fossil_lover_2277 Posted August 15, 2021 Share Posted August 15, 2021 Hi all! I just got back from a trip to the Charleston area of South Carolina. Did a little fossil hunting just outside Summerville. Ran into a phosphate lag deposit in a creek and dug out part of an associated sea turtle shell. Are associated and/or articulated remains normal for lag deposits? I was surprised by the find, thought lag deposits were a random assemblage of disarticulated/non-associated remains left over and concentrated by receding shorelines. I’ll post pics of the fossils I got on my trip later today, thanks for the help!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notidanodon Posted August 16, 2021 Share Posted August 16, 2021 14 hours ago, Landon said: Hi all! I just got back from a trip to the Charleston area of South Carolina. Did a little fossil hunting just outside Summerville. Ran into a phosphate lag deposit in a creek and dug out part of an associated sea turtle shell. Are associated and/or articulated remains normal for lag deposits? I was surprised by the find, thought lag deposits were a random assemblage of disarticulated/non-associated remains left over and concentrated by receding shorelines. I’ll post pics of the fossils I got on my trip later today, thanks for the help!!! I'd be surprised if it was a lag deposit, you are correct that they are jumbled up. If it is associated, it probably came from the formation above, or below, the lag layer. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossil_lover_2277 Posted August 16, 2021 Author Share Posted August 16, 2021 Yea it was odd. But it was right with the turtle shell in dark gray clay. The only formations I know of that could have been there beneath it would have been the Chandler bridge or Ashley formations, but I didn’t see any sediments resembling them.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Dente Posted August 16, 2021 Share Posted August 16, 2021 There are several ways for lag deposits to form including sediment starvation. This is when very little sediment accumulates on the sea floor but animals continue to die and settle on the bottom and phosphate continues to precipitate. The end result is a concentration of bone, teeth and phosphate. Even though other methods of lag deposit are somewhat high energy, I could see a turtle shell surviving long enough to be buried and later being crushed in place through sediment compaction. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossil_lover_2277 Posted August 16, 2021 Author Share Posted August 16, 2021 That would make sense, thanks so much! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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