A Day in the Lower Devonian with the New York Paleontological Society

[Jeffrey P]

Yesterday, Tim (Fossildude19) and myself met at our usual meeting spot and with Tim driving and his downloads playing, we headed north to a planned rendezvous with the New York Paleontological Society's outing at Cobleskill Stone Products just outside Schoharie, N.Y. The weather was gorgeous- perfect really, sunny mid-50s. Fall colors were in full swing. We drove through the northern edge of the Catskills, arriving early at our rendezvous, the parking lot at the Cobleskill Stone Company. It was my first time there since 2013. I went on two previous NY Paleontological Society outings to this site, access tightly restricted. I had wanted to return, but every year there always seemed to be a conflict. One year I recall there was a planned Fossil Forum gathering at DSR on the same day. 

 

There were many reasons I wanted to return: The quarry had the best exposure of the Kalkberg Formation I've ever encountered. The Kalkberg is Lower Devonian, part of the Helderberg Group. Marine fossils are especially abundant and well preserved. The biodiversity is exceptional. There are many species of brachiopods, plus corals, nautiloids, bryozoans, the sponge, Hindia, and trilobites. Since the quarry is infrequently hunted, many specimens can be found exposed, even weathered clean right out of the limestone. Many of my best Kalkberg fossils are from there. I was excited to be there. It is always a pleasure to be out collecting with Tim. It was his first time at this quarry. 

 

Here are a couple pictures of the quarry. Notice the bright fall colors in the background. 

[Jeffrey P]

[Jeffrey P]

[Jeffrey P]

In order to reduce congestion and group size, the leaders brought two visiting groups to three different sites within the quarry. Our group first went to a just excavated site about halfway up. It was my first time there. Fossils were not as abundant as what I had encountered on my previous trips and since they were barely weathered, much harder in general. I suspect this area wasn't the Kalkberg, but the Coeymans Formation, though there may have been some Kalkberg mixed in. We only picked up a few things. I did see that a mother/son pair we met in the parking lot had found what appeared to me to be a good-sized Kettneraspis trilobite. It wasn't clear if the cephalon was attached and it looked like it would be a huge challenge to extract it intact from the huge rock it was on. I don't know if they were able to get it. 

 

After two plus hours we were then moved to a site at the top of the quarry. This was where I was the previous two times. Although this as a huge expanse and it had been over seven years since I had been there, I remembered where I had had my previous success. Tim was happy to follow me there. There were only a couple of other collectors in our area. One of them found two large nautiloids. Tim and found a lot of brachiopods, crinoids, and specimens of the sponge, Hindia. Here's what I collected:

[Jeffrey P]

[Phevo]

That sure is one good looking hole in the ground, nice with the trees too

 

Beautifull finds to top it off

[Nautiloid]

I’m bummed I couldn’t make it to this NYPS trip.  
Looks like you had a good time though!

 

 

[Fossildude19]

As Jeff said, it was a wonderful day of collecting the lower Devonian formations available to us in the Quarry. 

The weather was sunny, and cool, with nary a cloud in the sky. 

Jeff always makes for a fun collecting partner, and even the 2 hour trip was scenic and pleasant.

I was lucky, and found most of my target items for the day. I took home some trilo-bits, the very cool Hindia sponges,  Leptaena rhomboidalis, Rhipodomella oblata, and Pseudoatrypa devoniana brachiopods, some cool bryozoans, Aspidocrinus crinoid holdfasts, and even a cephalopod and gastropod. 

 

Here is a quick phone picture as a preview: 

(I still need to take some better pictures with the real camera.)  

 

 

[Ludwigia]

Looks like you guys had a fun time!

[FossilNerd]

@Jeffrey P @Fossildude19
Looks like you two had a great time! Nice scenery, weather, finds and company too. Thanks for sharing! 

[Al Tahan]

Nice trip! Looks like you and tim both did really well. 

[Trevor]

Awesome finds and report Jeff! Glad to see you could make it out to such a limited-access site.

[erose]

I'm assuming this is the large quarry just off Rickard Hill Rd.  If so I am so jealous since while we were hitting the road cut back then the club had yet to gain access to the quarry, and then I moved to Texas.  I remember when I scouted the site with Carl M and Don Phillips I went home with 20 different species of brachiopods from just the road cut.  

 

Yep, seriously envious.  And allthough I don't miss the winters I DO miss the fabulous fall colors of upstate New York.

 

Great report, thanks.

 

Erich

[Tidgy's Dad]

1 hour ago, erose said:

 I went home with 20 different species of brachiopods from just the road cut.  

[Family Fun]

Super items, looks like I’ll have to expand my thoughts beyond shark teeth, although I I truly enjoy the beach time and warm weather. 

[Rhiguita]

That looked like a really fun trip, and those are some really cool finds.

[erose]

Wondering is NYPS still using my field guide?  It was great fun to research and all done with minimal computer graphics and major scotch tape.

 

[Fossildude19]

1 hour ago, erose said:

Wondering is NYPS still using my field guide?  It was great fun to research and all done with minimal computer graphics and major scotch tape.

 

They are.    I bought a copy from the trip leader.   

 

[JimB88]

You guys did pretty good! The fauna there seems to share many genus with what is found in the Birdsong here in TN, also a lower Devonian site. 

[Jeffrey P]

1 hour ago, JimB88 said:

You guys did pretty good! The fauna there seems to share many genus with what is found in the Birdsong here in TN, also a lower Devonian site. 

I saw Birdsong Formation fossils in Herb's collection. We considered traveling to a site to collect those on my last trip to Kentucky last month, but ended up going to Hazard instead. I agree the similarities to the Kalkberg specimens are striking. I hope to collect there the next time I visit Kentucky. I will inform you of my plans. 

[Monica]

What a beautiful day you two had!  I've been so busy with work since school began in September that I've been neglecting my fossil obsession, but at least I can hunt vicariously through you!

 

(I especially love the Leptaena brachiopods that you found - they're gorgeous! )

[Fossildude19]

Well, I finally found some time to take some pictures. 

Here are a few of my finds:

 

Bryozoans:

 

    

 

    

 

  

 

 

 

  

[Fossildude19]

Hindia sphaeroidalis  sponges:

 

 

Leptaena rhomboidalis :

 

  

 

 

 

Diaphorostoma ventricosum  gastropod:

 

 

 

Brachiopods: 

 

  

 

  

 

 

 

 

[Fossildude19]

Trilobite partials:

                                                                                                  

    Pygidiums  - unidentified?                                                                             Dalmanites pleuroptyx?

 

     

 

Unidentified pygidiums.

     

 

 

Phacops  Paciphacops logani  cephalon

 

 

 

 

 

Crinoid holdfasts: 

 

Aspidocrinus scutellliformis                                                                    Unidentified.

       

 

 

Edriocrinus pocilliformis  crinoid calyx:

 

  

 

 

 

Unidentified:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[erose]

I love the piece with at least three different fenestrate bryozoans.  One of Hall’s Early NY Monographs has amazing lithographs of bryozoans and corals. But I’ve never seen a decent reproduction. One of those things the internet just can’t compete with.