Jeffrey P Posted April 19, 2015 Posted April 19, 2015 (edited) Made a fairly brief visit to a site in Ocean County, near New Egypt, NJ. on Monday 4/6/15. There was a shell bed exposed in a very muddy narrow ravine composed of the Paleocene brachiopod; Oleneothyris harlani. Collected a number of small specimens. They are extremely fragile and usually crumble when exposed. Will return some time to collect, hopefully better specimens. Edited April 20, 2015 by Jeffrey P
Herb Posted April 19, 2015 Posted April 19, 2015 very nice! Would like to trade for some if you get enough to spare. "Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence"_ Carl Sagen No trees were killed in this posting......however, many innocent electrons were diverted from where they originally intended to go. " I think, therefore I collect fossils." _ Me "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."__S. Holmes "can't we all just get along?" Jack Nicholson from Mars Attacks
Auspex Posted April 19, 2015 Posted April 19, 2015 Well done! Collecting intact shells from glaucanite sands can be pretty challenging. "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!
Jeffrey P Posted April 19, 2015 Author Posted April 19, 2015 Well done! Collecting intact shells from glaucanite sands can be pretty challenging. Whew! You're not kidding. Got pretty dirty too.
Plax Posted April 20, 2015 Posted April 20, 2015 is that round area in the second pic the lophophore showing through from the inside after the shell dissolved away? If so that's one neat fossil.
Fossildude19 Posted April 20, 2015 Posted April 20, 2015 Well done, Jeff! Neat finds. Regards, Tim - VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER VFOTM --- APRIL - 2015 IPFOTM -- MAY - 2024 _________________________________________________________________________________ "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~ ><))))( *> About Me
FossilDAWG Posted April 20, 2015 Posted April 20, 2015 I've collected the same species from a site in North Carolina. For a time in the Paleocene these brachiopods were the dominant shelled organisms and formed banks over a significant part of the Atlantic coastline. The front part of the shell was thick and is commonly the only part preserved, as the posterior is quite thin shelled. I did manage to find one that is complete and with both valves together. Don 1
Jeffrey P Posted April 20, 2015 Author Posted April 20, 2015 is that round area in the second pic the lophophore showing through from the inside after the shell dissolved away? If so that's one neat fossil. I doubt that's the lophophore. It's matrix that filled the shell. Right now I'm leaving it there because the shells are so fragile. Another question is how did the hole get there in the first place. Pretty round to be just random. Possible bore hole from a gastropod? I plan to treat the shells today with Elmers solution to hopefully strengthen the shell material.
Jeffrey P Posted April 20, 2015 Author Posted April 20, 2015 I've collected the same species from a site in North Carolina. For a time in the Paleocene these brachiopods were the dominant shelled organisms and formed banks over a significant part of the Atlantic coastline. The front part of the shell was thick and is commonly the only part preserved, as the posterior is quite thin shelled. I did manage to find one that is complete and with both valves together. Don At the site I only saw a couple examples of specimens with both valves together, but they were incomplete. I've seen complete individuals (both valves) at the MAPS (Monmouth Amateur Paleontological Society) collection. Hopefully I can find complete ones next time around. Would love to see pics of your finds.
fossilnoggin Posted April 20, 2015 Posted April 20, 2015 nice finds jeff. i've been wanting to collect at that site.
Jeffrey P Posted April 21, 2015 Author Posted April 21, 2015 Don raised an interesting point. In New Jersey the Hornerstown Formation lies just above the KT boundary. Fossils, I've heard and seen, are generally scarce, probably a product of unfavorable life conditions that occurred at the end of the Cretaceous. After a period of time marine life began to recover and in this void, brachiopods briefly reasserted their dominance only to be replaced by bivalves. These brachiopod fossils cause me to ponder about the conditions during that transitional time and the course of marine evolution.
Plax Posted April 21, 2015 Posted April 21, 2015 The Oleneothyris abundance (bioherm/biostrome?) is at the contact between the late Paleocene Vincentown and early Paleocene Hornerstown. The Lower Vincentown also has them as well as abundant bryozoa making the fauna have a paleozoic look. The K/T boundary is well before this time period but I don't know how many years. There are Pycnodontid oysters and steinkerns of other mollusca in abundance both before and after the occurrence of the Oleneothyris biostrome. The abundance of brachs and bryozoa recurs in the middle to late Eocene Castle Hayne Formation in NC. I believe that water depth and possibly other environmental factors make these habitats suitable to brachs and bryozoa dominance despite what is in print regarding the K/T extinction causing the dominance. 2
Shamalama Posted April 21, 2015 Posted April 21, 2015 Pretty cool finds. Nice to see you getting out. -Dave __________________________________________________ Geologists on the whole are inconsistent drivers. When a roadcut presents itself, they tend to lurch and weave. To them, the roadcut is a portal, a fragment of a regional story, a proscenium arch that leads their imaginations into the earth and through the surrounding terrain. - John McPheeIf I'm going to drive safely, I can't do geology. - John McPheeCheck out my Blog for more fossils I've found: http://viewsofthemahantango.blogspot.com/
Carl Posted April 21, 2015 Posted April 21, 2015 From what I've learned, Plax is right. During my first visit there I also wondered if the insane abundance of basically nothing but Oleneothyris in these Paleocene sediments was signal of life recovering right after the KT. But those I was with who knew more set me straight. It just seems to be a local concentration due to perfect conditions for these kinds of brachiopods. 1
non-remanié Posted April 21, 2015 Posted April 21, 2015 Indeed, the bed is well after the KT boundary, in the Selandian, ~59mya. There are probably several third order marine sequences included within the Hornerstown fm. I agree with others that the abundance was most likely the result of widespread environmental factors more so than a post KP recovery. From what I've learned, Plax is right. During my first visit there I also wondered if the insane abundance of basically nothing but Oleneothyris in these Paleocene sediments was signal of life recovering right after the KT. But those I was with who knew more set me straight. It just seems to be a local concentration due to perfect conditions for these kinds of brachiopods. ---Wie Wasser schleift den Stein, wir steigen und fallen---
Jeffrey P Posted April 22, 2015 Author Posted April 22, 2015 The Oleneothyris abundance (bioherm/biostrome?) is at the contact between the late Paleocene Vincentown and early Paleocene Hornerstown. The Lower Vincentown also has them as well as abundant bryozoa making the fauna have a paleozoic look. The K/T boundary is well before this time period but I don't know how many years. There are Pycnodontid oysters and steinkerns of other mollusca in abundance both before and after the occurrence of the Oleneothyris biostrome. The abundance of brachs and bryozoa recurs in the middle to late Eocene Castle Hayne Formation in NC. I believe that water depth and possibly other environmental factors make these habitats suitable to brachs and bryozoa dominance despite what is in print regarding the K/T extinction causing the dominance. Thanks for setting me and others straight on that.
Darktooth Posted April 22, 2015 Posted April 22, 2015 Nice finds jeff I like Trilo-butts and I cannot lie.
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