Rockwood Posted October 3, 2015 Share Posted October 3, 2015 This was found in a glacial deposit in north eastern Maine. It seems reasonable to suspect that it's from a terrestrial formation roughly contemporaneous with the better known Trout Valley formation which contains the state fossil Pertica quadrifaria. Does the center photo show somewhat exceptional preservation of internal structure ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erose Posted October 3, 2015 Share Posted October 3, 2015 Looks like the scrappy stuff that you find in the Catskill Delta deposits. I never had much luck identifying any of that stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilcrazy Posted October 3, 2015 Share Posted October 3, 2015 Nice find. It is not so easy finding Middle Devonian plants, especially when Baxter Park is off limits to collecting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilDAWG Posted October 3, 2015 Share Posted October 3, 2015 (edited) I'm not sure about the "internal structure". Those features may be sporangia. At any rate, I think it's a pretty nice find for a Devonian plant. Most specimens are somewhat "scrappy" at best. Don Edited October 3, 2015 by FossilDAWG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockwood Posted October 3, 2015 Author Share Posted October 3, 2015 I'm not sure about the "internal structure". Those features may be sporangia. At any rate, I think it's a pretty nice find for a Devonian plant. Most specimens are somewhat "scrappy" at best. Don Thanks. Sporangia seems like a distinct possibility that I hadn't considered. Here are a couple more from the same area that illustrate the scrappynes scale. Does the one on the left tend to support the Pertica ID ? The one on the right I think represents the higher energy environment in the Mapleton formation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrangellian Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 I agree with Don! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plantguy Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 Nice finds! Sorry I cant help with the ID...dont know enough about that age plant...Sporangia sounds like a possibility and that looks to be an example of a good sized plant which the state fossil is supposed to be. I dont know of any Devonian plant experts, so if noone else chimes in maybe the state geological survey might have someone on staff that could confirm the ID or refer you. Looking at that plate under a scope my provide some other hidden gems... Just out of curiosity, what are the lighter colored shapes in the rock in the photo on the right...mineral grains??? Regards, Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockwood Posted October 7, 2015 Author Share Posted October 7, 2015 Actually after giving this one a closer look I'm afraid it all might be mineral crystals. I suspect I may be guilty of something that I'm always railing against. Identifying it by what I expected to find there. What do you think ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilDAWG Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 Hard to say from a photo, but I'm happy with macerated plant bits as an ID. Are the dark objects fairly thin films (consistent with pieces of leaves), or are they thick, which could indicate mineral? Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abyssunder Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 I think the rock could be somehow igneous. With a little speculation, looking at the pictures, especially at the branching character visible in the left picture (#5), considering that the state fossil of Main is Pertica quadrifaria, which grew in a brackish or freshwater marsh near an active volcano, I think is possible the specimen resemblance with Pertica. Can you take a close-up picture of the portion circled with red? " We are not separate and independent entities, but like links in a chain, and we could not by any means be what we are without those who went before us and showed us the way. " Thomas Mann My Library Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockwood Posted October 8, 2015 Author Share Posted October 8, 2015 Here are a couple shots. Hope I hit the target. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abyssunder Posted October 8, 2015 Share Posted October 8, 2015 (edited) Yes,I think could be Pertica quadrifaria. Here is a comparative picture: Edited October 8, 2015 by abyssunder 1 " We are not separate and independent entities, but like links in a chain, and we could not by any means be what we are without those who went before us and showed us the way. " Thomas Mann My Library Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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