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Showing results for tags 'needmore shale'.
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Hello everyone, A couple of weeks ago I had the chance to visit a more distant fossil locality - an opportunity that I took to collect some Paleozoic fossils among the scenic Appalachians of eastern West Virginia. Heading out west, I planned to visit a new exposure of the Needmore Shale that I suspected had the potential to produce some nice trilobite specimens. Unfortunately, upon arriving at the locality rain was coming down in droves, effectively ending any chance of prospecting the locality. Hoping to escape the rain, I made my way farther south toward the well known Lost River road cut in the vicinity of Wardensville, West Virginia. As I had hoped I did manage to escape the rain, and I was left with a few hours to search for some Devonian fossils among the fissile green shale. I had only been to the Lost River locality once before late last year, and I had managed to secure the trilobites which had proven rather elusive in the more fossiliferous rocks of the Mahantango. The rain, which did seem to have swept through the area shortly before I arrived, had turned the fine rock dust that coated the talus piles into slippery mud. Above the treacherous talus piles, a large vertical exposure of the Needmore Shale held trilobites and a variety of other shallow marine fauna that had once inhabited a Devonian reef. Here are the finds from both trips I have taken to the Lost River locality: A few small brachiopods from the locality. Unlike other Paleozoic localities I have had the opportunity to visit, brachiopods do not seem to be extremely common at the road cut. I only came across them occasionally, with most being so small they were hard to identify without the aid of a magnifiying glass. A spiral gastropod preserved in iron oxide that contrasts quite nicely with the dark green matrix. On the most recent trip I found the two above specimens exposed on the surface of the shale. They seem like they could be the central lobe of trilobite pygidiums with the other two sections having weathered away. Any insight into what these might be would be greatly appreciated . Rugose coral The specimen above is intriguing. The roundish shape seems to suggest a fossil, though it could very well have a geological origin. I apologize for the poor photographs of the above specimen, but it was incredibly difficult to get the camera to focus on it properly. When I came across this fossil whilst splitting shale, I was quite confident that I had come across a trilobite due to the black calcitic appearance and the 'ribbing' that seemed to define the fossil. Yet after extracting and cleaning the fossil, it does not resemble a trilobite and is very faint even after the shale dust was removed. Any suggestions as to what it might be would be very welcome . Some assorted Dipleura ribs. Some trilobite ribs, likely either belonging to Dipleura or Eldredgeops rana. Eldredgeops rana pygidium preserved in a light yellow color. Enrolled Eldredgeops rana consisting of the body with a partial cephalon (first two images) and the pygidium on the reverse side (last image). The trilobite is flattened, which may be a result of the tectonic forces acting on the rock during the uplift of the Appalachian mountains. Another Eldredgeops rana specimen with considerable relief from the surrounding matrix. This specimen was found in association with a few others, though if it possessed a cephalon it was lost among the chips of shale. A prone Eldredgeops rana molt found on the first outing to the road cut. Positive and negative of an Eldredgeops rana molt. Thanks for taking a look!
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- brachiopods
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I was looking through some older finds and I found this guy from West Virginia, wardensville site. Needmore shale, middle Devonian in age. Any one have a possible ID? I'm not familiar with the gastropods (or nautiloids) of this formation, because I've only been to the site once. Thanks!
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- devonian
- needmore shale
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