Finding Middle Devonian Fauna In Central Upstate New York

[Jeffrey P]

I was planning to attend the Museum of the Earth's outing to Jamesville Quarry and knew that gas would be the primary expense for the three and a half hour trip each way. So, I decided to make the most of it and head up there two days early, camp, and visit some very productive Middle Devonian sites my girlfriend, Valerie and I explored last May. 11:30 Thursday morning I arrived at Deep Springs Road quarry near Lebanon in Madison County. It is an excellent exposure of the Windom Shale and was my favorite site on my last visit to the area. A wide variety of well preserved fossil invertebrates are profuse in the relatively soft shale where they can usually be extracted without too much difficulty. Many preserved in calcite, can be removed entirely from the rock. Within the first fifteen minutes I uncovered a small Greenops trilobite cephalon. Several minutes later, I found a complete Phacops rana enrolled. The very top of its cephalon shattered when I removed it from the rock, but otherwise it was perfect. Here's a picture:

Almost as exciting was the wide assortment of excellent bivalve fossils I found. This is a Grammysia:

Brachiopods were also abundant. This is Athyris spiriferoids:

Also found other partial trilobites, crinoid stems, gastropods, and a tiny goniatite. I was going to spend a few hours there and then head over to a nearby exposure of the upper Ludlowville Formation, but I ended up spended the whole day at Deep Springs Road.

Friday morning I drove twenty minutes to Pompey Center and a famous roadcut along Route 20 where the Skaneateles Formation is well exposed. Within minutes I found a nice large Cornulites, a bivalve:

There were other bivalves as well. This is Modiomorpha:

One of my goals was to find a large Spyroceras, a straight-shelled nautiloid. Last May we collected a number of fragments. Friday I was hoping for a more complete one. Wasn't to happen. This is one of the fragments I collected:

Also found a number of fragments of Michelinoceras, another straight-shelled nautiloid. The surprise of the morning was a two and a quarter inch goniatite found lying free on top of the roadcut:

It was nearly an hour drive east to the tiny hamlet of North Brookfield through stunning farm country. Nearby is a sandstone quarry exposing the Skaneateles Formation which is famous for its abundance of Dipleura dekayi, a huge burrowing trilobite. Valerie and I only spent a short while there last May. Still I was able to find three Dipleura cephalons, a pygidium, also an enormous bivalve, brachiopods, and cephalopods. The first rock I split open on Friday revealed a small, but complete Dipleura cephalon, better than any of the ones I found on my last trip. A few minutes later, I split another sandstone slab and I immediately focused on a bivalve in the center, but then my eyes drifted down to something unusual in the corner. There was the thorax and pygidium of a young Dipleura. When I turned the slab on its side I saw the cephalon still attached to the body, pointing downwards. Even though it was young, it is at least three times the size of the adult Phacops I found the previous day:

Later I found a number of pygidiums and some bivalves, including one very large Leioptera. Saturday morning, the Museum of the Earth group was planning to congregate at 11:00 so that gave almost an hour an half to return to Pompey Center. I decided to focus on the lower portion of the roadcut which is shale where last May Valerie found a perfect Paleozygopleura, a lovely corkscrew-shaped gastropod. I was hoping to find one myself. After a while of digging in the crumbly shale, I found a small complete Greenops trilobite. Unfortunately the fragile body was stuck in the imprint and much of it crumbled when i removed it. However the imprint is perfect:

Later, I found my own Paleozygopleura, though not as good as the one Valerie found:

I joined the Museum of the Earth group at Jamesville Quarry. That excursion is very well documented by Marley's Ghost so I need not repeat anything. I did find a number of teeth of Onychodus sigmoides a rhipidistian fish as well as other small unidentified fish parts. In the Nedrow member of the Onondaga Limestone I found excellent examples of Favosites, a tabulate coral. I brought a number of pieces back. They really show the structure well:

Well, that's about it. It's been hectic the past few days organizing, sorting, and cleaning my specimens as well as getting back on track with all the personal and professonal matters I neglected while I was away three days. All in all it feels good to be back home.

[Fossildude19]

Excellent report, and finds.

So envious of a three day excursion to hunt.

Thanks for posting.
Regards,

[masonboro37]

Enjoyed your report and thank you for sharing! Great finds too!

Libby

[Ridgehiker]

Thanks for the report. Always great to view Devonian fossils from 'elsewhere'. All the better when we have local exposures of a similar age. Interesting bivalves...rarely find them or other molluscs from our Devonian.

[Malcolmt]

Nice report, really need to do some serious hunting in New York state, never seem to really anywhere other than the Buffalo area.......

[Scylla]

Nice report, thanks! How about some pics of the fish teeth?

[Jeffrey P]

Thanks for the report. Always great to view Devonian fossils from 'elsewhere'. All the better when we have local exposures of a similar age. Interesting bivalves...rarely find them or other molluscs from our Devonian.

Curious what kinds of fossils you find in your Devonian exposures. The Middle Devonian fossils of Central New York are quite different from those in Western New York (Buffalo area) or eastern New York (Hudson Valley and the Helderbergs). Conditions in all three areas were quite different. as the erosion of the Acadian Mountains in New England created a large delta that slowly advanced westward. Waters were increasingly clear the farther west you go. In the Hamilton Group, bivalves are most prevalent in Central New York while Western New York has more rugose corals and trilobites. In the cloudy waters of the east species diversity was least, but certain species could at times adapt this environment. Fossil assemblages tell us everything about the conditions that were prevalent at those times.

[erose]

Great report! Man-o-man I miss those Devonian exposures. You gave a great review of the variation in the Middle Devonian from east to west. I found there was great satisfaction in searching out those scattered locals along the Catskill Front balanced against the thrill of the uber rich Finger Lakes and western NY sites. But some of my favorite sites were actually in the Early Devonian. Again small but worthwhile pockets along the Shawangunk Mountain ridge and places like Schoharie and Leesville.

[Jeffrey P]

Great report! Man-o-man I miss those Devonian exposures. You gave a great review of the variation in the Middle Devonian from east to west. I found there was great satisfaction in searching out those scattered locals along the Catskill Front balanced against the thrill of the uber rich Finger Lakes and western NY sites. But some of my favorite sites were actually in the Early Devonian. Again small but worthwhile pockets along the Shawangunk Mountain ridge and places like Schoharie and Leesville.

You must mean west of the Shawangunk Ridge. East is all Ordovician shales. Yes, the Lower Devonian of eastern New York state is often very rich in fossils. Conditions prior to the Acadian Orogeny were often highly favorable for marine life. The Schoharie Quarry outside Schoharie has the most varied and richest faunas of any place I've collected at so far. I have acquired a collection of Kalkberg and Glenerie Limestone fossils from the places you mentioned. I also went once to the Greenport Quarry south of Hudson with NYPS and collected a few partial trilobites there, but other members found interesting cephalopods and other things in the Lower Devonian strata. Hope to visit there again. If you have any other ideas you wish to share please let me know. Best of luck with your collecting. I hear Texas has a lot of fossils, just no early Paleozoic ones. Thanks for your feedback.

[erose]

You must mean west of the Shawangunk Ridge. East is all Ordovician shales. Yes, the Lower Devonian of eastern New York state is often very rich in fossils. Conditions prior to the Acadian Orogeny were often highly favorable for marine life. The Schoharie Quarry outside Schoharie has the most varied and richest faunas of any place I've collected at so far. I have acquired a collection of Kalkberg and Glenerie Limestone fossils from the places you mentioned. I also went once to the Greenport Quarry south of Hudson with NYPS and collected a few partial trilobites there, but other members found interesting cephalopods and other things in the Lower Devonian strata. Hope to visit there again. If you have any other ideas you wish to share please let me know. Best of luck with your collecting. I hear Texas has a lot of fossils, just no early Paleozoic ones. Thanks for your feedback.

Yep, mostly west side of the Gunks. A few bits here and there up around Rondout and in Kingston. Schoharie was my favorite site before I moved here to Texas. When I was with the NYPS I wrote a pretty decent field guide for the site. Not sure if Don is still using it but I did a load of research to make it as current as could be, although that was almost ten years ago.

Oh we have old stuff here too. At last months Paleo Society of Austin meeting someone had a bunch of Cambrian material including eocrinoids. There is an area of Central Texas known as the Llano Uplift that has Precambrian up thru Pennsylvanian strata. But it is all jumbled up and good sites are scattered. If we go up into North Central Texas there are excellent Pennsylvanian collecting sites almost everywhere. And, well, the Texas Permian is always producing amazing new vertebrate critters.

Right now it is still in the 90's here and what I miss most from back east is the fall colors. My daughter and I would go up to Rickard Hill Road, collect all day and then stop for cider and donuts before taking the scenic route thru the Catskills back to Cragsmoor.

[Shamalama]

Great report and finds Jeffrey. I'm itching to get out an collect again and you are inspiring me!

[Scylla]

Yep, mostly west side of the Gunks. A few bits here and there up around Rondout and in Kingston. Schoharie was my favorite site before I moved here to Texas. When I was with the NYPS I wrote a pretty decent field guide for the site. Not sure if Don is still using it but I did a load of research to make it as current as could be, although that was almost ten years ago.

Oh we have old stuff here too. At last months Paleo Society of Austin meeting someone had a bunch of Cambrian material including eocrinoids. There is an area of Central Texas known as the Llano Uplift that has Precambrian up thru Pennsylvanian strata. But it is all jumbled up and good sites are scattered. If we go up into North Central Texas there are excellent Pennsylvanian collecting sites almost everywhere. And, well, the Texas Permian is always producing amazing new vertebrate critters.

Right now it is still in the 90's here and what I miss most from back east is the fall colors. My daughter and I would go up to Rickard Hill Road, collect all day and then stop for cider and donuts before taking the scenic route thru the Catskills back to Cragsmoor.

Yes your (most excellent) guide is still in use. I just joined the NYPS a couple of months back and got your guide. Really excellent work

[kwilson]

Jeffrey, great report. Good seeing you at Jamesville.

[Jeffrey P]

Great report and finds Jeffrey. I'm itching to get out an collect again and you are inspiring me!

Glad this has inspired you. Other peoples' posts have inspired me as well. Hope you do make it out there soon. Happy collecting!!!

[Jeffrey P]

Jeffrey, great report. Good seeing you at Jamesville.

Karl,

Thanks. Your website was an excellent source of information about these sites and others. Hope to see you again.

[Jeffrey P]

Yep, mostly west side of the Gunks. A few bits here and there up around Rondout and in Kingston. Schoharie was my favorite site before I moved here to Texas. When I was with the NYPS I wrote a pretty decent field guide for the site. Not sure if Don is still using it but I did a load of research to make it as current as could be, although that was almost ten years ago.

Oh we have old stuff here too. At last months Paleo Society of Austin meeting someone had a bunch of Cambrian material including eocrinoids. There is an area of Central Texas known as the Llano Uplift that has Precambrian up thru Pennsylvanian strata. But it is all jumbled up and good sites are scattered. If we go up into North Central Texas there are excellent Pennsylvanian collecting sites almost everywhere. And, well, the Texas Permian is always producing amazing new vertebrate critters.

Right now it is still in the 90's here and what I miss most from back east is the fall colors. My daughter and I would go up to Rickard Hill Road, collect all day and then stop for cider and donuts before taking the scenic route thru the Catskills back to Cragsmoor.

Thanks for the info. about Texas Paleozoic geology. Have you explored the Permian exposures in West Texas? A few fossils including spiny brachiopods and a diorama are on display at the American Museum of Natural History in NYC. Pretty impressive!!

[erose]

Karl,

Thanks. Your website was an excellent source of information about these sites and others. Hope to see you again.

Karl is the best. I only met up with him once when we visited the Rickard Hill cut in Schoharie. But we communicated via email often comparing notes.

Thanks for the info. about Texas Paleozoic geology. Have you explored the Permian exposures in West Texas? A few fossils including spiny brachiopods and a diorama are on display at the American Museum of Natural History in NYC. Pretty impressive!!

Texas is a BIG state and it is a long drive up thata ways. Sooner or later I am sure I will make the effort but I also think big vertebrates are the territory of more experienced paleontologists. You will see on the forum the work of others who have collected out that way.

[WBspectrum]

Nice...

As luck would have it I have to make a trip to Syracuse University in the next week or two. Guess I'll take route 20 instead of the thruway.

[morgansilk]

Nice...

As luck would have it I have to make a trip to Syracuse University in the next week or two. Guess I'll take route 20 instead of the thruway.

If you do, there is an apple orchard off rte 20 south of SYR loaded with horn coral. You just pick em up off the ground. I used to use them in my earth sci classes-- put one on each desk and asked what it was. (most usually, they guessed dinosaur scat). There are SO MANY there.