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Shell fossil found


drkeithol

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We were looking for Herkimer diamonds on Mount Tzouhalem on Vancouver Island, BC, Canada again today.  The area we were in had been blasted to make a golf course which never happened, about 10 years ago.  It exposed basalt reportedly from the Devonian period, and there's lots of shale exposed.  We were digging in the shale and dug out this piece of rock with a possible shell fossil in it.  Any further info or identification of what it might be would be appreciated.  Thanks. 

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    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  

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

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

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It is an inoceramid clam.  Although it is partially covered, my first impression is that it is a Sphenoceramus naumannii.  This species is characteristic of the lower part of the Haslam Formation, which is of Upper Cretaceous (Santonian) age.  It is exposed on Mt. Touzhalem, which happens to be the favorite collecting site for one of our Forum members, @Wrangellian.  Hopefully he will be along shortly to confirm or refute my ID.

 

Don

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Hello, That site is close to me so it is my stomping grounds, that much is certain! But I haven't been up there in a few months.

I showed (and donated most of) the examples I had to Jim Haggart and he seemed to think they are Sphenoceramus occidentalis, but I don't know if that was for certain or whether it applied to all of the Spheno's I found up there. Some of the ones I found looked very much like naumanni to me too, so maybe those are present as well, or they could all be the younger portion of occidentalis? The younger portions of several species tend to look alike, so if you don't have the complete shell it can be hard to distinguish them, at least for me. (Maybe Jim can do it)

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Thanks so much for the information and identification, fascinating stuff for sure!  Definitely an area of science that I'm very ignorant in, but find it super interesting, and happy to have found a fossil while out with my daughters.  Beautiful view up on Mount Tzouhalem.  Thanks again.  

Keith

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