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Help ID Purse State Park Finds (shells?)


sandynva

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Hello there fossil experts! I'm a total newbie and just went on my first fossil hunt --a couple hours at Purse State Park. I found a bunch (like 60!) shark teeth, mostly tiny but i'm still thrilled. But i also found some things that look like fossil shells, and one thing that looks like fossil scales, that i was hoping you could help me ID. The first picture is what looked to me like fossil shells, but are they? are there fossil shells at purse state park? most of the online discussion of finds there seems to be of teeth, rays, and mouth plates and doesn't mention shells so i wasn't sure. They were mostly found about halfway between the water's edge and the cliffs.  the things in the second picture (with two large items) were found basically at the water's edge. Are these fossils? if so, what are they? i thought the one on the left sort of looked like underbelly scales. I also found two small mystery objects which are in picture 2, below the tape measure. Any ideas what these are? they are smooth and seem heavy.  Thank you so much! 

fossil2.jpg

fossil1.jpg

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Ostrea compressirostra, a type of oyster common during the Paleocene. The little squiggly things are concretions, one looks iron based and the black one is likely phosphatic.

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“...whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been and are being evolved.” ~ Charles Darwin

Happy hunting,

Mason

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2 hours ago, WhodamanHD said:

Ostrea compressirostra, a type of oyster common during the Paleocene. The little squiggly things are concretions, one looks iron based and the black one is likely phosphatic.

 

Ostrea compressirostra is a Lower Pliocene bivalve.  Ostrea alepidota is from the Upper Paleocene Piscataway Member of the Aquia Formation near Purse State Park.

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"A problem solved is a problem caused"--Karl Pilkington

"I was dead for millions of years before I was born and it never inconvenienced me a bit." -- Mark Twain

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 So the things in the first picture are fossil oysters?  That’s so neat, thank you! And thank you for identifying the squiggles as well.  Are the two bigger items in the second picture, the one with the squiggles, also oysters or something else? Thanks again!

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1 hour ago, sandynva said:

Are the two bigger items in the second picture, the one with the squiggles, also oysters or something else? Thanks again!

 

Look like worn oysters.

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"A problem solved is a problem caused"--Karl Pilkington

"I was dead for millions of years before I was born and it never inconvenienced me a bit." -- Mark Twain

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