JohnPM Posted August 25, 2013 Share Posted August 25, 2013 I found this at Purse State Park on August 24. It looks like a part of a bivalve, but I have no idea of what it is. One side: Flipped over: Help, please? Thanks, JohnPM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plantguy Posted August 27, 2013 Share Posted August 27, 2013 Hi JohnPM, welcome to the forum! I can see why you might think its a bivalve, maybe some weathered part of an internal mold as it sort of has an unusual possible shell shape and smooth texture on the one side. My first guess though would be it's part of a concretion. The reason I say that is that the second photo seems to show some type of rim/external layer that I believe is concretion like and not organic. Certainly could be wrong since we are doing this from photos.... Have there been other concretions found there? What about internal bivalve molds? Hope this helps a bit... Regards, Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnPM Posted August 27, 2013 Author Share Posted August 27, 2013 (edited) Hi Chris. I did see some weathered internal molds and lots of iron concretions as Auspex noted in my other post including one evilly shaped like a meg tooth that made me make a plunge into the river. I tossed it back into the shallows but not far enough. I could still see it lying meg-like there amongst the lighter colored gravel and river stones waiting to claim its next victim. Sorry fellow Purse State Park-Potomac River, Maryland collectors! However, this find was different from the other molds and accretions in composition and texture. To me there is something scute-ish about it. It has a similar organic feel to it, like the dolphin/porpoise bulla that I found near it. Probably just wishful thinking on my part. Thanks again, Chris. BTW, what was a dolphin/porpoise bulla doing hanging out in a Paleocene fossil neighborhood? Edited August 27, 2013 by JohnPM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcoSr Posted August 27, 2013 Share Posted August 27, 2013 I would say it is a weathered part of an internal mold of a bivalve. There are places along the Potomac where there are hundreds of them. Also there aren't any megs at Purse State Park unless another collector put one there. Only the megs distant ancestor, Otodus obliquus. Marco Sr. "Any day that you can fossil hunt is a great day." My family fossil website Some Of My Shark, Ray, Fish And Other Micros My Extant Shark Jaw Collection Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnPM Posted August 27, 2013 Author Share Posted August 27, 2013 Otodus obliquus. Thanks, Marco. I have some research to do. I'm going to miss telling everyone that I'm on the hunt for a "MEG" though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnPM Posted August 27, 2013 Author Share Posted August 27, 2013 Marco Sr., I found what I thought were internal bivalve molds but they were composed of light colored sedimentary rock. I have only been on the Potomac shore three times so I haven't seen a lot. Have you found weathered molds of like color and texture along the Potomac? If so,can you tell me where to look? Purse is the only site that I know about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcoSr Posted August 27, 2013 Share Posted August 27, 2013 Here is a link to one of our pages with Otodus obliquus on our phatfossils website. If you clique on the numbers at the top or bottom of the page you can get to the other Otodus pages. Most of our Otodus obliquus are from Purse State Park. http://www.phatfossils.com/species.php?species=Otodus%20Obliquus&thisOffset=0&lineIndex=0 Marco Sr. "Any day that you can fossil hunt is a great day." My family fossil website Some Of My Shark, Ray, Fish And Other Micros My Extant Shark Jaw Collection Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcoSr Posted August 27, 2013 Share Posted August 27, 2013 Marco Sr., I found what I thought were internal bivalve molds but they were composed of light colored sedimentary rock. I have only been on the Potomac shore three times so I haven't seen a lot. Have you found weathered molds of like color and texture along the Potomac? If so,can you tell me where to look? Purse is the only site that I know about. Most of the molds I see are the same color as yours although some are more tan in color. The Paleocene formations are on both sides of the river. However you need a boat to get to them. Marco Sr. "Any day that you can fossil hunt is a great day." My family fossil website Some Of My Shark, Ray, Fish And Other Micros My Extant Shark Jaw Collection Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnPM Posted August 27, 2013 Author Share Posted August 27, 2013 Thanks for all of this information, Marco Sr. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plantguy Posted August 27, 2013 Share Posted August 27, 2013 Thanks for adding the local knowledge to this ID thread. much appreciated! Regards, Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe D. Posted August 28, 2013 Share Posted August 28, 2013 JohnPM, This site is about 22 million years older, (about 55 million years ago), than the youngest "Meg". I'm going down there in October for a walk-about on the beach to see what jumps out to my old eyes. I have a hard time getting over the downed trees but usually find a way around them. Its still a nice place to take a walk on the beach and feed the flying critters a bit of what blood I have left. Joe D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnPM Posted August 28, 2013 Author Share Posted August 28, 2013 JoeD, I'm looking forward to the Fall when some storms will hopefully loose some the big Otodus teeth from the cliffs for me then you to find. Kidding...sort of. Surface pickings were kind of slim last week. Hopefully, I'll be heading back in a few weeks to break in my brand spanking new soil sifter. Maybe I'll bump into you there some time. Good hunting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shark57 Posted August 29, 2013 Share Posted August 29, 2013 I collect at Purse often, have never seen a meg or porpoise bone. Would like to see a pic of the "dolphin/porpoise bulla" you found there. Maybe it fell out of my bag from a previous trip! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe D. Posted August 29, 2013 Share Posted August 29, 2013 JohnPM, I use my metal detector beach scoop and a commercial brass strainer for sifting, the scoop can dig pretty good and deposit it's contents into the sifter. It also makes it easier to pick up objects without bending over, which helps with these old bones I am stuck with. My Titanium and plastic knee never complains and it's a whole lot better than my past broken one. My backpack is a lot lighter when I'm "fossicking", than rock collecting. No need for chisels and other rock breaking tools. I still pick up pretty rocks when fossicking though, I just can't help it. My children and grandchildren usually lay claim to the big shark teeth and leave me the smaller ones. For some reason they aren't interested in keeping any bones. One thinks I'm a serial killer. since I like dead things. I try and teach them the dead things I like are over a million years old and I never disturb Homo Sapiens or their belongings. Two of them have almost depleted my rock collection, since I give them anything that interests them. Now their parents are complaining about finding room for all the rocks and fossils in their houses. I just laugh at them and tell them it's part of being parents and a stepping stone to science careers and allowing them to dream and look forward to learning more about this wonderful World we live in. I spend lots of time in the water at the beach and will have my wading boots on. I'm looking forward to exploring Purse in October. A few September storms would help the fossicking. Joe D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnPM Posted August 30, 2013 Author Share Posted August 30, 2013 (edited) I collect at Purse often, have never seen a meg or porpoise bone. Would like to see a pic of the "dolphin/porpoise bulla" you found there. Maybe it fell out of my bag from a previous trip! Uh oh, the dreaded skeptical quote marks! In my weak defense, I showed my find to a fellow hunter (the guy that was digging with the bucket - you know who you are) that day and it was he who pronounced that it was a dolphin ear bone. I looked it up when I got home and it did look something look the "bulla" image, but on second, third and fourth thoughts I'm I thinking that I may have to describe it with the other word besides "Otodus" that I learned on this thread, "concretion." Anyhow, have a look, I hope that you will tell me that it is indeed a dolphin/porpoise bulla, but I am bracing myself for the "c" word. Edited August 30, 2013 by JohnPM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hokiehunter Posted August 30, 2013 Share Posted August 30, 2013 (edited) Concretion/rock... Edited August 30, 2013 by hokiehunter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obsessed1 Posted August 30, 2013 Share Posted August 30, 2013 If looks like another of those tricky concretions. If it were dolphin material it would have almost certainly dropped out of someones pack. The age material exposed at Purse is much older the the arrival of the dolphins. The age material where dolphins would be present is however exposed many miles south of the Purse State Park. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnPM Posted August 30, 2013 Author Share Posted August 30, 2013 Concretion/rock... Doh! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnPM Posted August 30, 2013 Author Share Posted August 30, 2013 If looks like another of those tricky concretions. If it were dolphin material it would have almost certainly dropped out of someones pack. The age material exposed at Purse is much older the the arrival of the dolphins. The age material where dolphins would be present is however exposed many miles south of the Purse State Park. Does dolphin material look anything like this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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