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Martha's Vineyard


mikeymig

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I did a little collecting while I was at Martha's Vineyard a week ago. I could look it up but I wanted to ask you guys the question, what formation or formations are at the south end of the Island near Gay Head? I was guided by a local resident and we found whale verts, bone, shark teeth, and a partial fossil crab. The clay was full of limionized (is that a word?) wood and I was told that it was Cretaceous and the black conglomerate nodules were Miocene. We found shark teeth and shark verts in the nodules and was told that's where the Megs are. I never collected here before and my guide is a artifact collector not a fossil collector.

Thanks

Mikey

Many times I've wondered how much there is to know.  
led zeppelin

 

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Congratulations on your finds, Mikey! I was nearby at Woods Hole last week. I thought most of the collecting areas at the Vineyard were off limits, but I'm real glad you had the chance to collect there with the help of a local resident.

Mike

Start the day with a smile and get it over with.

 

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I believe the Cretaceous formation is the Potomac.

The Miocene formation is the Calvert.

Glad you got to collect some, Mikey!

Regards,

    Tim    -  VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER

   MOTM.png.61350469b02f439fd4d5d77c2c69da85.png      PaleoPartner.png.30c01982e09b0cc0b7d9d6a7a21f56c6.png.a600039856933851eeea617ca3f2d15f.png     Postmaster1.jpg.900efa599049929531fa81981f028e24.jpg    VFOTM.png.f1b09c78bf88298b009b0da14ef44cf0.png  VFOTM  --- APRIL - 2015  

__________________________________________________
"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks."

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Mike, this guide of mine has lived on the island for 60+ years so I trusted his take on the local rules and laws. We couldn't climb the outcrops or collect, let alone touch, the colorful clays of these formations. We collected the sand and surf and I wish I had my hammer. The nodules were tough and I processed them caveman style by cracking them open on other rocks.

Thanks Tim! I thought the Miocene was Calvert or Choptank.

Mikey

Edited by mikeymig

Many times I've wondered how much there is to know.  
led zeppelin

 

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Its probably a Calvert or Choptank fm age equivalent, but its an entirely different embayment and so it wouldn't be the same formation. The Calvert doesn't even extent into NJ, instead there is the Kirkwood fm here which correlates fairly well but is mostly unfossiliferous. I can't find a mention of an actual name of the Martha's Vineyard miocene at Gay Head besides reference to the exposures as "miocene greensand".

  • I found this Informative 1

---Wie Wasser schleift den Stein, wir steigen und fallen---

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Thanks for the clarification, non-remanie.

This Website was the source of my info, based on the lack of information I could find about it.

post-2806-0-66343000-1413913669_thumb.jp

The info there is old - I should have checked further. :blush:

Regards,

Edited by Fossildude19

    Tim    -  VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER

   MOTM.png.61350469b02f439fd4d5d77c2c69da85.png      PaleoPartner.png.30c01982e09b0cc0b7d9d6a7a21f56c6.png.a600039856933851eeea617ca3f2d15f.png     Postmaster1.jpg.900efa599049929531fa81981f028e24.jpg    VFOTM.png.f1b09c78bf88298b009b0da14ef44cf0.png  VFOTM  --- APRIL - 2015  

__________________________________________________
"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks."

John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~   ><))))( *>  About Me      

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Tim, no problem at all. Its not a big deal and I can understand why it might be referred to as Calvert fm. I didnt do anything but briefly skim, but the PDF I posted goes over the stratigraphic problems. The issues it mentions are probably why the miocene formation hasn't even been formally named. Lots of reworking, among other things.

---Wie Wasser schleift den Stein, wir steigen und fallen---

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Mikey,

There is an article from the 30's (I think) on that area. A friend sent me a copy years ago. I'll try to find it tonight.

Jess

I did a little collecting while I was at Martha's Vineyard a week ago. I could look it up but I wanted to ask you guys the question, what formation or formations are at the south end of the Island near Gay Head? I was guided by a local resident and we found whale verts, bone, shark teeth, and a partial fossil crab. The clay was full of limionized (is that a word?) wood and I was told that it was Cretaceous and the black conglomerate nodules were Miocene. We found shark teeth and shark verts in the nodules and was told that's where the Megs are. I never collected here before and my guide is a artifact collector not a fossil collector.

Thanks
Mikey

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Mikey,

I found the article:

Sanford, S.N.F. 1934.

Fossils of Colorful Gay Head. Bulletin of the Boston Society of Natural History. 71. April 1934.

It does not discuss the geology - just that fossils from the Miocene, Pliocene, and Pleistocene are found there. It mentions that a rhino molar was once collected there. It does note that a treatise on the geology of the area was in press at the time. Here it is:

https://archive.org/details/cbarchive_52154_geographyandgeologyoftheregion1934

Jess

I did a little collecting while I was at Martha's Vineyard a week ago. I could look it up but I wanted to ask you guys the question, what formation or formations are at the south end of the Island near Gay Head? I was guided by a local resident and we found whale verts, bone, shark teeth, and a partial fossil crab. The clay was full of limionized (is that a word?) wood and I was told that it was Cretaceous and the black conglomerate nodules were Miocene. We found shark teeth and shark verts in the nodules and was told that's where the Megs are. I never collected here before and my guide is a artifact collector not a fossil collector.

Thanks
Mikey

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