Shellseeker Posted July 27, 2017 Share Posted July 27, 2017 Just back from a non fossil trip north. Recently had a cataract operation and had a follow up doctors visit. I have been craving fossil hunting activity. On the was home, lo and behold , a dump truck was pulling out leaving a pile of sand , shells and maybe a fossil or two!! I was there for 45 minutes and by the time I left, there were 15-20 others searching and digging thru the pile. Now all I have to do is identify, assisted by MikeR's fantastic gallery of Florida shells some more of the finds. I am attracted to Gastropoda! 4 The White Queen ".... in her youth she could believe "six impossible things before breakfast" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ynot Posted July 27, 2017 Share Posted July 27, 2017 Sounds like a fortuitous coincidence of timing. Glad That You could "scratch the fossil itch"! Nice shells to. Darwin said: " Man sprang from monkeys." Will Rogers said: " Some of them didn't spring far enough." My Fossil collection - My Mineral collection My favorite thread on TFF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeR Posted July 27, 2017 Share Posted July 27, 2017 Looks like Bermont or Caloosahatchee. You don't have to be specific in regards to your pile but what county? Better yet do you know what quarry? "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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJB Posted July 27, 2017 Share Posted July 27, 2017 I do have a soft spot for the gastropods, but only if they are still in matrix. but nice finds Jack RB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ptychodus04 Posted July 27, 2017 Share Posted July 27, 2017 I have a soft spot for gastropods in the shell, steamed, and doused in garlic butter. Nice celestial alignment of the fossiling planets! 1 Regards, Kris Global Paleo Services, LLC https://globalpaleoservices.com http://instagram.com/globalpaleoservices http://instagram.com/kris.howe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnBrewer Posted July 27, 2017 Share Posted July 27, 2017 Fossils by the truckload and delivered near home? Fab! John Map of UK fossil sites Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted July 27, 2017 Share Posted July 27, 2017 Talk about luck! I nice gastropods. Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcbshark Posted July 27, 2017 Share Posted July 27, 2017 Here's to a speedy recovery Jack nice finds Every once in a great while it's not just a big rock down there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellseeker Posted July 27, 2017 Author Share Posted July 27, 2017 4 hours ago, MikeR said: Looks like Bermont or Caloosahatchee. You don't have to be specific in regards to your pile but what county? Better yet do you know what quarry? Thanks to all for the great comments. It is great to get "freebee" opportunities to hunt. Lee County Mike. Could easily be those quarries in Estero or Bonita, but I guess Lee County could be hiring aggregate companies from other locations. I did not see any identification on the truck, Jack The White Queen ".... in her youth she could believe "six impossible things before breakfast" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nimravis Posted July 28, 2017 Share Posted July 28, 2017 Great finds and I really love Florida shell fossils. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellseeker Posted July 28, 2017 Author Share Posted July 28, 2017 3 hours ago, Nimravis said: Great finds and I really love Florida shell fossils. Agree. Hunting Florida modern seashells used to be a priority. Then I switched to shark and Vertebrae fossil as a priority, Only occasionally do I get the chance to search for Florida fossil seashells. This is the best of my finds so far. Originally, I thought it was broken but when washed in the gulf, almost perfect. Who would not love to find one of these just laying in a pile of shells, sand, mud intended for road fill? 1 The White Queen ".... in her youth she could believe "six impossible things before breakfast" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nimravis Posted July 29, 2017 Share Posted July 29, 2017 3 hours ago, Shellseeker said: Agree. Hunting Florida modern seashells used to be a priority. Then I switched to shark and Vertebrae fossil as a priority, Only occasionally do I get the chance to search for Florida fossil seashells. This is the best of my finds so far. Originally, I thought it was broken but when washed in the gulf, almost perfect. Who would not love to find one of these just laying in a pile of shells, sand, mud intended for road fill? When on vacation in Florida, and if when I find similar piles that were just dumped, I always wait to clean them until I get home. I like to look for the micro shells that are found in the sand matrix that is found inside the larger shells. Here are a couple examples, most are always in perfect preservation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nimravis Posted July 29, 2017 Share Posted July 29, 2017 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ropterus Posted July 29, 2017 Share Posted July 29, 2017 Nice finds! Good thing you were there when opportunity came knocking! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coco Posted July 29, 2017 Share Posted July 29, 2017 Attractive black centimetric cube ! I love your Miocene shells ! Do you know more precisely their age ? Coco 1 ---------------------- OUTIL POUR MESURER VOS FOSSILES : ici Ma bibliothèque PDF 1 (Poissons et sélaciens récents & fossiles) : ici Ma bibliothèque PDF 2 (Animaux vivants - sans poissons ni sélaciens) : ici Mâchoires sélaciennes récentes : ici Hétérodontiques et sélaciens : ici Oeufs sélaciens récents : ici Otolithes de poissons récents ! ici Un Greg... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellseeker Posted July 29, 2017 Author Share Posted July 29, 2017 11 hours ago, Nimravis said: When on vacation in Florida, and if when I find similar piles that were just dumped, I always wait to clean them until I get home. At least once a year, I manage to get out on a trip to an Aggregate Quarry (which gets increasingly difficult as time goes by). I pick up numerous large shells and after returning home carefully wash out the matrix and tiny shells packed inside the large shells. Small treasures indeed! 4 hours ago, Coco said: I love your Miocene shells ! Do you know more precisely their age ? https://mrdata.usgs.gov/geology/state/sgmc-unit.php?unit=FLPOPSsu;0 Quote The "formations" previously recognized within the latest Tertiary-Quaternary section of southern Florida include the latest Pliocene - early Pleistocene Caloosahatchee Formation, the early Pleistocene Bermont formation (informal) and the late Pleistocene Fort Thompson Formation. This section consists of fossiliferous sands and carbonates. The identification of these units is problematic unless the significant molluscan species are recognized. So, as I identify what I picked up, maybe one or more would identify the actual formation and age. @MikeR above indicated that Bermont or Caloosahatchee was most likely. Jack The White Queen ".... in her youth she could believe "six impossible things before breakfast" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeR Posted July 29, 2017 Share Posted July 29, 2017 On 7/27/2017 at 7:44 PM, Shellseeker said: Thanks to all for the great comments. It is great to get "freebee" opportunities to hunt. Lee County Mike. Could easily be those quarries in Estero or Bonita, but I guess Lee County could be hiring aggregate companies from other locations. I did not see any identification on the truck, Jack Hey Jack! Hope you are doing well, other than the cataracts that is. I am leaning towards Bermont which is interesting as it does not outcrop in Lee County. I have been collecting Lee and Collier for a couple of years. Most of the temporary construction sites in Southern Lee County and in Collier County near Imokalee are Golden Gate Member of the Tamiami Formation. I have not collected the quarry in Estero on Alico Road but I have studied the geology. It is mostly Bonita Springs Member of the Tamiami Formation containing mostly Hyotissa haitensis with a little overlying Fort Thompson Formation. I have collected the quarry in Bonita Springs and it is mostly Golden Gate Member with some Ochopee Member and also a little Ft. Thompson. It does have shell but also a lot of limestone and especially coral. If you are not seeing that then it's probably not local. Looks similar to Ryan Star material from the Florida east coast. 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darktooth Posted July 29, 2017 Share Posted July 29, 2017 Nice Score! I wish I had dumptrucks that dropped off goodies to me! I like Trilo-butts and I cannot lie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellseeker Posted July 29, 2017 Author Share Posted July 29, 2017 1 hour ago, MikeR said: Hey Jack! Hope you are doing well, other than the cataracts that is. I am leaning towards Bermont which is interesting as it does not outcrop in Lee County. I have been collecting Lee and Collier for a couple of years. Most of the temporary construction sites in Southern Lee County and in Collier County near Imokalee are Golden Gate Member of the Tamiami Formation. I have not collected the quarry in Estero on Alico Road but I have studied the geology. It is mostly Bonita Springs Member of the Tamiami Formation containing mostly Hyotissa haitensis with a little overlying Fort Thompson Formation. I have collected the quarry in Bonita Springs and it is mostly Golden Gate Member with some Ochopee Member and also a little Ft. Thompson. It does have shell but also a lot of limestone and especially coral. If you are not seeing that then it's probably not local. Looks similar to Ryan Star material from the Florida east coast. Mike Mike, I guess that cinches -- a little limestone, zero coral -- I would/did not miss it. Sand, mud, gravel , lots of shell materials. Not local to Lee county. The White Queen ".... in her youth she could believe "six impossible things before breakfast" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plantguy Posted July 30, 2017 Share Posted July 30, 2017 Hey Jack. Nice to see the latest finds. Yep those dump trucks are amazing things. I'm waiting for the boss to have his road resurfaced....nothing like having fossils being brought to you! Hope all is well. Regards, Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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