Incognito Rockhound Posted January 14, 2019 Author Share Posted January 14, 2019 InfoHungryMom - thank you!!! I didn’t even know Ghost Crabs were around back then! The small piece of the spiral you are holding looks exactly the same size as the one on mine. Also thanks for the pointer on the clay - this is the first time I have encountered it, so I’ve really been at a loss of what to do. Thanks again, Shauna Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Incognito Rockhound Posted January 14, 2019 Author Share Posted January 14, 2019 Just checked out the very informative scientific publication at the link InfoHungryMom sent and also did a Google search on Gyrolithes; the images of the spirals look EXACTLY like the spirals on my specimen! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InfoHungryMom Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 Shauna- I am thrilled I was able to help! I am “brand-new to fossils”, and I was very excited when I discovered this site. I realized many “rocks” I had previously collected contained fossils. Unfortunately, the photos I posted weren’t showing what was visible “in person”, no matter how hard I tried. I reached-out to incredible paleontologists in Maryland who have taken my family & me on amazing “learning and collecting excursions”, and who have answered my endless questions about marine paleoecology and geology. Thank YOU for the opportunity to share what I am learning as well! Karen 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShoreThing Posted January 18, 2019 Share Posted January 18, 2019 Iron, fossil, or meteor...it's still cool! These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappiLeeHunting Posted December 23, 2019 Share Posted December 23, 2019 On 1/13/2019 at 11:04 PM, Incognito Rockhound said: InfoHungryMom - thank you!!! I didn’t even know Ghost Crabs were around back then! The small piece of the spiral you are holding looks exactly the same size as the one on mine. Also thanks for the pointer on the clay - this is the first time I have encountered it, so I’ve really been at a loss of what to do. Thanks again, Shauna I found a very similar ironstone trace fossil today at Calvert Cliffs State Park! See pics. The only reason I knew it was a gyrolithe / trace fossil (ichnofossil) of a spiral burrow was because of this thread. Otherwise I might have thought it was some sort of rusted spring and walked past it, lol. Thanks Shauna and Karen! Lee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockwood Posted December 23, 2019 Share Posted December 23, 2019 Partial gastropod steinkern. From context, likely turritella, but there is actually no indication of such in an internal mold. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappiLeeHunting Posted December 24, 2019 Share Posted December 24, 2019 14 hours ago, Rockwood said: Partial gastropod steinkern. From context, likely turritella, but there is actually no indication of such in an internal mold. Interesting, but the top and bottom twists of the helix are both slightly smaller than the central twist— not at all like the steadily increasing size of the turns of a turritella. It does look nearly identical to the images of helical Gyrolithes online, though. Apparently likely made by either decapod crustaceans or polychaete worms. Just fascinating stuff. Here’s a link to a cool paper (beyond the Miocene era paper linked in the thread above): https://www.sbpbrasil.org/revista/edicoes/10_3/netto.pdf You can see its doppelgängers in the pics of helical burrow trace fossils here: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/235770223_Gyrolithes_in_holocene_estuarine_incised-valley_fill_deposits_offshore_Southern_Vietnam Anyhow, not at all what I was expecting at CCSP! But way cooler than the tiny hemis I found. :-) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockwood Posted December 24, 2019 Share Posted December 24, 2019 It would be easier to judge in hand. The two views shown do kind of give both suggestions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now