Silurian/devonian Micros From New York

[MarcoSr]

I want to thank Karl for sending me 4 samples (small baggies) of Silurian and Devonian matrix from different sites from New York. This matrix was very interesting to me because the specimens that I found are so different from what I usually find. Herb had also in the past sent me matrix that was similar. The matrix was already processed and ready to look through. It contained shark and fish teeth, Conodonts, Bryozoans, Crinoid stem segments, Ostracods and some things that I need id help with. I am posting some of the nicer and more unusual specimens which I found which range in size from .5mm to 4mm. I had a really hard time removing some of the specimens from the matrix as they were very small and very fragile. I didn’t try to clean any of the specimens and didn’t try for the best views for the pictures because I was really afraid to damage the specimens. Unfortunately I did damage some really nice Conodonts. If you place your cursor on a JPEG image you will see the file name which will have the specimen id as best that I can determine and the specimen size. Since I am totally unfamiliar with these micros I did not attempt to id them to a genus or species. Even looking at some good online references I wasn’t comfortable with further identification. If you can identify the specimens further please do so. I’m also hoping Karl and Herb will chime in on the identification. Each matrix that I search makes me more of an avid micro tooth collector. If anyone has or can collect good matrix with shark, ray, and fish micros please send me a PM.

I am listing the specimens by the site.

Silurian – Rochester Shale, Niagara Co., New York

Fish teeth:

Conodonts:

Tentaculites(edited based upon input from Auspex and Al Dente) :

Ostracods:

A specimen for which I need id help:

Continued in the next reply.

Marco Sr.

Edited November 21, 2013 by MarcoSr

[MarcoSr]

Upper Devonian – North Evans Limestone, Genesee Formation, Hamburg, Erie Co., NY

Shark teeth:

Continued in the next reply.

Marco Sr.

Edited November 20, 2013 by MarcoSr

[MarcoSr]

Conodonts:

Continued in the next reply.

Marco Sr.

Edited November 20, 2013 by MarcoSr

[MarcoSr]

Upper Devonian – North Evans Limestone, Genesee Formation, North Evans, Erie Co., NY

Shark teeth:

Fish teeth and fish coprolite:

Conodonts:

Continued in the next reply.

Marco Sr.

Edited November 20, 2013 by MarcoSr

[MarcoSr]

Middle Devonian – Darien Submember, Wanakah Shale, Ludiowville Formation, Hamilton Group, Bethany, NY

Styliolina fissurella:

Bryozoans:

Crinoid stem segments:

Ostracods (Ponderodictya and Quasillites obliquus ):

Several specimens which I need id help:

Marco Sr.

Edited November 25, 2013 by MarcoSr

[jcbshark]

Man Marco,those are very unique looking.Some of them barley resemble teeth.I am admittedly ignorant on most fossils that are found outside Florida or any older than Miocene.Are these some branches on the evolutionary tree that failed or did any evolve into things we may recognize today.I know you are looking for some ID help as well so I'm just posing this question to anyone on here.Congrats on the finds.

[Auspex]

...Crinoid stem segments:

Crinoid stem1 2mm.jpg ...

I think this is Tentaculites?

[Al Dente]

Nice specimens

I think this one is Tentaculites

And this one looks like a brachiopod:

[KansasFossilHunter]

Nice! Makes me appreciate micro fossils to a higher degree.

[MarcoSr]

I think this is Tentaculites?

Nice specimens

I think this one is Tentaculites

tentaculites.jpg

Thank you for the id help. Looking at Tentaculites images I agree with your id and have edited my post accordingly.

Marco Sr.

[MarcoSr]

And this one looks like a brachiopod:

marco brach.jpg

Thank you for the id help with these.

Marco Sr.

[MarcoSr]

Man Marco,those are very unique looking.Some of them barley resemble teeth.I am admittedly ignorant on most fossils that are found outside Florida or any older than Miocene.Are these some branches on the evolutionary tree that failed or did any evolve into things we may recognize today.I know you are looking for some ID help as well so I'm just posing this question to anyone on here.Congrats on the finds.

Jeff

The Conodonts are especially strange. Conodonts are extinct chordates resembling eels. They had awesome jaw elements. Ostracods are a class of the Crustacea, sometimes known as seed shrimp and are represented in modern faunas. Crinoids have modern relatives in sea lilies, feather stars and comatulids. That's about all I know about these. Hopefully other Forum members can give more insight to your question..

Marco Sr.

[jcbshark]

Thank you Marco and beautiful pics is obviously your MO.Very nice.

[Fossildude19]

Excellent pics , as usual, Marco!

Thanks for bringing these images to us.

Makes me want to breakdown some of my Windom Shale I have lying around.

Regards,

[Pagurus]

Thanks for posting these, Marco. Very informative and great photos as always. Those Conodont teeth are impressive.

Mike

[MarcoSr]

Excellent pics , as usual, Marco!

Thanks for bringing these images to us.

Makes me want to breakdown some of my Windom Shale I have lying around.

Regards,

Tim

Can you share how you break down your shale? I am able to break down some shale but I have other shale that I can't do anything with. The really weathered shale is normally what I have a chance at breaking down. I know of techniques like industrial solvents, liquid nitrogen etc. that work fairly well but without a lab environment I can't use them at home.

Marco Sr.

[MarcoSr]

Thanks for posting these, Marco. Very informative and great photos as always. Those Conodont teeth are impressive.

Mike

Mike

I really like the Conodont teeth also. I would really like to collect some more of them. But they are very difficult to extract from the fine matrix because they are so small (around 1mm) and very fragile. I unfortunately am not very good with my hands trying to handle them even using single paint brush bristles. I damaged some really nice specimens. Taking the pictures though is very worthwhile because you just don't get the same impression of them on a microscope slide looking under a microscope as you can from the pictures. That's why I wanted to post some pictures of them.

Marco Sr.

[MarcoSr]

Nice! Makes me appreciate micro fossils to a higher degree.

I was very lucky to get matrix from various formations in Kansas from two collectors in Kansas that I broke down and searched for micros. You can see some of the micros at the attached links.

http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/topic/35490-shark-ray-and-fish-micros-from-kansas/?hl=%2Bmicros+%2Bkansas

http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/topic/39521-shark-ray-fish-and-other-micros-from-the-albian-kiowa-shale-of-kansas/?hl=%2Bmicros+%2Bkansas

http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/topic/39906-shark-ray-and-fish-micros-from-the-blue-hill-shale-of-kansas-part-2/?hl=%2Bmicros+%2Bkansas

Marco Sr.

[Jeffrey P]

Marco Sr.;

Earlier in the summer I visited the Buffalo area for the first time and collected at Penn Dixie and Eighteen Mile Creek returned with many macro fossils. I also collected a couple plates of North Evans Limestone which I showed my paleontology professor, friend and we examined them under a microscope which showed conodonts and pieces of placoderm material. I greatly admire your finds and the spectacular photos. Now I'm itching to take another look at my plates under the scope. Congratulations and thanks for posting. The universe just grew.

Jeff

[Fossildude19]

Tim

Can you share how you break down your shale? I am able to break down some shale but I have other shale that I can't do anything with. The really weathered shale is normally what I have a chance at breaking down. I know of techniques like industrial solvents, liquid nitrogen etc. that work fairly well but without a lab environment I can't use them at home.

Marco Sr.

Marco,

I haven't had a chance to try any methods yet.

I do have some softer material that may work with conventional methods.

I thought I would search the forum, and experiment over the winter months with any methods posted.

Regards,

[MarcoSr]

Marco Sr.;

Earlier in the summer I visited the Buffalo area for the first time and collected at Penn Dixie and Eighteen Mile Creek returned with many macro fossils. I also collected a couple plates of North Evans Limestone which I showed my paleontology professor, friend and we examined them under a microscope which showed conodonts and pieces of placoderm material. I greatly admire your finds and the spectacular photos. Now I'm itching to take another look at my plates under the scope. Congratulations and thanks for posting. The universe just grew.

Jeff

Jeff

Karl sent me fine matrix residue from both the Penn Dixie Quarry and Eighteen Mile Creek. He broke down the limestone and sent me the residue. The Penn Dixie Quarry (2nd site in my post) seemed to have a higher density and more variety with the Conodonts than Eighteen Mile Creek (3rd site in my post). Hopefully you'll see a good number of nice Conodonts in your plates.

Marco Sr.

[MarcoSr]

Marco,

I haven't had a chance to try any methods yet.

I do have some softer material that may work with conventional methods.

I thought I would search the forum, and experiment over the winter months with any methods posted.

Regards,

Tim

I haven't been able to find much that I could use on shale at home. If you find something that works well please PM me.

Marco Sr.

[squalicorax]

Higher concentration hydrogen peroxide can be used to turn harder shales to mud.

Plain old 2 percent from the usual stores can be used on soft more fissile shale and will slowly turn it to mud.

[Fossildude19]

Higher concentration hydrogen peroxide can be used to turn harder shales to mud.

Plain old 2 percent from the usual stores can be used on soft more fissile shale and will slowly turn it to mud.

Thanks Nathan!

Regards,

[MarcoSr]

Higher concentration hydrogen peroxide can be used to turn harder shales to mud.

Plain old 2 percent from the usual stores can be used on soft more fissile shale and will slowly turn it to mud.

Nathan

Thank you for your reply. I have used the 2% H2O2 from Walmart with some success on the softer shale like you say. I know it didn't attack the phosphate based shark and ray teeth. Do you know if it would attack the calcite based fossils like Ostracods, Forams etc.? I've read a little about use of 30% H2O2 in lab environments to break down shale but it wasn't to expose shark and ray teeth or Ostracods and Forams. Do you know if 30% H2O2 would attack phosphate or calcite based fossils? The articles didn't really get into the safety aspects of using 30% H2O2. Can you use 30% H2O2 in a home environment? Can you point me to any on-line articles on 30% H2O2 use that might answer my questions? I have a good amount of shale from multiple locations that I haven't been able to break down that I would love to turn to mud if I can do it safely at home and not destroy the fossils.

Marco Sr.