8/6/17 Calvert Cliffs

[Miocene_Mason]

I took the first trip to Calvert cliffs since I was a very small child yesterday (I know I live in Maryland so I should be there more often) and although it was productive I am frustrated. A) not a single shark tooth to speak of, I think I was doing something wrong and B ) YOU CANT ACTUALLY HUNT AT THE CLIFFS!?! I knew you were not allowed to dig in the cliffs, but I thought you could at least hunt under them! The person at the front didn't mention that, just said don't dig in the cliffs, and the only warning was a small sign behind a bank that could barely be seen and four small wooden posts with orange plastic grid that was on the ground. I unknowinglyy walked a few feet in to collect fossils and was promptly yelled at and told to drop the fossils.  It was one person who then left and after she left, tons of people walked over to the cliffs, one picked up the fossils I dropped! I could see (some I took pictures of) beautiful complete shells on fallen pieces of stone, beckoning to me. Now they will soon be destroyed by the waves. What is the point of Calvert cliffs without the cliffs? It makes me angry so many fossils are allowed to be destroyed, I understand why but do not agree. I'm now thinking of ways to bypass this and does riparian rights got me covered? Can I walk at mean tide levels under the cliffs legally? I just learned the fee at matoaka cabins is the same so I know where I'm going next time.... Anyway ranting aside, these are my finds, there are a ton mostly chesapecten, so I will be uploading them throughout the day. I have a paper on how to ID them but it's all confusing to me, so feel free to comment thoughts at any time.

 

first up the sad remains of Ecphora, who instead of being collected in time, were destroyed by the waves. I don't know if it's possible to tell the species, they look most similar to gardenerae to me.

[Miocene_Mason]

On the way there was a stand selling fossils, I popped by for a look and the ensuing conversation with the fellow collector was a highlight of the trip. I got a full ecphora quadricastata (no idea if I spelled that right) there so I'm still happy. Also got a porpoise vert and a whale neck vert (I need to consolidate the whale, I'll get to that at some point)

 

next up two turritella in one stone (maybe that will become a saying)

I saw part of this sticking out and got excited, only to find most missing.

[Miocene_Mason]

Did manage this one though

Found three of these youngsters at the off limits area, so I dropped those but I found this one on the beach.

[Miocene_Mason]

Ever thought you were finding scutes, but it's actually just iron? It's not a great feeling. One is wetted.

[Miocene_Mason]

Bone fragment? If it is one it's got tons of scratches, must've been a shark chew toy. Found it on the trail a bit up from the cliffs, someone must of dropped it. Passes the tongue test.

[Miocene_Mason]

More chesapectens:

[Miocene_Mason]

[Miocene_Mason]

[Miocene_Mason]

Wetted

After all these years, this ones lips are still sealed, would've made a good secret agent...

[Miocene_Mason]

Oyster, ancient or modern?

[Miocene_Mason]

These may be replaceable enough to practice my prep skills on.

Brother found is one while swimming, it more curved so I'm guessing bottom half? Brother eneded up getting stung by jellyfish, as some kids trying to collect the jellyfish off the beach, wonder what the thinking was there...

[Miocene_Mason]

Here's what I bought at the stand, he said he didn't know if he as spelling quadricostata right, and he didn't so I'll be fixing that with some printed labels soon. I misspoke and said porpoise, I meant dolphin.

[Miocene_Mason]

Other high lights include finding a turtle and lots of different types of fungi. I like my living things as well as my dead ones...

[SailingAlongToo]

@WhodamanHD

 

Your scallop shells and the various pieces of shells are indeed Chesapecten nefrens. C. nefrens is actually the "type species" of the genus Chesapecten. One valve (side) of the scallop shell is flatter while the other has a more pronounced curve. (Most oysters are the same way.) The valves (sides) are called dorsal and ventral. When you go south of Matoaka you can find plenty of whole ones including those with both valves present and still stuck together. Look for sloughs of upper Miocene aged Choptank Formation lying on the beach and C. nefrens should be there. If you can get them directly from the sloughed material you can frequently get both valves together. (TIP: I carry some rubber bands in my backpack so I can put a rubber band on the ones with both valves together, so they don't come apart and get mixed up during transport home.)

 

The photo of your bone fragments looks more geologic to me (at least from the photos.)

 

The pieces of bog iron in your photos are very similar to the pieces that Dr. Weems and @MarcoSr find the animal prints in along the Potomac.

 

The photo of the oyster appears to be a fossil, Ostrea sp.  I will look in my reference book for the area and see if I can find you a better ID.

 

At least it sounds like you had a good day walking along the beach.

 

Cheers,

 

SA2

[SailingAlongToo]

@WhodamanHD

 

Your Ecphora looks like E. tricosta from first glance. I'll try to find my copy of the professional paper on the various species and sub-species of Ecphora and send you a PM.

[Miocene_Mason]

@SailingAlongToo

thank you for your replies, I wasn't sure if they were all one species, thank you for the confirmation, they were numerous there but since we were away from the cliffs (darn rules) most were not whole and definitely not associated with the other half, hopefully I will find a better place for that soon. AS for the iron, this was ocean so I didn't expect ( and did not) find any footprints. Any idea if the Ostrea is modern or fossilized? Thanks for the paper, eagerly awaiting it, I'll see if I can figure it out.

[Miocene_Mason]

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pictures from my accidental wondering too close to the cliffs

[Castle Rock]

I can certainly identify with your initial gripe.  I quite agree, something just ain't right about going to THE cliffs and not being allowed to even go near them. I have not been there myself since the early 70s (!) and back then NOBODY ever tried to stop you.  If you could get there, you could GO there!  I still have some really nice shells including one of the bigger bivalves..Panope Americana...collected both valves together...each one is about 7 inches long and about 4 inches wide.  I used to go to Governor's Run.  There WAS a small private museum WITH an open parking lot...just a few yards from the beach. Park the car (NO FEE!) and just walk up the beach, in the direction of Scientist's Cliff.  NOBODY messed with you!  IT WAS GREAT!  I truly miss those days.  At least I had the chance to really DO the cliffs!  MAYBE something (NO idea what) is actually BETTER than it used to be....somebody feel free to chime in!  Dave 

[Darktooth]

If you go to bayfront park you can hunt along the cliffs. At Calvert cliffs state park you can't.

[Miocene_Mason]

1 minute ago, Darktooth said:

If you go to bayfront park you can hunt along the cliffs. At Calvert cliffs state park you can't.

Found that out the hard way, I'll check out bayfront. I was given a few sites by the guy at the stand as well.

 

 

 

 

more fossils I couldn't take, one stone I didn't get a picture of had eight perfect scallops on it, it was on the ground.

[Miocene_Mason]

4 minutes ago, Castle Rock said:

I can certainly identify with your initial gripe.  I quite agree, something just ain't right about going to THE cliffs and not being allowed to even go near them. I have not been there myself since the early 70s (!) and back then NOBODY ever tried to stop you.  If you could get there, you could GO there!  I still have some really nice shells including one of the bigger bivalves..Panope Americana...collected both valves together...each one is about 7 inches long and about 4 inches wide.  I used to go to Governor's Run.  There WAS a small private museum WITH an open parking lot...just a few yards from the beach. Park the car (NO FEE!) and just walk up the beach, in the direction of Scientist's Cliff.  NOBODY messed with you!  IT WAS GREAT!  I truly miss those days.  At least I had the chance to really DO the cliffs!  MAYBE something (NO idea what) is actually BETTER than it used to be....somebody feel free to chime in!  Dave 

I feel as though fossil collecting is getting progressively harder and harder, someday maybe there will be a petition or something. If there is, I'm all in! They don't get scientists out there enough, so the important fossil are probably sand by the time they get there. I feel like the museums claim on all fossils should be enough.....

i know if I found an important specimen I would donate it gladly, but I at least want the nice common ones. I guess just more scouting trips to sites of heard of.

[SailingAlongToo]

14 minutes ago, WhodamanHD said:

@SailingAlongToo

thank you for your replies, I wasn't sure if they were all one species, thank you for the confirmation, they were numerous there but since we were away from the cliffs (darn rules) most were not whole and definitely not associated with the other half, hopefully I will find a better place for that soon. AS for the iron, this was ocean so I didn't expect ( and did not) find any footprints. Any idea if the Ostrea is modern or fossilized? Thanks for the paper, eagerly awaiting it, I'll see if I can figure it out.

 

@WhodamanHD

 

It was ocean many times throughout the Tertiary Period, but not always. At some points it was lagoonal, deltaic, estuary, inshore, etc. Thus, the different and varying composition to the various stratigraphy layers. Sometimes the geologic uplift in the region raised certain areas above the water and those didn't get covered by the sediment, while adjacent areas did get covered. SE MD and eastern VA / NC have very interesting geology, much of it localized to specific areas, almost like micro-geologic enviroments. 

[Miocene_Mason]

3 minutes ago, SailingAlongToo said:

 

@WhodamanHD

 

It was ocean many times throughout the Tertiary Period, but not always. At some points it was lagoonal, deltaic, estuary, inshore, etc. Thus, the different and varying composition to the various stratigraphy layers. Sometimes the geologic uplift in the region raised certain areas above the water and those didn't get covered by the sediment, while adjacent areas did get covered. SE MD and eastern VA / NC have very interesting geology, much of it localized to specific areas, almost like micro-geologic enviroments. 

Okay, I just assumed ocean because of how low down it was ( or the layer it came from) on the cliffs. Still the closest thing to a footprint is this which with some stretching of the imagination looks deer like

[SailingAlongToo]

5 minutes ago, WhodamanHD said:

Okay, I just assumed ocean because of how low down it was ( or the layer it came from) on the cliffs. Still the closest thing to a footprint is this which with some stretching of the imagination looks deer like

 

Hey, I understand about stretching the imagination to see the animal prints. Marco Sr and I have discussed that very thing several times. The only one of Dr. Weems' bog iron "prints" I can clearly see (without having to imagine) is the one of the grey fox. It looks identical to a modern fox print. Some of the others I don't think I could see even if I was "on" something. Some, I shrug and go, "yeah, maybe."

 

The concept is quite intriguing though and I'm interested to follow his research.

[Miocene_Mason]

5 minutes ago, SailingAlongToo said:

 

Hey, I understand about stretching the imagination to see the animal prints. Marco Sr and I have discussed that very thing several times. The only one of Dr. Weems' bog iron "prints" I can clearly see (without having to imagine) is the one of the grey fox. It looks identical to a modern fox print. Some of the others I don't think I could see even if I was "on" something. Some, I shrug and go, "yeah, maybe."

 

The concept is quite intriguing though and I'm interested to follow his research.

Yeah I remember that, ichnopaleontology (right word?) is one of paleontologists hardest subsets. 

Another ecphora piece on a piece of clay, and that should be it.

They were not attached btw