Can anyone help me ID this?

[Ari]

Found this in a creek in upstate New York. Can anyone tell me what I am looking at?

[Ari]

Here's some more pics. 

[Fossildude19]

Welcome to the Forum.  

 

You are looking at a whole lot of brachiopod and pelecypod/bivalves shells. 

The term we use for these are "Hash Plates".

It is a piece of the Devonian (probably) aged sea floor. 

The currents brought shells to an area where they aggregated, and built up the sea floor.

Then the mud and shells turned to stone.  

But that's the long version.  

Regards,

[Ari]

Thanks!! Are these common? What else would I be likely to find around where I found this? 

[ynot]

Yes - Hash plates are fairly common. 

Anything that lived in the oceans of that era..

 

Tony

[Fossildude19]

Yes, ... these are common in many parts of Upstate New York. 

The possibilities of finding other creatures is dependent on where in NY you found this. 

Lower Devonian deposits have different fauna from Middle Devonian,... et cetera. 

Where you found it will help to determine what age the fossils are, and what fauna it may be possible to find there. 

 

See these links for more information.  

 

LINK 1

LINK 2

 

Regards,

[doushantuo]

The most frequently used terms for these shellbeds are lumachelle or coquina.

(they are NOT to be confused with epiboles*,although BOTH are fossil concentrations)

It is an accumulation of the tests of invertebrates.

It need not have been the case that they are "fossilized life assemblages".

Size/age frequency diagrams can be used to conclude if such is the case,or an analysis of the biostratinomy.

Perhap you can imagine that finding shells with different kinds of preservation probably means it is not a life assemblage.

*The Devonian of NY State contains a lot of epiboles,BTW

 

 

[DNF]

16 minutes ago, Ari said:

Thanks!! Are these common? What else would I be likely to find around where I found this? 

That's a wonderful hash plate, Ari.

 

I'm new to this as well and also live in a Devonian area.

 

I've found a lot of brachiopods, bryozoans, and crinoids, as well as a few trilobite fragments (which I still haven't found the source of).

 

I'm still looking for a cephalopod and echinoderm, which apparantly didn't live in my area during the Devonian .

 

Some of the experienced members might be able to give you a bigger list of things to look for.