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What period could this be from?


85percent

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I was on a hike on top of a hill (about 700 feet in elevation) in Chino Hills (roughly 50 miles inland from the Southern California coast line) and I picked up a few loose sedimentary slabs and looked under them. I found this clear fossil of a seashell. I’m wondering how old it could be? What period was a sea covering Southern California and this high up from sea level?  

 

 

B9B9D786-B5B8-4C20-BAAA-27A1C863F4F3.jpeg

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Welcome to the Forum.  :) 

Quite possibly Miocene, I believe.

Maybe @caldigger   or @ynot will have better info. 

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    Tim    -  VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER

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Thanks, appreciate the reply. One more question. I found this fossil right near it but couldn’t figure out what it could be.   

AE617C38-7974-42FC-BEAF-C52A2289668E.jpeg

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Possibly another piece of shell.  :headscratch::shrug:

    Tim    -  VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER

   MOTM.png.61350469b02f439fd4d5d77c2c69da85.png      PaleoPartner.png.30c01982e09b0cc0b7d9d6a7a21f56c6.png.a600039856933851eeea617ca3f2d15f.png     Postmaster1.jpg.900efa599049929531fa81981f028e24.jpg    VFOTM.png.f1b09c78bf88298b009b0da14ef44cf0.png  VFOTM  --- APRIL - 2015  

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"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks."

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It's a very nice specimen of a bivalve, by the way.

Good find! :)

Life's Good!

Tortoise Friend.

MOTM.png.61350469b02f439fd4d5d77c2c69da85.png.a47e14d65deb3f8b242019b3a81d8160-1.png.60b8b8c07f6fa194511f8b7cfb7cc190.png

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A quick look at some websites indicates that the marine sediments in the area range from Late Cretaceous to Pleistocene. An expert might be able to tell the age of the shell. If you know the exact locality of the fossil, a geology map might determine age.

 

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My goal is to leave no stone or fossil unturned.   

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19 hours ago, 85percent said:

Thanks, appreciate the reply. One more question. I found this fossil right near it but couldn’t figure out what it could be.   

AE617C38-7974-42FC-BEAF-C52A2289668E.jpeg

Welcome to the forum from cloudy Florida. Looks like another type of seashell. Could you zoom in on it?

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14 hours ago, 85percent said:

Yes here you go.  

A475953E-BC45-4F85-A069-C3ACE1A264B3.jpeg

The pattern of lines are not typical of ribs on a bivalve.

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Can it be a Trilobite?  

2 hours ago, Bronzviking said:

The pattern of lines are not typical of ribs on a bivalve.

 

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11 hours ago, 85percent said:

Can it be a Trilobite?  

 

That did cross my mind but I didn't see a spine, but it could just be a worn imprint.

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Not a Trilobite, if the area is Miocene. The sediments would be too young for those.

 

It could be ornamentation as is sometimes found on gastropods. 

Or barnacles. Or it could be a bit of fish skull or a scale. ( Size is not indicated.)

 

    Tim    -  VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER

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__________________________________________________
"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks."

John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~   ><))))( *>  About Me      

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Thanks. I returned to the same area today and found this fossil as well. It appears to be a gastropod.  Thoughts?  

A85567D7-7404-480C-ADCE-E595626841F9.jpeg

Edited by 85percent
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Hi there. Looks like an interesting group of fossils and place to collect! 

 

As DPS Ammonite mentioned above.....Here's the geologic map of the Chino Hills area--hoping I'm close to where you were. Rock types are color coded so you should be able to zoom into the location and determine from the color and label abbreviation for what formation you are in..the legend for the color/formation/age is on the right hand side. Geologic map of the Yorba Linda and Prado Dam quadrangles (eastern Puente Hills), Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino and Riverside Counties, California

https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/Prodesc/proddesc_71710.htm

 

I would think your in one of the brown colored areas either the Monterey Formation or the Sycamore Canyon formation. Youll have to verify and tell us if I'm even close...no need to tell us the location just tell us what formation and we might be able to narrow down the fossil ID's with a publication search. I believe the Monterey is as old as 17 Million years ago--Id have to go double check that. Sycamore is younger. 

 

I think fossil one is a clam in the pecten family--not sure which one. Fossil 2 I believe is a crustacean/crabby---might be a fragment of something like a mole crab/sand fleas http://www.brevardtimes.com/2018/06/sand-fleas-return-to-florida-beaches/

or possibly even a squat lobster. There was a gal here in Florida that studies fossil squat lobsters. 

https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/100years/squat-lobsters/

 

Regards, Chris 

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Wow thank you Chris. The map you provided was of the Chino Hills state park and exactly where it was. I really appreciate the time you took into looking that up and responding as I am very new to fossil hunting. Your research has definitely guided me in the right direction and has given me some valuable insight as to what the area looks like geologically. 

 

I have attached maybe a better picture of what I think is a sea snail?  It measured about two inches wide. The sea shell measured about a half inch. 

 

I spoke to a few of the veteran park rangers (and showed them the area of the find) and they assured me there have been no ancient aquatic fossils that have ever been found in the area. 

 

930269C3-8A23-4691-8795-BBD2BE6633F4.thumb.jpeg.f5d2ecfd5d0134024deba06cdfc6cdf4.jpeg

Edited by 85percent
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Glad some of the info is useful. Maybe the park rangers might be able to direct you to a state/local geologist/paleontologist/professional who might be interested in looking further at the material.

 

As for the 3rd item I  do not see any coiling in the last specimen that would suggest to me its a gastropod but being that its not complete sometimes the 3d effects and other shapes/forms dont show in the photos as they do when holding in your hand.  I see now that I somehow deleted my earlier comments about my impression of that shape..oops! I was thinking that ornamentation and shape looks like possibly another clam/bivalve....We have some fossil species around here that look mildly similar. Here' one just to give you a general comparison...probably not even close to the same critter  but to give you a general flattened look and feel as to why I say clam... 

 

Good luck out there...maybe one of the other shell folks or local SoCal collectors can throw some specific ideas on the genera/species you are running across. @Max-fossilsIf I get the chance maybe I'll shoot your 2nd fossil photos to someone to see if we confirm if I'm even in the ballpark with that guess.

5ca48387ca00f_BivalveTamiamiFormationSarasotaFlorida.thumb.jpg.1209eb322b36460d4c0de1398b3871f5.jpg

 

Regards, Chris 

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Wow, those are beautiful! Especially that scallop in the first picture :wub:

 

I can't help with ID to species, but I can confirm that the first one is definitely from the Pectinidae family (the scallops). The 3rd one also seems like something from the bivalves. Although the shells Chris posted have the same kind of concentric sculpture, I don't think the two are very closely related... Personally, yours reminds me of something from the Glycymeriidae (the bittersweet clams), but because there is no hinge that is only a guess. 

The second is not a bivalve, and I don't think it's a gastropod either. I'm thinking Chris' crustacean guesses are fairly decent then, although I know nothing about them...

 

Cool finds!

 

And welcome to TFF :) 

 

Max

 

 

-

 

@Plantguy Chris, I love the two specimens you posted. Gorgeous structure, and weirdly the colors are very similar to the Eemian shells I find here on the Zandmotor (just a coincidence though). Are they your own finds? They look like something from the Veneridae, and possibly of the Chione genus (which I know is common in your area). Am I right? 

By the way, I can't find any info on the Sycamore Fm... do you have some more info on it? There's more info on the Monterey Fm, but I haven't found anything properly describing our lovely mollusks. 

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Max Derème

 

"I feel an echo of the lightning each time I find a fossil. [...] That is why I am a hunter: to feel that bolt of lightning every day."

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 4/1/2019 at 8:36 PM, 85percent said:

Yes here you go.  

A475953E-BC45-4F85-A069-C3ACE1A264B3.jpeg

I'm glad Max got to look at the finds. thanks Max. @Max-fossils

I think its one of the Chione but really dont know as its seems different from C.elevata and others I've seen..probably should ask Mike.  He mentioned working some California material so I'll tag him maybe he'll recognize the others. @MikeR that 85percent has here. I was just trying to show a similar example for comparison with both ribbing and the growth rings. Surface find I did collect that I believe is from the Tamiami formation. 

 

A fossil crustacean expert looked at the photos of this other fragment above and he unfortunately wasnt able to confirm either of my possible ID's--thinking its not a squat lobster. There is a central axial keel. Would need to see the specimen in hand to even possibly sort it out. Drats! Its still an unknown...but cool!

Regards, Chris 

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With the exception of the trilobite, I would agree with what everyone else said.  My collecting efforts around LA has been in the Palos Verdes Hills (Pleistocene) and Topanga Canyon (Miocene) and I would lean towards Miocene or Pliocene with what I see.  The scallop appears to be more along the lines of Hinnites/Crassadoma however still Pectinidae.  I am not seeing bivalve for unknown #1.  Crab is more likely however I am not expert.  Unknown #2 is a partial bivalve imprint.

 

...and bummer!  I have been to Chino Hills twice this year for work and didn't know there were sites nearby.

 

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

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