IKatelin Posted August 9, 2009 Share Posted August 9, 2009 My daughter & I found this in a local fresh-water creek in South Eastern, PA. We were told it may be a fossil. It was found in a remote area, so it seems unlikely somebody dropped it if it isa salt-water type shell. My daughter wants to list this on her website www.IKatelin.com, and wants to list it correctly. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you, Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron E. Posted August 9, 2009 Share Posted August 9, 2009 My daughter & I found this in a local fresh-water creek in South Eastern, PA. We were told it may be a fossil.It was found in a remote area, so it seems unlikely somebody dropped it if it isa salt-water type shell. My daughter wants to list this on her website www.IKatelin.com, and wants to list it correctly. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you, Rob Very cool site! This looks a little clean to me to be a fossil. Weird finding it in a freshwater creek, definitely looks marine. We have some real gastropod experts here who will no doubt have better insight than mine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Bowen Posted August 9, 2009 Share Posted August 9, 2009 It's a Turritella of some kind. These are pretty common fossils, however, I don't know if this one is a fossil or not. The coloring is still pretty vivid for being millions of years old. They are also pretty common in modern oceans. I have never seen a fossil turritella look like this, being that the shell is intact, while being hollow, and especially being tumbled in a riverbed. My guess is that it's not a fossil. But, it is a pretty shell! Dave Bowen Collin County, Texas. Paleontology: The next best thing to time travel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seldom Posted August 9, 2009 Share Posted August 9, 2009 I am with Dave on this very common fossils but yours looks like it was just picked up on beach. Heres a PDF link that might help. http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/topogeo/education/es2.pdf Galveston Island 32 miles long 2 miles wide 134 bars 23 liquor stores any questions? Evolution is Chimp Change. Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass; it's about learning to dance in the rain! "I like to listen. I have learned a great deal from listening carefully. Most people never listen." Ernest Hemingway Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haddy Posted August 9, 2009 Share Posted August 9, 2009 That shell is in great shape! NJ was covered by the ocean several times, with the shoreline as far inland as Scranton, from what I've read. So finding ocean fossils in a fresh water stream is quite possible. Here's some info on some NJ streams to give you an idea of what can be found: http://www.njfossils.net/cover.html I agree that it's a turritella, but don't know much about them. I have found fossil turritella at Calvert Cliffs, MD, but they're pretty bleached out. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turritella Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IKatelin Posted August 9, 2009 Author Share Posted August 9, 2009 It's a Turritella of some kind. These are pretty common fossils, however, I don't know if this one is a fossil or not. The coloring is still pretty vivid for being millions of years old. They are also pretty common in modern oceans.I have never seen a fossil turritella look like this, being that the shell is intact, while being hollow, and especially being tumbled in a riverbed. My guess is that it's not a fossil. But, it is a pretty shell! Dave, Thanks for the help. I figured the same thing, that it looked too nice to be old, but didn't have a logical explaination for its location. The creek we found it in is only 3 feet wide, slow moving and has banks with a lot of grey clay... We were hoping to be lucky begginers! Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IKatelin Posted August 9, 2009 Author Share Posted August 9, 2009 That shell is in great shape!NJ was covered by the ocean several times, with the shoreline as far inland as Scranton, from what I've read. So finding ocean fossils in a fresh water stream is quite possible. Here's some info on some NJ streams to give you an idea of what can be found: http://www.njfossils.net/cover.html I agree that it's a turritella, but don't know much about them. I have found fossil turritella at Calvert Cliffs, MD, but they're pretty bleached out. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turritella Haddy, Thanks for the info... The creek is only 3 feet wide and slow moving. (probably bigger years ago by the way it's sloped. ) It has a lot of clay on both banks in big stretches. We were hoping to be lucky begginers. The shell was found while catching crayfish & minnows, not looking for fossils. We were thinking of going to the Calvert Cliffs... Do you have any suggestions for places, time of day and time of year for the best results? We aren't looking to hit a home run, but we would like to find shark teeth in any condition. Thanks again, Rob & Katie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haddy Posted August 9, 2009 Share Posted August 9, 2009 Welcome to the site, and welcome to a new hobby! I've just been there a couple times. I was there at low tide, best time. If you do a search on this site, you'll find some good info. Also, lots of info: http://www.fossilguy.com/sites/calvert/ bmorefossil is one of the members here who spends much of his free time at the cliffs and is a wealth of information. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crinoid Queen Posted August 9, 2009 Share Posted August 9, 2009 Welcome to the Forum from IL. Ya i agree with the general conscensus that it is too nice to be a fossil, more likely some thing modern. Very nice shell though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IKatelin Posted August 11, 2009 Author Share Posted August 11, 2009 Thank you everybody. We're just starting out collecting fossils, and you all have been very nice and helpful. Rob & Katie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pool Man Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 Hi there! Welcome to the forum from Florida. If the shell is a fossil from the clay, then there is a pretty good chance of finding more. I'd definatly poke around some. I sometimes find a bluish clay here in florida that has great fossil preservation. Good luck, and post pics of anything ya find! Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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