Northern Sharks Posted July 7, 2008 Share Posted July 7, 2008 This is the closest quality site to my house. It is a mid- Ordovician quarry in Brechin Ontario and produces some really nice trilos, crinoids and starfish. I didn't find anything ultra-fantastic, but I don't think I did too bad either. I asked this in the locations folder as well, but does anyone know a website where I can find out about the formations in Ontario. Here's a few pics, and if anyone knows a more precise ID on anything, I'd appreciate knowing. 1) My first crinoid calyx (not much, but it's my first) 2) Trilobite thorax. This site produces great Ceraurus trilos 3) The biggest brachiopod I have found so far 4) Gastropod I assume 5) I need help with the squiggly thing left of the penny. Ordovician posted something similar to the gallery recently but I can't read the label. I've also seen a similar things described as possible jellyfish. 6) I thought this was a crinoid, but it doesn't have the same segmented structure. I'm know assuming it's a bryozoan??? The way it branches off from one stalk is throwing me off. I photographed it wet to try to highlight the branches better. Thanks for any help There's no limit to what you can accomplish when you're supposed to be doing something else Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bmorefossil Posted July 7, 2008 Share Posted July 7, 2008 nice stuff, i like trilobites Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest solius symbiosus Posted July 7, 2008 Share Posted July 7, 2008 I'm thinking that first one is a Tabulate coral. Something like Tetradium. Can you get a close up pic? 3 is some kind of strophomenid. Perhaps, a Rafinesquina or Strophomena(?). Would need to see the hinge line to determine. 4 is a Loxoplocus sp. 5 I'm thinking it is a trilobite that has been weathered That last one also looks like Tabulate that has disarticulated I'll post a few pics tonight of some that I have. I'll look more at the rest after some rest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest solius symbiosus Posted July 7, 2008 Share Posted July 7, 2008 To find two(?) trilobites, that are/were nearly complete, in one day, suggests that quarry will produce some nice pieces. Wish I could spend a few days there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crinus Posted July 7, 2008 Share Posted July 7, 2008 1. Isotomocrinus tenuis 2. Ceruarus trilobite (you need a lot more for proper ID) 3. Rafinesquina sp. 4. Gastropod - I really haven't paid much attention to the mollusks at this site. It is extremely rare to find one with shell preserved. 5. Very interesting thing. Some think it is a cephalopod but I don't think so. There is one currently on ebay (extremely nice) going for about $50. That doesn't mean anything because the person buying it is wealthy beyond anyone means and will buy anything labeled as unknown. Search ebay under diggerdoug48. The auction my have ended by now. 6. Not a fossil at all. When I first started collecting at this quarry, I thought the same thing. It is probably a filling for some type of boring. It is very common to find this in this quarry. If you want to see some nice bryozoa from this quarry look in my album. All the ordovician bryozoa are from Brechin. crinus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest solius symbiosus Posted July 7, 2008 Share Posted July 7, 2008 1. Isotomocrinus tenuis The arm laying back over the calyx had me wondering about that one. 5. Very interesting thing. Some think it is a cephalopod but I don't think so. There is one currently on ebay (extremely nice) going for about $50. That doesn't mean anything because the person buying it is wealthy beyond anyone means and will buy anything labeled as unknown. Search ebay under diggerdoug48. The auction my have ended by now. That also was my first thought, but I've seen trilobites resemble that after intense weathering. After seeing that other one on ebay, Wow! What is your thoughts on this very strange critter? Do you find any Gravicalymene in the Babcaygeon/Verulam, or are they all Flexicalymene. Around here Flexis and Gravis can be found in the Late Ord.(though mainly Flexi), but I've yet to find a Flexi in the Mid Ord. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crinus Posted July 7, 2008 Share Posted July 7, 2008 That also was my first thought, but I've seen trilobites resemble that after intense weathering. After seeing that other one on ebay, Wow! What is your thoughts on this very strange critter? Do you find any Gravicalymene in the Babcaygeon/Verulam, or are they all Flexicalymene. Around here Flexis and Gravis can be found in the Late Ord.(though mainly Flexi), but I've yet to find a Flexi in the Mid Ord. The one ebay clearly shows a cross section and it appears that the interior is devoid of anything. If it were a cephalopod there should be some indication of a siphuncle. I had a discussion about this critter with some other fossil geeeks last night. One thought proposed was a"cornulites". Are you familiar with the very large cornulites that come out of the Waldron. This could be a more primitive version. I have also sent the photo of the one on ebay to a professor friend of mine. That was about a month ago and he is still investigating. It would have been nice to get the specimen on ebay but I think the price has gotton crazy. Northeren Sharks has proven that there are more out there. I just need to get my nose to the ground instead of looking for the large crinoids lying about that I can see a 20 feet away. I have never seen a Gravicalymene come out of the Brechin area, They do occur in the Ordovician of Ontario but not the two formations at Brechin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ordovician Posted July 7, 2008 Share Posted July 7, 2008 very interesting fossils! no.5.....left of the coin.....probably trilobite's part of leg and some surface could be coral but I am not sure! overall.....cool fossils! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted July 7, 2008 Share Posted July 7, 2008 I just need to get my nose to the ground instead of looking for the large crinoids lying about that I can see a 20 feet away. I should be so lucky as to have that problem... "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...
Ordovician Posted July 7, 2008 Share Posted July 7, 2008 I looked at no 5 again and something between part like leg and the coin is trilobite. above of part of like leg might be Strophodonta (brachiopod) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest solius symbiosus Posted July 7, 2008 Share Posted July 7, 2008 Crinus, I'm not trying to hi jack Northern Sharks thread , but since you are the resident crinoid guy, what do you think of this one. I've always considered it an Iocrinus sp., but I'm not really sure. It is from the late Mid Ord. Curdsville Mb Lexington Lm. lenght of calyx and arms approximately 7 cm The calyx The holdfast Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crinus Posted July 7, 2008 Share Posted July 7, 2008 Crinus, I'm not trying to hi jack Northern Sharks thread , but since you are the resident crinoid guy, what do you think of this one. I've always considered it an Iocrinus sp., but I'm not really sure.It is from the late Mid Ord. Curdsville Mb Lexington Lm. lenght of calyx and arms approximately 7 cm First of all, let me assure that I am not a crinoid expert. I have a buddy that has his PhD in crinoidology (paleontology with specility in crinoids) and he is the one that got me into crinoids. Orignially I was into trilobite but gave that up unless it comes from Ontario. Everything I know comes from him and he is still my source for ID. Having said that, yes, I agree with you that the specimen is an Iocrinus. In keeping with Northern Sharks thread, here is a photo of the only known Iocrinus to come from the Brechin quarries. crinus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crinus Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 Can you believe that the same squiggly thing on ebay sold for $93. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 5. Very interesting thing. Some think it is a cephalopod but I don't think so... ?Some small similarity to a (weathered) Gonioceras? "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...
Guest solius symbiosus Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 Can you believe that the same squiggly thing on ebay sold for $93. It would be hard for me to pay that without even knowing the phylum, but if it is a holotype, it might be a good buy. Did you find out if it has been described? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xiphactinus Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 Pretty sure #5 is a conularia.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crinus Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 Pretty sure #5 is a conularia.... I decided to bring in the photos of the specimen that was on ebay. The specimen is of better quality. The proposal for it being a conularia is very interesting. I also happen to have a photo of an actual conularia that I bought off of ebay that is from the same formation. While the preservation is different, they are similarities. The one that I purchased does have the very characteristic four sidedness. The one on ebay appears to be more rounded, where as the specimen found by Northern Sharks does appear to have more distinct sides. The specimen on the right of my conularids does have a portion of it preserved just like NS's specimen I like the proposal that it is a conularid. Northern Shark, you have your identification. Boy am I ever glad I did not bid on the specimen on ebay. I have several specimens that are preserved like the one I purchased. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northern Sharks Posted July 9, 2008 Author Share Posted July 9, 2008 Thanks guys. The help is much appreciated There's no limit to what you can accomplish when you're supposed to be doing something else Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crinus Posted September 7, 2008 Share Posted September 7, 2008 I am reviving this discussion because our final interpretation that specimen #5 was a connularid is incorrect. I need to set the record right. I have since, found a few specimens of this unknown fossil and have prepared one (see photo). After further research it has been determined that it is a cephalopod and more specifically Zitteloceras. I have a JP article if anyone is interested in seeing it. I don't know if we can post .pdf files here. It is JP Vol 13 no1, if you have access to JP. Also, I do not believe that it comes from the Bobcaygeon formation. I have collected this quarry for many years and have never seen this beast till this year. This also happens to be the years when the quarry has gone down a level and is digging in the Gull River formation. The rock I cut this out of, was extremely hard. More difficult than usual. That is more typical of Gull River. crinus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest solius symbiosus Posted September 8, 2008 Share Posted September 8, 2008 Nice to know that mystery is solved. I've wondered about this piece from time to time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now