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Lower Devonian 1st Adventure


KC2EP

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My son and I got our first trip looking for fossils in!  We checked out a road cut exposing some Lower Devionian rocks and found a chunk of rock that looked like it came loose with the recent rains we had.  There were a ton of Brachiopods in it.  We didn't really dig around in the rocks or split anything.  We really were just looking on the surface, but I want to learn more about actually finding fossils that are not just loose.

 

We also checked out the rock formations in our backyard, which we only found 1 really tiny Brachiopod in it, despite a lot of searching what was visible on the surface!  Lots to learn and we are looking forward to it!  The formation in the photo is the one in our backyard.  I am not sure how to search it yet thoughtfully though.  I am also not sure of the geology of this area yet and we are searching for more information on it.

 

Overall, we had a blast!

 

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Welcome to TFF from Austria!

You really had a good start at the road cut and having such a nice outcrop in your backyard is a real bonus!

Local members would be able to give detailed advise about formations around you and methods to collect in.

Btw, would you like to show us some of your brachiopods from the road cut? Thanks! :).
Franz Bernhard

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Welcome to the Forum, and congratulations on a successful hunt! :) 

    Tim    -  VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER

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__________________________________________________
"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks."

John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~   ><))))( *>  About Me      

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We got out yesterday to another Lower Devonian roadside site yesterday.  Have to make home schooling due to Covid fun!  Found a ton of Brachiopods again, although most were damaged.  MY son is really taking an interest in the rock pick and wants to be the only one who uses it.  He is autistic so it is hard to find activities that captivate his attention.  He really likes picking up rocks from the ground and looking at them, which is awesome!

Here are photos of some of the things we found.  I just ordered the Field Guide to Devonian Fossils of New York, so hopefully I can start to identify some of what we find. 

 

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Edited by KC2EP
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If you even found one fossil in your back yard, that’s great!  Here in Northern California it’s all volcanic and metamorphic rock.  We have to drive hours to get anywhere productive.  Congratulations and be sure to show us more pictures.

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Hi and congratulations. I’ve collected fossils in the Saugerties area which has both lower and middle Devonian exposures. The last two fossils are actually bivalve shells which leads me to think they’ re Middle Devonian. Also the outcrop you showed us looks like shale and the Lower Devonian fossils are always in limestone. Have you been to Glenerie which is a. Lower Devonian exposure along the east side of 9W about five miles south of Saugerties. The limestone there is packed with brachiopods, some Gastropoda, and a few other fossils. Good luck to you and your son.

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2 hours ago, Jeffrey P said:

Hi and congratulations. I’ve collected fossils in the Saugerties area which has both lower and middle Devonian exposures. The last two fossils are actually bivalve shells which leads me to think they’ re Middle Devonian. Also the outcrop you showed us looks like shale and the Lower Devonian fossils are always in limestone. Have you been to Glenerie which is a. Lower Devonian exposure along the east side of 9W about five miles south of Saugerties. The limestone there is packed with brachiopods, some Gastropoda, and a few other fossils. Good luck to you and your son.

Thank you for the info!  The first set of photos was from the Glenerie area (the large rock with fossils) and one of my backyard.  I am not sure of the time period for my backyard, but found one rock with a small fossil in it.  I'm attaching that to this post.  The Glenerie spot is right down the mountain from my house.  Maybe 5 minutes away.  I live next to Opus 40, so lots of rocks here!  The second set of photos is from the 209 corridor.  The area where we were was all shale.  Good to know the difference between lower and middle Devonian.  The Glenerie spot was just a bit too hard with a 7 year old being that close to the road.  I called the number for permission to go near the waterfalls, but have not heard back yet. 

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The falls are Esopus Shale. Unfortunately not at all good for fossil hunting, besides being private property. Check out my Glenerie finds in my Lower Devonian Gallery. Route 209 exposes Silurian, Lower Devonian and Middle Devonian fossils depending on where you look. 

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Congrats on the successful hunts! So glad to hear you have gotten your son involved! My 5 year old is almost as enamored with fossils as I am (almost...), and it makes my day when he gets excited over fossils and "cool rocks". May you two have many more successful hunts together! :) 

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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)

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