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Potomac fossils ID


hobbitfeet

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I recently bought this display case of fossils from the Potomac at a flea market.  Being from Illinois, I'm not familiar with these fossils.  Can anyone help IDing these or at least directing me to somewhere I can look them up myself?   

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These are some more photos.  I tried uploading close ups of the gastropods and shark teeth but I keep getting the warning of exceeding the file size even though I cropped them.

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On 9/22/2019 at 1:15 AM, hobbitfeet said:

IMG_4553.JPG

 

Above: Quartz pebble

Below: Need a clearer photo

 

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IMG_4552.JPG

 

'Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.'

George Santayana

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On 9/22/2019 at 1:14 AM, hobbitfeet said:

 

IMG_4551 (2).JPG

 

Of the second batch of photos, this is the only one I'm sure of:  a piece of a stinker (internal cas) from a Turritella shell.  You have two complete ones in the case. For the other fossils in the batch, please post additional photos show different angles.

 

BTW, it is likely that these are from the Paleocene Aquia Formation from Purse State Park in Maryland.

'Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.'

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I've marked up the top photo.  It would be helpful to take pictures of the individual fossils or groups of fossils, making sure that they're zoomed in a bit and not blurry

IMG_4538.JPG.f0991508aaf32d7a39b2ec0dbfe52c49 (1).jpg

'Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.'

George Santayana

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Hi,

 

1 hour ago, hemipristis said:

 

Of the second batch of photos, this is the only one I'm sure of:  a piece of a stinker (internal cas) from a Turritella shell.

 

Please don't use "Turritella" for a steinkern ! Turritella is a latin genus of a Turrittellid family of shells ! I read too often on this forum "Turritella" about a gastropod that vaguely resembles this latin genre. It’s not a commun name, it’s a latin genus name ;)

 

Here is what are real recent and fossil Turritella https://www.google.com/search?q=turritella&client=firefox-b-d&sxsrf=ACYBGNQV_r7LWE26jazE_Qfs7G74dO2n7g:1569152773252&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjUmJfNreTkAhVE7eAKHSckA64Q_AUIESgB&biw=1578&bih=822

 

Coco

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Mâchoires sélaciennes récentes : ici
Hétérodontiques et sélaciens : ici
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14 minutes ago, Coco said:

Hi,

 

Please don't use "Turritella" for a steinkern ! Turritella is a latin genus of a Turrittellid family of shells ! I read too often on this forum "Turritella" about a gastropod that vaguely resembles this latin genre. It’s not a commun name, it’s a latin genus name ;)

 

Here is what are real recent and fossil Turritella https://www.google.com/search?q=turritella&client=firefox-b-d&sxsrf=ACYBGNQV_r7LWE26jazE_Qfs7G74dO2n7g:1569152773252&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjUmJfNreTkAhVE7eAKHSckA64Q_AUIESgB&biw=1578&bih=822

 

Coco

Use turritellid instead since there is no exterior ornamentation to determine if a steinkern of a shell is a turritella.

 

I find it ironic that the first several photos in link above show the Eocene high spired shells that are not turritellas from Wyoming. 

355BFE34-47BE-49BA-B406-E954FA58D57E.jpeg

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23 minutes ago, Coco said:

Please don't use "Turritella" for a steinkern ! Turritella is a latin genus of a Turrittellid family of shells ! I read too often on this forum "Turritella" about a gastropod that vaguely resembles this latin genre. It’s not a commun name, it’s a latin genus name ;)

In this particular formation (the Aquia formation), Turritella mortoni is produced in the thousands both with and without the shell. It is almost certain these steinkerns come from Turritella mortoni.

“...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

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1 hour ago, Coco said:

Please don't use "Turritella" for a steinkern ! Turritella is a latin genus of a Turrittellid family of shells ! I read too often on this forum "Turritella" about a gastropod that vaguely resembles this latin genre. It’s not a commun name, it’s a latin genus name ;)

Seems like I remember reading of the shape referred to as a helispiral gastropod. Sadly when I google the term I come to my own post on here. (circular logic)

Can you suggest a better generalized term for this shape ?  

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Most Paleocene sites along the Maryland side of the Potomac River have the internal molds/casts of the shells like the two internal casts/molds in the original pictures above.  However, on the Virginia side of the Potomac, there are sites where you can find abundant actual shells themselves.  The picture below shows a number of these shells (largest is 3.75 inches) from the Paspotansa Member of the Aquia Formation (Zone 9) from King George County Virginia.  I’m not an invertebrate collector so I really can’t id these.  Maybe @Coco or @DPS Ammonite or @SailingAlongToo can id them.  I was told by Dr. Ward that there are a number of different species from the Virginia side of the Potomac River.  I used to have literally thousands of these but I’ve given almost all of them away over the years.  I’m posting the below picture because most collectors never see the actual shells themselves, only the internal molds/casts.

 

5d87743ee69b5_PaleocenePaspotansaMemberZone9KingGeorgeCountyVA3.75inches.thumb.jpg.8988cf50ef6c96d6ba0e254dc29830d3.jpg

 

Marco Sr.

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7 hours ago, Coco said:

Hi,

 

Please don't use "Turritella" for a steinkern ! Turritella is a latin genus of a Turrittellid family of shells ! I read too often on this forum "Turritella" about a gastropod that vaguely resembles this latin genre. It’s not a commun name, it’s a latin genus name ;)

 

Here is what are real recent and fossil Turritella https://www.google.com/search?q=turritella&client=firefox-b-d&sxsrf=ACYBGNQV_r7LWE26jazE_Qfs7G74dO2n7g:1569152773252&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjUmJfNreTkAhVE7eAKHSckA64Q_AUIESgB&biw=1578&bih=822

 

Coco

I'm very familiar with what a Turritella sp. is.  Use of the term sounded better than "curly-Q thing" or "cork screw thingy". 

 

So that I don't trigger anyone next time, I'll use the term 'turritellid'

'Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.'

George Santayana

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7 hours ago, WhodamanHD said:

In this particular formation (the Aquia formation), Turritella mortoni is produced in the thousands both with and without the shell. It is almost certain these steinkerns come from Turritella mortoni.

 

Thank you. I almost posted as Turritella cf T Mortoni.

 

 

'Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.'

George Santayana

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On 9/22/2019 at 8:11 AM, WhodamanHD said:

In this particular formation (the Aquia formation), Turritella mortoni is produced in the thousands both with and without the shell. It is almost certain these steinkerns come from Turritella mortoni.

 

I agree with both @MarcoSr's statements and @WhodamanHD's statements on the steinkerns in the OP's photos. They are from Turritella mortoni, abundantly found along the Potomac River somewhere near the mouths of Potomac Creek and/or Aquia Creek, where they meet the Potomac River in King George County, VA. As Marco stated, the VA side has the complete fossils where the MD side has mostly steinkerns.

 

Of course, I'm using the word steinkern as defined by Merriam-Webster.com. 

Definition of steinkern : a fossil consisting of a stony mass that entered a hollow natural object (such as a bivalve shell) in the form of mud or sediment, was consolidated, and remained as a cast after dissolution of the mold.

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  • 3 years later...

My grandmother had a old timey metal bucket filled with steinkerns in her basement when I was a young child. It was the first time I heard the word fossil and was amazed by them. She said she would collect them whenever she swam at the public beach area on the Potomac River. It amazed me my grandmother swam let alone collect fossils or that anyone swam in the Potomac ever. This was back in the late 60's when it was at its maximum polluted level before its incredible clean up. The beach as far as I could tell was somewhere along the shoreline below today's GW Parkway, the Virginia side, I imagine it would be in Arlington County from her description. This was in the late 30's. Not sure why but I believe it was close to 3 Sisters Island. Not sure what happened to the bucket I looked high and low for them after she passed away but they were not to be found. Saw this site while looking up info and finally found someone who might appreciate my one fossil story. Looking for a hobby and been thinking about this one for years, thanks.

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