Mainefossils Posted March 14, 2021 Share Posted March 14, 2021 Fossil Forum, I have recently uncovered the external mold of a gastropod. I am thinking that it is Platyschisma helicites, but am unsure. The main problem is that I am unaware of the formation it is from. I found it right next to an outcrop of the Leighton Formation, but the fauna and the matrix does not match it. It might be from the Edmunds Formation, but I am unsure of this too. Either way, they are both Silurian. Any help on its ID would be appreciated. Here are some pictures of it: The more I learn, the more I find that I know nothing. Regards, Asher Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted March 14, 2021 Share Posted March 14, 2021 I know hardly anything about Silurian fauna, but I do know that it is extremely difficult to come up with even an approximation as to the identity of a fossil when all one has is an impression with no visible outer structure of the shell. 2 Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Packy Posted March 16, 2021 Share Posted March 16, 2021 Are you sure its silurian, it looks more like a Mississippian trace fossil called Zoophycus which is a worm trace fossil. Not seen anything like that in silurian. Packy 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mainefossils Posted March 17, 2021 Author Share Posted March 17, 2021 No, I am not sure it is silurian. It was found next to two formations, but since they are both on the seashore, it could have been washed up from somewhere else. Thanks! The more I learn, the more I find that I know nothing. Regards, Asher Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted March 17, 2021 Share Posted March 17, 2021 I agree, that this looks like an example of Zoophycos. EDIT: We find it in the Middle Devonian rocks of New York. 1 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...
piranha Posted March 17, 2021 Share Posted March 17, 2021 Zoophycos is not restricted to the Mississippian. It has a temporal range beginning in the lower Cambrian. Sappenfield, A., Droser, M., Kennedy, M., McKenzie, R. 2012 The Oldest Zoophycos and Implications for Early Cambrian Deposit Feeding. Geological Magazine, 149(6):1118-1123 PDF LINK 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mainefossils Posted March 18, 2021 Author Share Posted March 18, 2021 Thanks so much for the information! Has anyone heard of Zoophycos being found in Maine? The more I learn, the more I find that I know nothing. Regards, Asher Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piranha Posted March 18, 2021 Share Posted March 18, 2021 The literature on Maine trace fossils is sparse. Zoophycos is a ubiquitous ichnogenus found in a variety of marine environments from the Cambrian to present time. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mainefossils Posted March 18, 2021 Author Share Posted March 18, 2021 Thanks! The more I learn, the more I find that I know nothing. Regards, Asher Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piranha Posted March 18, 2021 Share Posted March 18, 2021 10 minutes ago, Mainefossils said: Thanks! This paper is excellent: Zhang, L.J., Fan, R.Y., Gong, Y.M. 2015 Zoophycos Macroevolution since 541 Ma. Nature Scientific Reports, 5(14954):1-10 PDF LINK 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mainefossils Posted March 18, 2021 Author Share Posted March 18, 2021 Thanks so much! That paper is excellent! The more I learn, the more I find that I know nothing. Regards, Asher Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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