An Inoceramid morning and a mystery

[Lone Hunter]

Set out yesterday morning to dig up seedling blue bonnets in area by a gulley I hunt, haven't been there for a year so thought I'd check it out before it started raining.  I think this is an outcrop of Britton formation, Eagle Ford.  Didn't get far before it started raining so basically filled my bag with globs of clay for most part then proceeded to clog up bathtub washing it all off. Pretty happy with results, wish I could find whole ammonites the preservation is so good, was tickled with two Inoceramus that had some shell. So mystery #1, I'm stumped and afraid to chip at any more not knowing the rest of shape. #2, not sure if the piece of shell is related, looks an awful lot like a ptychodus tooth but I'm sure it's something boring Threw in last one just curious what it could be.

Edited December 22, 2023 by Lone Hunter

[Advantage]

? whorls of a small Heteromorph ,perhaps, maybe... Others here will know...

 

Steve

[Mikrogeophagus]

Not my forte, but #2 is most likely some species of Yezoites which is known from the Britton Fm. #1 is also some type of Scaphitidae ammonite I think. Just don’t know what exactly.

 

Nice spot you got there! Keep up the cool finds!

[Shaun-DFW Fossils]

Whoa! Those are too cool..quality over quantity, I’d take these any day over the stuff I can find “anywhere” like the mortoniceras ammos I found. Really good stuff! Was it muddy or is it rocky enough that you didn’t get in it?

[Lone Hunter]

No rocks in this gulley/ravine except the huge concretions, it's all small  chips of mudstone, slate and clay eroding from sides, a lot of fossils are buried in it. It's awful walking through it sticks to shoes bad. And I'm not sharing this location 😝

[LSCHNELLE]

In looking at your possible Ptychodus and at EPIK's response to #2, I am more inclined to call the suspect Ptychodus instead a fragment of an inoceramus clam. Your 4th picture shows a similar view of an outer shell and inner mold/layer of a smaller inoceramus. At the right angle, it could look like parallel fine Ptychodus ridges. This would explain the outer layer on #2 which is not characteristic of Ptychodus but might be a characteristic of Yezoites - not sure.

[Lone Hunter]

2 hours ago, LSCHNELLE said:

In looking at your possible Ptychodus and at EPIK's response to #2, I am more inclined to call the suspect Ptychodus instead a fragment of an inoceramus clam. Your 4th picture shows a similar view of an outer shell and inner mold/layer of a smaller inoceramus. At the right angle, it could look like parallel fine Ptychodus ridges. This would explain the outer layer on #2 which is not characteristic of Ptychodus but might be a characteristic of Yezoites - not sure.

Here's a few more pics I think back up your theory on angles, tried to show how round it is, too round for peice of shell i think.

Edited December 23, 2023 by Lone Hunter

[Baking Geologist]

On 12/22/2023 at 2:36 AM, Lone Hunter said:

Set out yesterday morning to dig up seedling blue bonnets in area by a gulley I hunt, haven't been there for a year so thought I'd check it out before it started raining.  I think this is an outcrop of Britton formation, Eagle Ford.  Didn't get far before it started raining so basically filled my bag with globs of clay for most part then proceeded to clog up bathtub washing it all off. Pretty happy with results, wish I could find whole ammonites the preservation is so good, was tickled with two Inoceramus that had some shell. So mystery #1, I'm stumped and afraid to chip at any more not knowing the rest of shape. #2, not sure if the piece of shell is related, looks an awful lot like a ptychodus tooth but I'm sure it's something boring Threw in last one just curious what it could be.

You are by far not the only person here who has clogged up their bathtub cleaning fossils 🤦‍♀️

Edited December 23, 2023 by Baking Geologist
Brain faster than fingers.

[LSCHNELLE]

If you go in the other direction of thought and assume a Ptychodus without the margins showing, then you count 15 to 16 parallel ridges. The only Ptychodus species with that many ridges might be the Cenomanian age P. occidentalis. But, it usually has a moderate to high crown height. This fossil has a low to moderate height range curvature. It would not be diagnostic as Ptychodus without the margins being revealed and evidence of transition to a bilobed root mass. The apparent second layer of the fossil (darker color and pushed to the side), would also not be seen in a Ptychodus tooth.