Fossil ID: Needmore formation Devonian fossils ( Lost River)

[Rexofspades]

Hello,

 

As a follow up to my previous post, I wanted to see if anyone can help me Identify some of the things I found or confirm my suspicions. all material was found in Wardensville, part of the needmore formation in the Lost River quarry.

 

#1

 

lets start with the biggest stumper, I have absolutely no Idea what this thing is or even if it is a fossil. my best guess is a possible trilobite feeler, but even then I am not familiar enough with their anatomy to make that call. failing that, some sort of soft bodied invertebrate perhaps?

 

#2

I believe this to be a small branch of Trachypora coral. the fossil was longer than is pictured, but it unfortunately broke off as I extracted it. I have heard that you can restore this coral to its truer color by using a very weak acid, is that true?

 

#3

 

some crinoid stems with what I believe to be a fossil of something on the top right rock. the formation was littered with these rust colored veins of sorts, I dont know if it is simply a concretion, or a type of life. nothing on the ID pages I used seem to reference this.

 

#4

 

I'm reasonably confident now that this is in fact a trilobite head sticking out of the matrix, if anybody has worked in or knows any resources on preparing fossils from this WVA formation please let me know.

 

 

[Rockwood]

1 hour ago, Rexofspades said:

lets start with the biggest stumper, I have absolutely no Idea what this thing is or even if it is a fossil.

I believe this to be a small branch of Trachypora coral. 

Just less complete, well, not more complete, and a bit more scattered.

[Fossildude19]

# 3 looks like an infilled burrow for the first item, then mineral staining and concretion on the other two items.

# 1 looks like some plant material.

 

Cropped and brightened:

 

 

 

 

 

[tombk]

For picture number 2, you show two rocks. Which one do you think has the coral? 
 

I have not heard that vinegar will restore a coral to its “truer” color. I’m not even sure what that would mean because in the process of fossilization its original color will have changed. Maybe they mean that it may dissolve some very thin covering of matrix and that there will then be a greater contrast between fossil and matrix. You could probably get the same result more safely by scrubbing with a soft toothbrush and some soapy water. 
 

you might also try the soapy water scrub with the specimen you think is a trilobite head. It’s hard to tell from the picture what it may be. You may be right, but it could be a brachiopod. 
 

with the cropped and brightened images by @Fossildude19, does anyone else see a possible graptolite in the last image. I’m very iffy on that, but it did pop into my mind. 

[Rexofspades]

2 hours ago, tombk said:

For picture number 2, you show two rocks. Which one do you think has the coral? 
 

I have not heard that vinegar will restore a coral to its “truer” color. I’m not even sure what that would mean because in the process of fossilization its original color will have changed. Maybe they mean that it may dissolve some very thin covering of matrix and that there will then be a greater contrast between fossil and matrix. You could probably get the same result more safely by scrubbing with a soft toothbrush and some soapy water. 
 

you might also try the soapy water scrub with the specimen you think is a trilobite head. It’s hard to tell from the picture what it may be. You may be right, but it could be a brachiopod. 
 

with the cropped and brightened images by @Fossildude19, does anyone else see a possible graptolite in the last image. I’m very iffy on that, but it did pop into my mind. 

 

I'm actually fairly certain this is a trilobite. in this image you can see clearly the lens on the right of the cephalon along with the texture of the Glabella

 

 

One thing to keep in mind WV trilobites are a tad rougher and not as well preserved than their Pennsylvanian counterparts.

2 hours ago, Fossildude19 said:

# 3 looks like an infilled burrow for the first item, then mineral staining and concretion on the other two items.

# 1 looks like some plant material.

 

Cropped and brightened:

 

Can you tell what kind of plant material it could have been? I dont know of any sea plants in this formation.

[Rexofspades]

@Fossildude19 I believe this to also be a piece of trilobite as well. perhaps an eye lens?

[Fossildude19]

Plant material in the Devonian marine formations in NY are usually just storm damaged bits and pieces from land that blew out to sea. 

Identification is usually not possible beyond general plant detritus. 

This is unusual to me, in the stark carbon film that it preserved as.  I had considered graptolite, but I just don't see the necessary structures to call it that. 

Your bumpy item may be a bit of trilobite, but I would think it too large to be eye facets.  Not sure, though. 

Possibly a pustulated cranidium, but I would think it would be more populated with pustules. 

It could also be a negative mold of a coral. 

I can't say confidently one way or another, however. 

 

 

 

 

[ScottBlooded]

Hey! I work out in this area a lot, and have been to this wardensville site a number of times. The first bit looks like a small section of a type of fossil you’ll find a lot of out there. Presents as long strands that you’d mistake for a crinoid stem save for the fact that they’re always much finer. The shale immediately surrounding the strands is usually stained purple or orange. Definitely wouldn’t be a “feeler”, you won’t find soft tissue preservation out there. Either way, I’d be curious to know what they are as well. Met a paleontologist out in that area once that thought maybe infilled worm burrows but he seemed skeptical.

As for the potential cephalon, I feel like closer pictures would help with more angled lighting. It’s definitely either that or a brachiopod. If it’s a cephalon then good on you, I’ve found a lot of thorax out there (specifically that wardensville spot) but never any cephalons, partial or otherwise. The rock with the dots I also am not sure is a trilobite eye, the dots seem to be shaped/patterned too irregularly but again, closer pic would help.

As to WV trilobite preservation in general, simply not true. Plenty of places in WV can offer you a wide range of degrees of preservation. There are a couple good books on fossil hunting in the area if you’re interested. The wardensville spot gets heavy traffic because it’s the first thing to come up on an internet search but there are plenty of other places even right around there. 

[Rexofspades]

17 hours ago, ScottBlooded said:

 

As for the potential cephalon, I feel like closer pictures would help with more angled lighting. It’s definitely either that or a brachiopod. If it’s a cephalon then good on you, I’ve found a lot of thorax out there (specifically that wardensville spot) but never any cephalons, partial or otherwise. The rock with the dots I also am not sure is a trilobite eye, the dots seem to be shaped/patterned too irregularly but again, closer pic would help.

 

As to WV trilobite preservation in general, simply not true. Plenty of places in WV can offer you a wide range of degrees of preservation. There are a couple good books on fossil hunting in the area if you’re interested. The wardensville spot gets heavy traffic because it’s the first thing to come up on an internet search but there are plenty of other places even right around there. 

 

do you have any book recommendation's? I have heard of fossil collecting in the Mid Atlantic States, but I would like to know if there are any more I should look into. 

 

I also noticed that for the cephalon I have been holding the snarge thing upside down the whole time! I have updated pictures with some visual reference to see what I mean. it doesn't look brachiopod at all.  im also looking to get this specimen prepared further so we can get a better look at its full shape.

 

 

[jdp]

My first thought looking at that first object was that it might be a cross-section through a fish jaw, but I'd need a better photo.

[Fossildude19]