Open your eyes: fossils are everywhere!!!

[Max-fossils]

Hey everyone,

 

So today, after my second day of exams, which is why I finished earlier, I had to take the tram home instead of the schoolbus (that I usually take).

On my way to the tram station, I noticed that there was some sand on the sidewalk. I looked closer, and saw that there were quite some shells all along the sidewalk.

My passion for conchology (which I also have, though it's less strong than my love of fossils) took over and I began hunting for seashells. I only found bivalves, but was still quite surprised with what I got.

When I got home, I looked more closely at the shells, and realized some of them were fossils!!!

Here is my (unexpected, I should say) haul:

 

 

1) Mactra plistoneerlandica (fossil and modern)

2) Cerastoderma edule (fossil)

3) Limecola balthica (fossil and modern) --> I'm really happy that I found some more fossil ones of those, because nearly all of mine were already gone in trades!

4) Donax vittatus (modern)

 

The fossils, found in the streets of The Hague (NL), are probably from the Pleistocene period (they are identical to those that I find on the Zandmotor, which is very closeby).

 

It's really surprising how much you can find, even when you're not looking for fossils. Sometimes you find them in the most unexpected places, and you always get a very weird feeling of surprise and happiness when you do. It's often fun to try and figure out how those fossils got there, and I know the answer to this one:

--> Sand is one of the most used resources in the world, and therefore often sought after for (even if it's extremely common). It's useful to build a support for things, such as sidewalks, or to make glass, and many other things. And where is the most sand found? On the bottom of the sea. And in that sand (especially the sand of the North Sea) lie many fossils. So when that sand is pumped upon land, the fossils are brought with it. This is how the fossils came here onto the sidewalk of a street of The Hague. In fact, it's that same sand that composes the Zandmotor, which was built as a natural dam against the floods (which have a bad history with the NL) from the sand of the sea, which is why it is so rich in fossils.

 

I hope that this little report has pleased you, and that you've learned things!

 

Therefore remember to always keep your eyes open for fossils, even if you're in normally non-fossil places!

 

Best regards,

 

Max

[Spinosaurus]

thatsfunny i didn't know that these are i some big cities!

[Darktooth]

Very interesting Max, thanks for sharing with us.

[Max-fossils]

20 hours ago, Spinosaurus said:

thatsfunny i didn't know that these are i some big cities!

I didn't know it either until yesterday! But now I can tell you, I guarantee that there are some, you just have to search. At least for The Hague, I mean I have no clue for Amsterdam, Rotterdam, etc, all I know is that The Hague has some. Of course, those fossils are extremely common, as you may know, and when you're hunting on the beach you normally don't bother to pick them up.

 

What city do you live in actually?

 

Best regards,

 

Max

[Max-fossils]

17 hours ago, Darktooth said:

Very interesting Max, thanks for sharing with us.

Thanks Dave!

[Max-fossils]

Today, I went back to the street I found the fossils on to find some more, as it entertains me on my walk to the tram stop. I found a few more nice shells, though it was less than yesterday (mostly because I was in a bit more of a hurry). Then as I went into the center to have lunch with some friends, I came back home walking (though the first bit was by tram) from Spui. On my way home I walked through the Haagse Bosjes, of which the paths are composed of seashells and mud. There I found a few more fossil shells, though most of them were modern. Unfortunately I was dumb enough to put all the shells in the same pocket, which wasn't very smart, because now I don't know anymore from where which fossils come from...  All I can say is that the three whelks come from the woods, that's all I remember.

Here is my haul:

[Max-fossils]

Here is the labelled version:

 

1) small oysters (Ostrea sp.?)

2) a clam, I'm gonna have to search up which one

3) clams (Mactra plistoneerlandica) 

4) baltic macomas (Limecola balthica)

5) cockles (Cerastoderma edule)

6) dog whelks (Nassarius nitidus/reticulatus?)

7) a monster whelk (closeup next post)

[Max-fossils]

Here is a closeup of the gigantic whelk I found. It's modern, but I still love it, I've never found a whelk that big.

By the way, see that weird white spot on it? Well, that's all that was above ground of this jewel, so I had to dig in the path to be able to get it out (meaning I evidently got some weird looks from the joggers, as they probably don't see a boy just digging in a path like a wild dog ). The condition is great, especially for a shell that stayed underground for probably many years! Only the very tip and part of the operculum is missing. Anyone have a clue of the species of this bad boy?

[Max-fossils]

Another pic of the whelk, to give you an idea of the size and so that you can see the white spot I was talking about previously. I'm really happy with this find!

[Coco]

Hi,

 

My bigger whelk is 6,4 cm (2" 1/2) and I think it is the same species of yours : Buccinum undatum (Buccinidae).

 

Coco

[Max-fossils]

15 hours ago, Coco said:

Hi,

 

My bigger whelk is 6,4 cm (2" 1/2) and I think it is the same species of yours : Buccinum undatum (Buccinidae).

 

Coco

With a quick Google search, I agree! Thanks a lot! This whelk is around 9 cm. Can I see some pictures of yours?

 

Best regards,

 

Max

[Coco]

Hi,

 

Here is mine, from Vendée - France.

 

 

Coco

[Max-fossils]

2 hours ago, Coco said:

Hi,

 

Here is mine, from Vendée - France.

 

 

Coco

Magnifique! Je ne connais pas Vendée, c'est où exactement?

[Coco]

Hi,

 

Max, Vendée is a french department near the Atlantic Ocean with big sandy beaches :

 

https://www.google.fr/imgres?imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.jump-voyage.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F09%2FCarte-Vend%C3%A9e-9.png&imgrefurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.jump-voyage.com%2Fcategory%2Fcarte-vendee%2F&h=2181&w=2000&tbnid=74VYW3e9X8ieqM%3A&vet=10ahUKEwiX3JXghN3SAhXFWhoKHZIuABwQ_B0InQEwEQ..i&tbnh=160&tbnw=147&docid=ysoSY9HL9tP-sM&itg=1&hl=fr&usg=__6OauTQUG9LCxrDzjs2EK_-er2q8%3D&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiX3JXghN3SAhXFWhoKHZIuABwQ_B0InQEwEQ#h=2181&imgrc=74VYW3e9X8ieqM:&spf=6&tbnh=160&tbnw=147&vet=10ahUKEwiX3JXghN3SAhXFWhoKHZIuABwQ_B0InQEwEQ..i&w=2000

 

 

And my department (Maine-t-Loire) :

 

https://www.google.fr/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fupload.wikimedia.org%2Fwikipedia%2Fcommons%2Fthumb%2F0%2F01%2FMaine-et-Loire-Position.svg%2F1200px-Maine-et-Loire-Position.svg.png&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Ffr.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FMaine-et-Loire&h=1309&w=1200&tbnid=omoBFa5fxzrLGM%3A&vet=10ahUKEwi-8PiIhd3SAhWIVhoKHVS_AB8Q_B0IhgEwDA..i&tbnh=160&tbnw=147&docid=--8QHimmRN2HiM&itg=1&hl=fr&usg=__BaaUt4xjWd8NKpjWb8i0wZmbozI%3D&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi-8PiIhd3SAhWIVhoKHVS_AB8Q_B0IhgEwDA#h=1309&imgrc=omoBFa5fxzrLGM:&spf=6&tbnh=160&tbnw=147&vet=10ahUKEwi-8PiIhd3SAhWIVhoKHVS_AB8Q_B0IhgEwDA..i&w=1200

 

 

Coco

[Max-fossils]

4 hours ago, Coco said:

Hi,

 

Max, Vendée is a french department near the Atlantic Ocean with big sandy beaches :

 

https://www.google.fr/imgres?imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.jump-voyage.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F09%2FCarte-Vend%C3%A9e-9.png&imgrefurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.jump-voyage.com%2Fcategory%2Fcarte-vendee%2F&h=2181&w=2000&tbnid=74VYW3e9X8ieqM%3A&vet=10ahUKEwiX3JXghN3SAhXFWhoKHZIuABwQ_B0InQEwEQ..i&tbnh=160&tbnw=147&docid=ysoSY9HL9tP-sM&itg=1&hl=fr&usg=__6OauTQUG9LCxrDzjs2EK_-er2q8%3D&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiX3JXghN3SAhXFWhoKHZIuABwQ_B0InQEwEQ#h=2181&imgrc=74VYW3e9X8ieqM:&spf=6&tbnh=160&tbnw=147&vet=10ahUKEwiX3JXghN3SAhXFWhoKHZIuABwQ_B0InQEwEQ..i&w=2000

 

 

And my department (Maine-t-Loire) :

 

https://www.google.fr/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fupload.wikimedia.org%2Fwikipedia%2Fcommons%2Fthumb%2F0%2F01%2FMaine-et-Loire-Position.svg%2F1200px-Maine-et-Loire-Position.svg.png&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Ffr.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FMaine-et-Loire&h=1309&w=1200&tbnid=omoBFa5fxzrLGM%3A&vet=10ahUKEwi-8PiIhd3SAhWIVhoKHVS_AB8Q_B0IhgEwDA..i&tbnh=160&tbnw=147&docid=--8QHimmRN2HiM&itg=1&hl=fr&usg=__BaaUt4xjWd8NKpjWb8i0wZmbozI%3D&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi-8PiIhd3SAhWIVhoKHVS_AB8Q_B0IhgEwDA#h=1309&imgrc=omoBFa5fxzrLGM:&spf=6&tbnh=160&tbnw=147&vet=10ahUKEwi-8PiIhd3SAhWIVhoKHVS_AB8Q_B0IhgEwDA..i&w=1200

 

 

Coco

 

D'accord, merci beaucoup!

[Max-fossils]

Hi all,

 

Thought it would probably be nice to quickly update this thread: here are my finds from Wednesday afternoon. All of these were found within a small 1m radius, around a tree in the middle of the city!

The two above are a big (modern) Corbicula fluminalis and a gorgeous modern kauri (Cypraeidae indet.)(my best one yet from the North Sea!).

 

Then on the right, we have 9 nice fossil Spisula subtruncata from the Eem formation, Eemian, Pleistocene (120’000 years old).

 

And finally on the left we have: a small common cockle (Cerastoderma edule), a tiny balthic clam (Macoma balthica), a small broken unidentified bivalve, a small Corbicula fluminalis, a nice Tridonta borealis, and my first fossil Chamelea gallina! Woohoo! All from the Eem formation.Those last 3 are uncommon species too 

 

Once again, it is clear to see that sometimes cool fossils come from the most unexpected places, and that for us fossil-lovers, keeping our eyes open is always a smart thing to do! 

 

Best regards,

 

Max

[Delfi]

My old 1960’s driveway is texas river rock and concrete. Over the years I’ve scooped up hundreds of devils toenails that are eroding out and clam sediment.  Makes for pretty jewelry. But here in Texas, like you said, Max. There are fossils everywhere.  Literally everywhere pebbles and dirt are. 

[Max-fossils]

53 minutes ago, Delfi said:

My old 1960’s driveway is texas river rock and concrete. Over the years I’ve scooped up hundreds of devils toenails that are eroding out and clam sediment.  Makes for pretty jewelry. But here in Texas, like you said, Max. There are fossils everywhere.  Literally everywhere pebbles and dirt are. 

That is really cool!