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fossil shells which period?


Rowboater

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Most of the time I pick up or dig sharks teeth in a creek near the Rappahannock River but I found it was mostly sanded in when I went to look.  Did find a hole in the side of the creek where seashells were stacked with water flowing through, removing most of the silt (and depositing many teeth and other fossils in front of the hole). The bottom layer was hard gray clay, few if any shells.  The second layer was a fragile heavy white triangular shell (or impression from a long-gone shell.  Above these the shells seemed more jumbled and less distinct layers, but contained lots of very flat shells, scallops, curved oyster-like shells, a straighter oyster-like shell with distinct growth(?) sections, and lots of clams and barnacles.  (One shell was partly covered by a layer of coral-- but doesn't really show in the scans).  Most of the shark teeth seemed mixed in the jumbled layer.  I'm curious about the fossil seashells but wonder if they can provide the era and period where the shark teeth and other fossils come from.

Except for the flat shell and maybe the triangular white one, the shells don't scan well but I'm hoping some of you can recognize them despite the poor pictures.  (Having trouble loading but will add others ). 

shells2.jpeg

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I am thinking Uppermost Miocene Eastover Formation.  The pecten might be Chesapecten middlesexensis.

"A problem solved is a problem caused"--Karl Pilkington

"I was dead for millions of years before I was born and it never inconvenienced me a bit." -- Mark Twain

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Hi, the lower one on the left looks like a kind of clam, but i really cannot help you further for its identification. I agree the upper one is a pecten.

But here, you have a nice scleractinian coral :

shells3.jpeg.270f5322d7f435135ffcf9e7b7d57087.jpeg

 

theme-celtique.png.bbc4d5765974b5daba0607d157eecfed.png.7c09081f292875c94595c562a862958c.png

"On ne voit bien que par le coeur, l'essentiel est invisible pour les yeux." (Antoine de Saint-Exupéry)

"We only well see with the heart, the essential is invisible for the eyes."

 

In memory of Doren

photo-thumb-12286.jpg.878620deab804c0e4e53f3eab4625b4c.jpg

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THanks for your help!  I know the pictures are horrible, but there are always knowledgeable people here to help! 

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Maybe could you take photos with your phone and send them to your computer ?

theme-celtique.png.bbc4d5765974b5daba0607d157eecfed.png.7c09081f292875c94595c562a862958c.png

"On ne voit bien que par le coeur, l'essentiel est invisible pour les yeux." (Antoine de Saint-Exupéry)

"We only well see with the heart, the essential is invisible for the eyes."

 

In memory of Doren

photo-thumb-12286.jpg.878620deab804c0e4e53f3eab4625b4c.jpg

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The coral is Septastrea marylandica and it is on Isognomon sp.  On the lower right is a left valve of Ostrea compressiostra.  On the lower left might be a right valve of the same species but I would need to see the other side to be sure.

"A problem solved is a problem caused"--Karl Pilkington

"I was dead for millions of years before I was born and it never inconvenienced me a bit." -- Mark Twain

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Much better.   The scaly nature of the oyster compares well with the subspecies Ostrea compressiostra geraldjonsoni Ward, 1992 which would place your shells in the Cobham Bay Member of the Eastover Formation.

 

Mike

"A problem solved is a problem caused"--Karl Pilkington

"I was dead for millions of years before I was born and it never inconvenienced me a bit." -- Mark Twain

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Again, thanks so much to you both for your help!

Mike , you seem very expert on the fossil sea shells.  Is the very flat shell likely a bottom for the oyster?  Also is the white triangular "shell" a cast of a different shell (it is heavy and made up of many layers that flake easily)? That was the predominant finding in the layer beneath the more recognizable shells.

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It's very worn however the right valve is flat so I would say yes it is the same species as the other oyster.  The triangular shell shows layers of nacre and is Isognomon sp. or the tree oyster which is a common component of the Mid-Atlantic Miocene.  See LINK and WoRMS.

"A problem solved is a problem caused"--Karl Pilkington

"I was dead for millions of years before I was born and it never inconvenienced me a bit." -- Mark Twain

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If you want to learn more about the Miocene Molluscs of the Mid-Atlantic Region Lauck Ward's 1992 publication is available for purchase through VMNH LINK

"A problem solved is a problem caused"--Karl Pilkington

"I was dead for millions of years before I was born and it never inconvenienced me a bit." -- Mark Twain

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Also, this is a pretty good resource for figuring out Florida invert fossils...

http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/invertpaleo/galleries.htm

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I had always ignored the shells trying to focus on the shiny black teeth, but I will have to look at the complete, particularly more unusual shell specimens while hunting.  Have learned a lot more than I ever thought I would in the last few days about fossil sea shells.  Thanks again for everyone's help!

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