Unknown Ordovician fossils from the town of New Castle in Craig County, VA

[fossil_lover_2277]

Hi all, this past Sunday I went fossil hunting in the Jefferson National Forest near New Castle VA and found an unknown compression fossil. The pic of the unknown fossil doesn’t have a scale, but the fossil is 6.4 millimeters in length. Any help IDing it would be appreciated!

Btw I also found several plates covered in mineralized and carbonized brachiopod compression fossils on the trip, but these were in mudstone sedimentary rock...fossiliferous shales and limestones are known from the area, but I didn’t see anything on fossiliferous mudstone (gray-brown claystone to be exact) based on the publications I read through. I’m not an expert in Ordovician fossils/rocks, can someone comment possibly on why I might have found fossiliferous mudstones, if you are familiar with this area? Also, can anyone comment on possibly the genus/species of brachiopods these might be? Thanks!!!

Edited September 20, 2021 by Lando_Calrissian_4tw

[Rockwood]

3 hours ago, Lando_Calrissian_4tw said:

Btw I also found several plates covered in carbonized brachiopod compression fossils on the trip, but these were in mudstone sedimentary rock..

Mud/silt/sand stone is likely what you have posted here. Brachiopod fossils are more likely preserved as a dark mineral. The carbon content of a shell is not significant in the preservation. The first photo looks more like a plant fossil, but it does also have the shape of a bryozoan. Wait for other opinions.

[hemipristis]

4 hours ago, Lando_Calrissian_4tw said:

Hi all, this past Sunday I went fossil hunting in the Jefferson National Forest near New Castle VA and found an unknown compression fossil. The pic of the unknown fossil doesn’t have a scale, but the fossil is 6.4 millimeters in length. Any help IDing it would be appreciated!

Btw I also found several plates covered in carbonized brachiopod compression fossils on the trip, but these were in mudstone sedimentary rock...fossiliferous shales and limestones are known from the area, but I didn’t see anything on fossiliferous mudstone (gray-brown claystone to be exact) based on the publications I read through. I’m not an expert in Ordovician fossils/rocks, can someone comment possibly on why I might have found fossiliferous mudstones, if you are familiar with this area? Also, can anyone comment on possibly the genus/species of brachiopods these might be? Thanks!!!

 

Interesting.  Sponge?

[fossil_lover_2277]

4 hours ago, Rockwood said:

Mud/silt/sand stone is likely what you have posted here. Brachiopod fossils are more likely preserved as a dark mineral. The carbon content of a shell is not significant in the preservation. The first photo looks more like a plant fossil, but it does also have the shape of a bryozoan. Wait for other opinions.

Brachiopods have tissues made of organics too though, they’re not just a shell. They’re biological organisms. The picture I provided doesn’t show it well, the other plates do. There are black residues consistent with carbonized remains, “soft” tissues preserve that way all the time in compression fossils. But sure, you can’t know for certain that’s what the residues are without analyzing them chemically. The shells themselves of course are likely preserved as a mineral as you say, in the pic they’re a pale yellowish-brown.

Edited September 20, 2021 by Lando_Calrissian_4tw

[fossil_lover_2277]

3 hours ago, hemipristis said:

Interesting.  Sponge?

That’s an interesting thought, I could certainly see it

[Rockwood]

4 hours ago, Rockwood said:

not significant

Guess it depends on more than I gave thought to.

 

39 minutes ago, Lando_Calrissian_4tw said:

Brachiopods have tissues made of organics too though, they’re not just a shell. They’re biological organisms. The picture I provided doesn’t show it well, the other plates do. There are black residues consistent with carbonized remains, “soft” tissues preserve that way all the time in compression fossils. But sure, you can’t know for certain that’s what the residues are without analyzing them chemically. The shells themselves of course are likely preserved as a mineral as you say, in the pic they’re a pale yellowish-brown.

Good point.

[Fossildude19]

The brachiopods look to be from the order Rhynconellida.

 

Mystery item cropped, enlarged, and contrasted:

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Look like orthids to me. 

[fossil_lover_2277]

3 hours ago, Fossildude19 said:

The brachiopods look to be from the order Rhynconellida.

 

Mystery item cropped, enlarged, and contrasted:

 

Thanks for the better pic, def helps visualize the fossil