JimB88 Posted May 21, 2010 Share Posted May 21, 2010 Thought Id post some of my finds from my last few trips. After collecting from the Pennington formation a couple times I decided to find another locale with a different rock type (siltstone was too hard - couldnt get the fossils out of it and didnt have the money for Quaternary.) I am currently collecting out of the Bangor Limestone (also Upper Miss.)at an abandoned quarry. Theese first are what is becoming a fav of mine - blastoids. I believe most to be pentrimites godoni (those marked with an a are pentrimites buttsi - I think.) The one on the top right is a single plate from the Pennington, the rest are Bangor. These are p.godoni (I think) the smallest are the size of a pea (yes, I forgot to add a coin for size reference.) I believe these to be p.buttsi. Ive yet to attempt to clean out the hydrospires but you can still see the bottom is longer than in other species. Next is archemedes the bryozoan support structure (the longest intact one Ive found.) Ill post more tomorrow. If anyone feels my ID's are wrong dont hesitate to correct me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimB88 Posted May 22, 2010 Author Share Posted May 22, 2010 Continuing... A variety of brachs a nice Lyropora crinoid stems are plentiful A close up of a stem section showing bumps that were parts of the lateral spines which grew from the stems. More tommorrow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimB88 Posted May 25, 2010 Author Share Posted May 25, 2010 (edited) From a new location and period: the Pennsylvanian Signal Point formation. I believe these are Orbitella brachiopods. They are found in paper (or real thin bedded) shale. some sort of trace fossil Despite a large band of coal, I didnt find any recognizable plant specimens, just fragments. In some of the coal is what appears to be pyritized wood (it has a wood-like texture and is definitively pyrite.)Ill post pics of that tomorrow. Edited May 25, 2010 by JimB88 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted May 26, 2010 Share Posted May 26, 2010 Jim, Nice collecton of finds - Great variety!! Any chances of finding crinoid calyxes? Or better yet, complete specimens? Thanks for the interesting posts! Tim - VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER VFOTM --- APRIL - 2015 __________________________________________________ "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~ ><))))( *> About Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plantguy Posted May 26, 2010 Share Posted May 26, 2010 Jim, yes you have a nice variety going there. I especially like the brachs from the Signal Point formation. Regards, Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimB88 Posted May 26, 2010 Author Share Posted May 26, 2010 Jim, Nice collecton of finds - Great variety!! Any chances of finding crinoid calyxes? Or better yet, complete specimens? Thanks for the interesting posts! They are known from the formations I visit (at least the two Mississippian formations.) I havnt found a calyx yet, but I have recently found plates from one (a lot of spines from crinoids too.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimB88 Posted May 26, 2010 Author Share Posted May 26, 2010 (edited) A few things from yesterdays hunt in the Pennington and the Signal Point. I had previously thought that this was pyritized wood. I took it to a paleo grad I know (who specializes in the Carboniferous) and he told me it was pyritic shale filling a mold of wood that was in the coal. I do have a question though - when I cleared the coal from the top of the specimens they were a dull gold, but now they are turning white. Any ideas as to why or what can I do to stop it? The third pic is the actual mold in the coal (or a piece of it - its real brittle!) The wood is from the Signal Point formation (Pennsylvanian.) Here is a hexagonal plate from a crinoid I believe. The above is from the Pennington (Mississippian.) As is this sweet little conularia (my first) the third set of segments is only partial but its fairly easy to tell what it is. Edited May 26, 2010 by JimB88 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Dactyll Posted May 27, 2010 Share Posted May 27, 2010 Jim..... Nice finds..... Ive come across impressions of trees in the actual coal layer itself before myself.... Sorry no idea about the preservation..... Cheers Steve... And Welcome if your a New Member... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimB88 Posted May 29, 2010 Author Share Posted May 29, 2010 More from the Pennington... an archimedes terebriformis with its lacy bits still associated. Bryozoans are VERY abundant.... more bryo's, the one marked 'a' is part of the support of lyropora quinconcailis and is from the Bangor Limestone. The other are either a sponge or a form of Trepostomata (this is more likely, however, I can find nothing from that order that is the correct age and appearance.) another veiw of the tiny conularia..anyone have an idea on specie? The conularia was a surprise find while prepping a brach. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimB88 Posted May 29, 2010 Author Share Posted May 29, 2010 I mistakenly referred to the coal bearing strata as the Signal Point formation. Its actually the Raccoon Mountain formation. In my defense, the USGS site dosnt show roads on its interactive map and it was listed (incorrectly)as the former under Tennessee fossil sites. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted May 29, 2010 Share Posted May 29, 2010 Jim, I reallly like the Archimedes! Very cool. The wood is neat too! Search pyrite on the forum or google - this happens to pyrite fossils - there are ways to help preserve it. Keep up the interesting posts! Tim - VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER VFOTM --- APRIL - 2015 __________________________________________________ "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~ ><))))( *> About Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted May 30, 2010 Share Posted May 30, 2010 What a great example of Archimedes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted May 30, 2010 Share Posted May 30, 2010 ...archimedes terebriformis with its lacy bits still associated......The conularia was a surprise find while prepping a brach. All great stuff, but these two are 5-star "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimB88 Posted June 3, 2010 Author Share Posted June 3, 2010 Some more.... the first is a platyceras (ornathachia) snail..they are commonly associated with crinoids (as the book put it "they would wait by the anus for a meal"...mmmm....mmmmmm.... :stuff: ) Ive prepped it this far but Im nervous about going farther for fear of breaking it. A couple of deformed diaphragmus (there must have been a reef of these guys as they overlay each other. All of the above is from the Pennington Formation (Upper Mississippian.) I find a lot of plant fragments in the Raccoon Mountain Formation. Heres some larger ones. Some sort of fern leaflet or a strap-like leaf from an Lepidodendron. Perhaps a conifer needle? Possible the formation pre-dates conifers though (Raccoon Mountain is lower Pensylvanian.) I also found many ironstone concretions. Ive begun the freezing thawing process so hopefully they will contain fossils! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted June 3, 2010 Share Posted June 3, 2010 More cool finds Jim! Congratulations! If you don't mind my asking,... What were you using to prep out the platyceras? Thanks for showing us!!! Tim - VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER VFOTM --- APRIL - 2015 __________________________________________________ "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~ ><))))( *> About Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimB88 Posted June 4, 2010 Author Share Posted June 4, 2010 More cool finds Jim! Congratulations! If you don't mind my asking,... What were you using to prep out the platyceras? Thanks for showing us!!! I was lightly using a small metal punch and a very light hammer (just tapping it.) I would like to reveal the curl in the rear of the snail but I'm afraid it will break off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted June 4, 2010 Share Posted June 4, 2010 I was lightly using a small metal punch and a very light hammer (just tapping it.) I would like to reveal the curl in the rear of the snail but I'm afraid it will break off. Keep the punch sharp; better yet, take a grinder to an old chainsaw file and make a fine, hard scribe out of it. If it's sharp, you don't have to use as much force. "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pleecan Posted June 4, 2010 Share Posted June 4, 2010 Very nice finds Jim. PL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimB88 Posted June 4, 2010 Author Share Posted June 4, 2010 Keep the punch sharp; better yet, take a grinder to an old chainsaw file and make a fine, hard scribe out of it. If it's sharp, you don't have to use as much force. Good advice, Ill need to sharpen it. Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimB88 Posted June 4, 2010 Author Share Posted June 4, 2010 These aren't technically fossils but they are neat. They're ironstone concretions that I had found already open (albeit the wrong way.) They each had a gray soft clay-like material in the center. I hope all of them don't do this, I'm hoping to find a fossil in some of them. This is my currently messy work area. Im in the process of deciding what to prep and catalog and what is "extra". The set of drawers I like for organizing my finds. As I ID more stuff (special thanks to Archimedes and all the fine folk on the Forum for helping with that.)I'll make a label and designate a drawer for it. The set of drawers below it will be for larger tagged specimens (I'm sure I will eventually need to get more drawers as I find more fossils.) The tan rock near the front is full of diaphragmus, Ive been prepping out many from that rock. The plastic cups and pill bottles are for the flakes and small pieces (which I save) and for small fossils like crinoid stem segments (of which I have a lot!) Maybe I should start a "show us your work area" topic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimB88 Posted June 10, 2010 Author Share Posted June 10, 2010 (edited) A couple more... I had briefly mentioned finding ironstone concretions; I had been concerned if they contained fossils as the few open ones (which were open the wrong way) had none (there was SOMETHING in them but the concretion broke through it rather than along it.) I have had success! My first Tennessee concretion contains............ a brachiopod Dont know the genus yet, its Pennsylvanian (lower) in age. Heres a rugose coral from the Pennington Formation that Ill be posting in the ID section as well. My other pics didnt turn out and my batteries were dying so Ill save them for later. Edited June 10, 2010 by JimB88 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted June 10, 2010 Share Posted June 10, 2010 Concretions are cool How did you open them? "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimB88 Posted June 10, 2010 Author Share Posted June 10, 2010 Concretions are cool How did you open them? By putting them in a small container (plastic) with water and freezing/thawing them. Takes a lot of patience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted June 10, 2010 Share Posted June 10, 2010 Freeze/thaw + patience = fossils How many cycles did they take to open? "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimB88 Posted June 10, 2010 Author Share Posted June 10, 2010 (edited) Freeze/thaw + patience = fossils How many cycles did they take to open? That one opened in four or five (but it was the first to open.)I collected around 24 of them, so...23 to go! Edited June 10, 2010 by JimB88 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now