snafu947 Posted August 31, 2008 Share Posted August 31, 2008 Hey all, Since the family is camping and I finished painting my son's room yesterday, I thought I'd treat myself to some geode collecting today. On the way down, I passed by a shark tooth site I'd sort of..."lost". "Whomever" made the notes on getting there switched a couple things around, and I'd not been driving long enough...until today. Anyway, after I got tired of collecting geodes I figured I would stop at the shark tooth site. Low and behold I find another one. Yay me. Plus I found parts that appear to go together, but I have NO clue as to what it is. Maybe some of you folks could help, both on the ID of the tooth and what the heck the other thing is. This was found in Indiana, road cut on 37South, south of Bloomington, Middle Mississippian limestone deposits. Full of crinoid bits as well. I have 4 other partial teeth from this area that I'll probably see if I can get some ID's on. Any help would be great. Oh, I did okay with the geodes, too. Nothing to write home about, but a few. Gonna go crack a couple open now as a matter of fact. Wm.T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snafu947 Posted August 31, 2008 Author Share Posted August 31, 2008 Here are the other teeth I mentioned in the last post. The guy I went with on the day I found these 4 (about 3 years ago according to the notes) found I think 5, most of which are in better shape. There are these areas on the roadcut that are...hard to explain. Between layers of VERY fossiliferous limestone-crinoids, brachs, and bryzoan, there is a grainy material that is about the size of salt, rust orange/brown in color. This is where the teeth are found. Not in the actual limestone (at least not that I've seen or that anyone I know that has looked there have found), but in this grainy material. There are about 3 patches of this along the top of the road cut, and some on the ground along the highway. Kind of interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kauffy Posted August 31, 2008 Share Posted August 31, 2008 very very interesting! how cool, i have no idea to species but nice finds...im sure someone on here can help you ID them! "Turn the fear of the unknown into the excitment of possibility!"We dont stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Murphy Posted August 31, 2008 Share Posted August 31, 2008 The 4 lower teeth in the first photograph are fragments of petalodontid teeth, possibly Petalodus sp. The top tooth fragment and those in the second photograph appear to be cladodont tooth fragments, possibly either Cladodus sp (probable) or Symmorium sp. These species have all been found in the Harrodsburg Fm (Sanders Group) in Indiana and Kentucky. The Harrodsburg Limestone is also well known for its many geodes. Crinoids are also reported from the Harrodsburg Limestone. There are thinner beds of shale in the Harrodsburg which may be the source of these teeth. Similar teeth are found in the Mississippian, Pennsylvanian and Permian of Texas and Olahoma. Hope this helps. Regards, Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northern Sharks Posted September 1, 2008 Share Posted September 1, 2008 I guess the teeth could be Cladodus fragments. I don't know what other species with a shape like that comes from that area. Could you please indicate a size, either in the text or by photographing with a penny or a scale for example. There's no limit to what you can accomplish when you're supposed to be doing something else Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snafu947 Posted September 1, 2008 Author Share Posted September 1, 2008 The 4 lower teeth in the first photograph are fragments of petalodontid teeth, possibly Petalodus sp. The top tooth fragment and those in the second photograph appear to be cladodont tooth fragments, possibly either Cladodus sp (probable) or Symmorium sp. Hope this helps. It sure does, thank you. Now I have something to go on. Wm.T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snafu947 Posted September 1, 2008 Author Share Posted September 1, 2008 Could you please indicate a size, either in the text or by photographing with a penny or a scale for example. M'kay, the tooth is exactly 10mm from tip of root to tip of root. From base of root to existing tip is 9mm. If you take the tooth and look from it from the side, the tooth also curves, sort of like this: _), if that makes any sense. Wm.T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnJ Posted September 1, 2008 Share Posted September 1, 2008 Nice finds, WmT! The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true. - JJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted September 1, 2008 Share Posted September 1, 2008 I wonder what other treasures are lurking in "The Layer"?! Can you trace it to a spot where the overburden is light? "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...
tracer Posted September 1, 2008 Share Posted September 1, 2008 More than likely, the reason the teeth are in the unusual layer you mentioned is because it's a storm-deposition layer. All the other stuff was what belonged at that depth in that area of the sea, and then along came a big storm and threw on top of everything a relatively thin layer from a bit further away which contained the shark teeth. That's my theory, anyway. It may not be a good theory, but it's the only one I've got, and I'm sticking with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snafu947 Posted October 21, 2008 Author Share Posted October 21, 2008 I wonder what other treasures are lurking in "The Layer"?!Can you trace it to a spot where the overburden is light? Better late then never getting to this. The deposits are patchy, but pretty much right on the surface. It does tend to dive under large plates of limestone though, so if you want to get more you have to dig material out from under those limestone plates (which I've done VERY carefully, as those doggone snakes can be lurking ANYWHERE), or bust up the plates to move them, which I have not done. Wm.T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snafu947 Posted October 21, 2008 Author Share Posted October 21, 2008 More than likely, the reason the teeth are in the unusual layer you mentioned is because it's a storm-deposition layer. All the other stuff was what belonged at that depth in that area of the sea, and then along came a big storm and threw on top of everything a relatively thin layer from a bit further away which contained the shark teeth. That's my theory, anyway. It may not be a good theory, but it's the only one I've got, and I'm sticking with it. Well, sounds as good as anything I can come up with. Let's run with it. Wm.T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snafu947 Posted October 21, 2008 Author Share Posted October 21, 2008 Nice finds, WmT! Thanks John. I was pleasantly surprised to not only re-locate the site (MAN was that ever drivng me nuts trying to find it), but also the addition of these teeth. I also found a couple bases of crinoid calyx, so added to the geodes I brought back, not too shabby. I'm planning, well, THINKING of planning another trip down south in the next week or so before the weather takes too much of a turn for some collecting. Either blastoids or trilobites on the menu this time, but as always, I'll be happy with anything. Wm.T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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