Peat Burns Posted April 24, 2018 Share Posted April 24, 2018 Today I had an unusual opportunity to access a site rich in local Marshall Sandstone (Early Mississippian) bedrock as well as local-origin erratics of the same here in Michigan. Much of the bedrock in this area is covered by up to 100s of feet of glacial deposits. Look at the size of this chunk I was able to bring back. It's basically a "coquina" of molluscan and brachiopod shells. I think I have some new hernias now as a result of carrying this thing back to the truck (just kidding - I think...). I didn't have the aid of the wagon until I got back . But it was an exploratory trip and I didn't quite expect anything like this: Here is a close up of how rich the material is: 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nala Posted April 24, 2018 Share Posted April 24, 2018 great brachs plate! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peat Burns Posted April 24, 2018 Author Share Posted April 24, 2018 And a little closer. Look at the detail on those brachiopods! And already, a cf. Michelinoceras! I have to finish processing my Paulding stuff before I can dissect this and post more of the biodiversity therein. But for now, I thought I'd share this cool find. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted April 24, 2018 Share Posted April 24, 2018 Awesome! Great when you can hunt a rare and productive site! Congrats on the finds - looking forward to seeing more. Tim - VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER VFOTM --- APRIL - 2015 __________________________________________________ "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~ ><))))( *> About Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted April 24, 2018 Share Posted April 24, 2018 Need I say more? Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peat Burns Posted April 24, 2018 Author Share Posted April 24, 2018 1 hour ago, nala said: great brachs plate! Thanks! 1 hour ago, Fossildude19 said: Awesome! Great when you can hunt a rare and productive site! Congrats on the finds - looking forward to seeing more. Thanks, Tim. It's great to have people to share with that can actually appreciate it. My "palaeontological pen pals" (I like alliteration a lot ) 55 minutes ago, Tidgy's Dad said: Need I say more? No you don't. I know you're a fellow brachiophile . If you finally get the package I sent, I'll feel safe in perhaps sending some of these 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darktooth Posted April 24, 2018 Share Posted April 24, 2018 Great finds! I am glad you had a good hunt! I like Trilo-butts and I cannot lie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted April 24, 2018 Share Posted April 24, 2018 52 minutes ago, Peat Burns said: Thanks! Thanks, Tim. It's great to have people to share with that can actually appreciate it. My "palaeontological pen pals" (I like alliteration a lot ) No you don't. I know you're a fellow brachiophile . If you finally get the package I sent, I'll feel safe in perhaps sending some of these Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I think The package should be here by now, others sent from the US and Canada at around the same time arrived about 10 days back. Still, every package from America has got here eventually, so I'm still hopeful! I keep looking at the photos of the brachiopods you sent. Golly. 1 Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nimravis Posted April 24, 2018 Share Posted April 24, 2018 Nice find Tony, that piece does look very heavy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted April 24, 2018 Share Posted April 24, 2018 Wow! Where you gonna display that thing? Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peat Burns Posted April 24, 2018 Author Share Posted April 24, 2018 2 hours ago, Darktooth said: Great finds! I am glad you had a good hunt! Thank you. It waa great to explore a new formation if only as chunks of it. 1 hour ago, Nimravis said: Nice find Tony, that piece does look very heavy. Thanks Ralph. I think excitement-induced adrenaline helped. When I got it back I decided to have someone help me place it on the bench. 1 hour ago, Ludwigia said: Wow! Where you gonna display that thing? In lots of tiny little boxes labeled with India ink This piece will be carefully "dissected" and the representative taxa will be extracted and stored (or displayed) separately. Not all of the material from this formation is so densely fossiliferous. I have a suspicion that the rich material is not part of a relatively continuous stratum, but rather represents small "catchment" basins / depressions into which shells collected. Or perhaps a sedimentary facies. A localized lagerstatte so to speak. I think this chunk is from that kind of depositional environment. Just a hunch, though. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeargleSchmeargl Posted April 24, 2018 Share Posted April 24, 2018 Nice brach plates! Anything else you can find there? Every single fossil you see is a miracle set in stone, and should be treated as such. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miocene_Mason Posted April 24, 2018 Share Posted April 24, 2018 Love the cephalopod! Nice finds! “...whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been and are being evolved.” ~ Charles Darwin Happy hunting, Mason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peat Burns Posted April 24, 2018 Author Share Posted April 24, 2018 6 minutes ago, MeargleSchmeargl said: Nice brach plates! Anything else you can find there? Thanks. Yes, in addition to the brachs, there's Palaeoneilo clams, orthocones, crinoid columnals, ostracods, and hopefully a lot of other goodies. Here's one of the Palaeoneilo. 2 minutes ago, WhodamanHD said: Love the cephalopod! Nice finds! Thanks. The nautiloid is in good shape for this matrix. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica Posted April 25, 2018 Share Posted April 25, 2018 Wonderful specimens - I love that clam - such beautiful ornamentation!!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fifbrindacier Posted April 25, 2018 Share Posted April 25, 2018 20 hours ago, Peat Burns said: And a little closer. Look at the detail on those brachiopods! And already, a cf. Michelinoceras! I have to finish processing my Paulding stuff before I can dissect this and post more of the biodiversity therein. But for now, I thought I'd share this cool find. Nice finds ! "On ne voit bien que par le coeur, l'essentiel est invisible pour les yeux." (Antoine de Saint-Exupéry) "We only well see with the heart, the essential is invisible for the eyes." In memory of Doren Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peat Burns Posted July 31, 2018 Author Share Posted July 31, 2018 I have had some time to dissect the erratics. Still working on some of the specific IDs using the original descriptions from the 1880s, but here is an update. Palaeoneilo sp.? (I'm working on specific IDs. I think I have at least 2 species P. concentrica shown above in earlier post and P. sulcatina - below (?). 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peat Burns Posted July 31, 2018 Author Share Posted July 31, 2018 A steinkern of Palaeoneilo sulcatina showing teeth along hingeline. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peat Burns Posted July 31, 2018 Author Share Posted July 31, 2018 A steinkern of a large clam, cf. Sanguinolites 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peat Burns Posted July 31, 2018 Author Share Posted July 31, 2018 This one is very interesting, although not well preserved. Very quadrate in shape with distinct concentric ridges. Any thoughts on genus? I'm struggling to find a good match. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peat Burns Posted July 31, 2018 Author Share Posted July 31, 2018 A hashplate showing the abundance of clams including Palaeoneilo sulcatina. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peat Burns Posted July 31, 2018 Author Share Posted July 31, 2018 Bellerophon cf. B. galericulatus (duplicate images - red line highlights outline of aperture faintly visible as a mineral stain) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peat Burns Posted July 31, 2018 Author Share Posted July 31, 2018 Another specimen of Bellerophon showing fine striations. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peat Burns Posted July 31, 2018 Author Share Posted July 31, 2018 Earlier in this thread, I mistakenly called one of these nautiloids Michelinoceras. These are all Mooreoceras spp. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peat Burns Posted July 31, 2018 Author Share Posted July 31, 2018 Ostracods are abundant. Scale in mm throughout. That's all for now. More later. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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