Rhipidomella Oblata- A Lower Devonian Brachiopod From The Glenerie Limestone, Kingston, Ny

[Jeffrey P]

Rhipidomella oblata, a Lower Devonian brachiopod preserved in silica from the Glenerie Limestone exposed in a roadcut along Route 9W north of Kingston, NY

[Fossildude19]

Very cool, Jeffrey.

Wish your pics were a bit better, to be able to see detail.

They're all kinda blurry.

Great finds, though - I enjoy collecting brachiopods free of matrix.

Regards,

[Jeffrey P]

I agree. Collecting with a small ziplock bag is fun. I often feel pretty sore after a few hours of squatting and splitting rock though the results usually make it worthwhile. At this particular site the fossils are extremely fragile and any efforts to chip them out of the hard limestone almost always causes them to shatter. The ground in places is littered with shells. Most unfortunately are broken, but careful searching will reveal the complete ones, even very tiny ones. I've had days where I've collected several dozen in an hour or two. Because this site is less than forty minutes from my home I get over there pretty frequently. Always thanks for the feedback.

[Shamalama]

I'll bet the site becomes more productive after a hard rain too! Have you ever intentionally moved the soil around of sifted to find more fossils?

[MarleysGh0st]

Humble brachiopods don't get the oohs and ahhs of the flashier fossils, but I've been collecting a number of Middle Devonian Rhipidomella specimens lately. Nice ones, there!

[Jeffrey P]

Yes, the site is more productive after heavy rains or frost. The fossils are extremely fragile and tend to deteriorate very rapidly. The smaller the fossil the better the chances it will survive longer and so the majority of my collection from there are very tiny including many juveniles. When I get access to a better camera I plan to improve these so they can be appreciated better. I'll also be able to include specimens so tiny they couldn't be photographed at all. Thanks for your input and questions.