Calvert Shells

[cowsharks]

Back in Dec I came across a fresh slump pile that had collapsed from the cliffs. I sifted like crazy but found very few teeth. One thing that was readily apparent however was the large number of complete shells, and some had both halves (bivalves). There were a few that I hadn't seen before, so I took the rare opportunity to keep a few of the complete specimens. In the area of Calvert Cliffs were I collect, there isn't an abundance of the fancier type of shells; the fanciest to me is the Ecphora, and finding one even somewhat complete is rare. If anyone recognizes these specimens and has an ID for them that would be great. I know I've seen a resource somewhere that has pictures of shells found in the Miocene of Calvert Cliffs, but I haven't located it yet. I'm also including a pic of a really nice, and fairly rare, complete Sand Dollar from Calvert Cliffs that I traded for; it is only the second complete one I have ever seen in many years, so I grabbed the opportunity to acquire it.

Daryl.

Edited February 5, 2014 by cowsharks

[obsessed1]

Nice shells! Try this for IDing. http://books.google.com/books?id=zmgNAAAAYAAJ&pg=PR51&lpg=PR51&dq=scala+sayana&source=bl&ots=fO4BuaCsan&sig=MH_iYfw2nsahrq4p6byt#v=onepage&q&f=false

[cowsharks]

Nice shells! Try this for IDing. http://books.google.com/books?id=zmgNAAAAYAAJ&pg=PR51&lpg=PR51&dq=scala+sayana&source=bl&ots=fO4BuaCsan&sig=MH_iYfw2nsahrq4p6byt#v=onepage&q&f=false

Thanks Kevin - that's it, the document I was thinking of.

Comparing the pics in that book to my specimens, I believe pic#2 of the shell with both bivalves and the ridges running laterally is Cytherea (Antigona) Staminea.

The other specimens are a bit more difficult to ID.

Daryl.

[gdarone]

Great pics. I IDed a few of the shells I found at Calvert Cliffs a few months ago. Maybe that can help.

http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/topic/41495-brownie-beachcalvert-formation-results-from-2-trips/#entry452726

2 might be Melosia staminea ?

[MarcoSr]

Daryl

It is nice when you find both complete halves of the shell together. Those I always take home but I don't usually find many complete ones like that. After collecting at Lee Creek I know what you mean by the fancier shells. Ours tend to be pretty plain looking in comparison. I have found a good number of sand dollar fragments from collecting along Calvert Cliffs but never a complete one.

Marco Sr.

[cowsharks]

Daryl

It is nice when you find both complete halves of the shell together. Those I always take home but I don't usually find many complete ones like that. After collecting at Lee Creek I know what you mean by the fancier shells. Ours tend to be pretty plain looking in comparison. I have found a good number of sand dollar fragments from collecting along Calvert Cliffs but never a complete one.

Marco Sr.

Exactly. Lee Creek spoiled me with all those big cork-screw like shells (gastropods?) like the Horse conch shells and such. Even the flat shells (pelecypods?) like the Chesepectins were even a bit more interesting than what I have seen so far from Calvert Cliffs. I think the lower end of the cliffs several miles south of where I normally collect product more shell beds with the more interesting or "fancier" and ornate shells as I call them.

I have never seen even pieces of sand dollars up near the north end of the cliffs where I collect, so I suspect something like sand dollars are found in the deposits south of that area. The specimen I posted a pic of was collected in the Choptank formation, which is south of where I normally collect.

Daryl.

[MarcoSr]

Daryl

My sand dollar pieces probably came from the Choptank but could also have come from the St. Mary's as I found them in float at Matoaka Cottages and further south.

Marco Sr.