LocalHero Posted July 14, 2010 Share Posted July 14, 2010 I found this shell while beach combing on a beach that is near a spoil site for Charleston harbor. It's a good beach to find fossilized shark's teeth, Meglodon and others. It's certainly not a usual shell for this area and another beach comber felt it is ancient. I came across this forum while searching for an answer and thought someone here might know. I'll take more pictures if necessary once my camera batts re-charge. Thanks, John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted July 14, 2010 Share Posted July 14, 2010 It is a Murex shell. Age and exact species? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MOROPUS Posted July 14, 2010 Share Posted July 14, 2010 I found this shell while beach combing on a beach that is near a spoil site for Charleston harbor. It's a good beach to find fossilized shark's teeth, Meglodon and others. It's certainly not a usual shell for this area and another beach comber felt it is ancient. I came across this forum while searching for an answer and thought someone here might know. I'll take more pictures if necessary once my camera batts re-charge. Thanks, John Hi, John, and welcome to this forum! I think that a pic of the other side of the shell will help to id it. But it looks cryspy and practically intact, so I think that this muricid is a recent specimen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LocalHero Posted July 14, 2010 Author Share Posted July 14, 2010 Here are a few more quick pics I snapped this AM. Outside of positive shell ID, how does one tell the age or if a shell is fossilized? In fact, do shells fossilize? I've tried to look up how long it takes for something to fossilize and I gather it's still an open question. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted July 14, 2010 Share Posted July 14, 2010 The depositional environment determines whether a shell mineralizes or retains its original material. If it is not found in situ (within the original matrix), identifying it as an extinct species is the only way to know its age. "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LocalHero Posted July 14, 2010 Author Share Posted July 14, 2010 The depositional environment determines whether a shell mineralizes or retains its original material. If it is not found in situ (within the original matrix), identifying it as an extinct species is the only way to know its age. It was just washed up on the beach so while it's an unusual shell for this area, it's probably just that and nothing more. Thanks for the help, John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MOROPUS Posted July 14, 2010 Share Posted July 14, 2010 My guess is actual or possibly Pleistocene Chicoreus? (Muricid is the family for sure; this Chicoreus is my guess). Sometimes, fossil shells retain their original shelly material (and even the color!), and other times, only the internal mold is found. Even there are sometimes that the shell is in a state of preservation, that is difficult to say if it is original shell, or mineral stuff... Miocene stuff from France: Jurassic stuff from France aswell: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MOROPUS Posted July 14, 2010 Share Posted July 14, 2010 It looks rather tropical (Florida?)...but I`m not an expert of your invert fauna... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LocalHero Posted July 14, 2010 Author Share Posted July 14, 2010 It looks rather tropical (Florida?)...but I`m not an expert of your invert fauna... It looks Florida-ish to me too but I'm not sure why. I've posted a question about it on a sea-shell forum as well. Maybe someone there will have the knowledge to have the answer. I've never seen anything like it around here before. The area I beach comb was used as a spoil site for dredging the Charleston harbor til at least the early 70's so things that wash around on that beach are dated from 2mil+ years ago (megalodon teeth) to only a few decades ago. That makes it considerably harder to date things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frozen_turkey Posted July 14, 2010 Share Posted July 14, 2010 Take a red hot pin or paper clip and place it on a unoticable part of it and if it melts through its not a fossil. I dont know if it works or not i just read it some where. -Frozen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted July 14, 2010 Share Posted July 14, 2010 Take a red hot pin or paper clip and place it on a unoticable part of it and if it melts through its not a fossil. I dont know if it works or not i just read it some where. -Frozen That's a test to see whether something is made of resin or body filler (ie: fake trilobites). It won't reveal whether a shell is fossil or not. "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Newman Posted July 14, 2010 Share Posted July 14, 2010 I would suggest that it is a modern specimen of Hexaplex fulvescens image here: http://www.jaxshells.org/hfulvescens.htm It is possibly a fossil, H. fulvescens has been knocking about since the Pliocene, not sure it dates back to the Miocene! Hope this is of some help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LocalHero Posted July 15, 2010 Author Share Posted July 15, 2010 I would suggest that it is a modern specimen of Hexaplex fulvescens image here: http://www.jaxshells.org/hfulvescens.htm It is possibly a fossil, H. fulvescens has been knocking about since the Pliocene, not sure it dates back to the Miocene! Hope this is of some help. That looks almost exactly like it. No reason to think it's fossilized afaict. Thanks! John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MOROPUS Posted July 15, 2010 Share Posted July 15, 2010 Nevertheless, quite nice shell to keep! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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