Two 15 minute stops in NY's Helderberg Group

[Jeffrey P]

Driving west on Route 20 towards my favorite Middle Devonian Hamilton sites in Madison County I always pass this limestone road cut on the west side of Schoharie County just outside the tiny hamlet of Leesville, NY. It is an exposure of the Lower Devonian Kalkberg Formation, part of the Helderberg Group amd it's richly fossiliferous. I have collected from there in the past and there's a nice-sized Favosites (tabulate coral) that I've been trying to release from the wall for the past few years now. Each time I stop there I give it a few more whacks from my sledge, but so far it won't budge. This spring on yet another foray to Central NY, I was in no rush and decided to give that Favosites a few more whacks. Again, no luck, but I noticed a nice Machaeraria formosa (brachiopod) lying free from the matrix, a nice consolation prize. I decided to spend a few more minutes checking out the site to see what else had weathered free and did pick up a number of specimens. The next day, on my way home I stopped again and checked out the road cut on the other side of the highway and collected a few more things. In addition to what I picked up there were scores of crinoid stem discs scattered about, bryozoans, and of course brachiopods. Maybe some day I'll spend a bit more time there.

A pair of Machaeraria Formosa, a Pentamerid brachiopod. My only previous one has just a single valve. Both of these have two.

Not sure on the ID of this single valve specimen. I'm guessing Uncinulus campbellanus, a Rhynchonellid brachiopod.

Edited June 5, 2016 by Jeffrey P

[Jeffrey P]

A Megakozlowskiella perlamellosa, a Spiriferid brachiopod.

A single valve Orthid brachiopod, possibly Tyersella perelegans, but I wouldn't bet my life on it.

Edited June 5, 2016 by Jeffrey P

[Trevor]

Nice finds for 30 minutes! Next time you need to fully sledge that exposure, see what you can find.

[njfossilhunter]

Cool finds Jeff....I like the 3rd one the best. I don't think I can wait year after year for a fossil to weather out of the wall...have you tried some explosive's...only kidding

Tony

[Jeffrey P]

Enterolasma strictum, a rugose coral, the largest one I've ever found in the Kalkberg Formation.

And finally....

A piece of a trilobite pygidium, probably a Phacopid. Trilobites are not abundant in the Kalkberg so every piece of one is a find.

[Fossildude19]

Great finds, Jeff!

Thanks for showing them
Regards,

[Jeffrey P]

Thanks Tim, Trevor, and Tony. Sorry, explosives are not an option. I'm sure more time ad a little hammering would produce more good specimens.

[njfossilhunter]

Hmmmm. Tim, Trevor and Tony......TnTnT........You sure You not thinking about my idea....LOL

[Darktooth]

Nice finds Jeff!

[piranha]

The pygidium is from a dalmanitid, most likely Dalmanites pleuroptyx.

[Pagurus]

Thanks for reporting on your finds, Jeff. Those were rewarding stops. My favorite is the Megakozlowskiella. I like the name.

[sixgill pete]

Great finds. Thanks for sharing them.

[Jeffrey P]

The pygidium is from a dalmanitid, most likely Dalmanites pleuroptyx.

Thanks.

[Jeffrey P]

Thanks Dave, Mike, and Pete.

Edited June 9, 2016 by Jeffrey P

[erose]

I know that road cut. Good brachiopods. I've seen at least one complete, but small, trilobite come from there.