophonella by Williams et al. (2000). So the specimen in question would be Strophonella headleyana. 1 Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stingray Posted October 10, 2022 Share Posted October 10, 2022 @Nautiloid Nice finds, last trip into Albany county, I found the same type of formation where the fossils popped right out of the matrix. Tons of brachiopods a few Gastropods no trilobite parts for me. The place I went took me 15 minutes too collect hundreds after an initial previous hunt. Anyway nice report great finds. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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