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Mid-Late Cretaceous Oyster- Brewster County, TX! Help Identifying?


salmonsnail

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Well Hello, Folks!

 

This is my first post on The Fossil Forum. With my first ever fossil find!

 

Just for some background, I was hiking in the badlands on a private property (with permission, friend of a friend), and I stumbled up a crusted-dirt hill when I knocked loose this black thing that went tumbling down the side of the hill behind me. It didn't look like a rock and I had to take a look. 

No kidding. An oyster fossil. I've never found a fossil before and I wasn't even looking for them! I was on top of the world. 

I took it to the land owner and asked if he wanted it. He said he's found plenty of clams and oysters before and that I could keep it.

A little history about the area. Brewster County in West Texas (the Big Bend Region) was under water in an inland sea called the Western Interior Seaway during the mid-late Cretaceous period. This is the only time the area was under water and is a part of Big Bend prehistoric history, which I have a pretty good grasp on.

 

My question is, can anyone identify what species of oyster this is? Or even the type of oyster? (I'm a geographer, I don't know my oysters...) Or can anyone point me in the right direction in terms of maybe a webpage or book I can find that would help me identify this?

I'm so excited to share this on this forum and I can't wait to learn more from you folks.

Cheers,

 

Emma

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Welcome to the Forum. 
 

Check out this Texas geological map. What Cretaceous formation is it from? Are there nearby formations that it could have come from? That will help us determine what kind of oyster it might be.

 

https://txpub.usgs.gov/txgeology/

My goal is to leave no stone or fossil unturned.   

See my Arizona Paleontology Guide    link  The best single resource for Arizona paleontology anywhere.       

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21 minutes ago, DPS Ammonite said:

Welcome to the Forum. 
 

Check out this Texas geological map. What Cretaceous formation is it from? Are there nearby formations that it could have come from? That will help us determine what kind of oyster it might be.

 

https://txpub.usgs.gov/txgeology/

Aguja formation! It says many marine fossils can be found!

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Welcome to the forum. Flemingostrea pratti is a good match and is reported from the Aguja of Brewster county.

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15 minutes ago, Thomas.Dodson said:

Welcome to the forum. Flemingostrea pratti is a good match and is reported from the Aguja of Brewster county.

This is it!! You did it!! Thank you so much! :) 

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Interesting.  I don't think Ive seen one of these before

'Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.'

George Santayana

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Nice find! Interesting looking oyster.

Hello, and a very warm welcome to TFF from Morocco.:)

Life's Good!

Tortoise Friend.

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10 hours ago, salmonsnail said:

I've never found a fossil before and I wasn't even looking for them! I was on top of the world. 

That's it. Abandon all hope. You've caught the fossil-hunting bug (and there is no known cure--thankfully). :P

 

The draw for me in this hobby/addiction/passion for collecting fossils is the lure of the unknown possibilities during a hunt. I enjoy the "secret knowledge" of knowing there is more to a location than meets the eye. Thousands of people canoe down the Peace River in Florida each year (admittedly less in 2020) and only a small fraction know that this is a really great location for fossil hunting (especially if you are looking for megalodon teeth). I enjoy training my mind to pick up the subtle clues of whatever type of fossil I'm hunting and developing a search image to become steadily more adept at locating better and better fossils. Then there is the learning potential that comes attached to any fossil that is found. If it is something novel to you then it opens up a path for learning more about this particular fossil and about the time period and paleo-environment in which it thrived.

 

This forum is chocked-full of great information and helpful members (as you have already seen). I haven't had the pleasure of fossil hunting in your home state but I do know from the forum that the name "Big Brook" is associated with your area. You can do a search for that term here on the forum to find more. There are even state-specific subforums that you'll notice if you scroll far enough down the TFF homepage. Poke around in that region-specific section of the forum and you'll soon notice regular posts from other members from the New Jersey area. They may be able to provide good information about museums, fossil clubs, or well-known sites in your area to add fuel to this fire.

 

Fossil hunting is a fascinating activity and you may soon find yourself accumulating quite the collection. You'll always remember your first fossil though. ;)

 

 

Cheers (and welcome to the forum).

 

-Ken

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Congratulations. That is a wonderful fossil oyster specimen. You're from Northern New Jersey. Did you know there are some excellent places to collect Cretaceous fossil oysters in Central New Jersey? 

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Thank you digit and Jeff!

 

I had no idea Jersey had fossils, I didn't even consider it when I moved up here! Now I have definitely caught the bug! I'm definitely going to get myself acquainted with the fossil hunting areas in the state. 

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