Fossildude19 Posted July 17, 2010 Share Posted July 17, 2010 (edited) Hello All, I spent some vacation time last week in Gilboa NY, site of a famous Devonian fossil forest. I stayed at a campground right on the Scoharie Creek. My wife, wonderful woman that she is, had inquired about fossils in the area when making the reservations. She was immediately answered with,"Yeah, there are fossil branches, ... right in the creek!" ( Link to awesome campsite: http://www.nickerson...campground.com/ ) So, while my wife and kids cooled off in the creek, I was searching for fossils. I was not disappointed either. Right away, my son found this : Edited July 17, 2010 by Fossildude19 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted July 17, 2010 Author Share Posted July 17, 2010 Over the next couple of days, whenever I had the chance, I would look for and find cool stuff. 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted July 17, 2010 Author Share Posted July 17, 2010 and more: Started to find some Devonian sea life as well. The area is all loose float/river boulders. 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted July 17, 2010 Author Share Posted July 17, 2010 More Plants: 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted July 17, 2010 Author Share Posted July 17, 2010 (edited) Most things were just twig\stem looking things. The area is known for the Tree fossils of Eospermatopteris, and the leaves or fronds of Wattezia. In 2007, it was discovered that the two went together. So, most of what I was finding was unrecognizable plant stem like hash. But on the second to last day, I came across this Stem looking piece with a branch or shoot coming off of it. Found more sea life, too. Edited July 17, 2010 by Fossildude19 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted July 17, 2010 Author Share Posted July 17, 2010 CLose up of the branching stem: 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted July 17, 2010 Author Share Posted July 17, 2010 Then I found this last piece. It made the trip for me, even though the detail isn't that great. Earlier on Saturday I ended up at the Gilboa Museum: http://www.thefossil...__1#entry159638 and the film we watched showed what they claimed was a branch of the famous Gilboa trees, and it looked very similar to this: 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted July 17, 2010 Author Share Posted July 17, 2010 (edited) All in all, a sucessful trip! Pictures of the area: Edited July 17, 2010 by Fossildude19 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted July 17, 2010 Share Posted July 17, 2010 Wow! Devonian plants from a famous location; congratulations! My favorite is probably the "branching stem" "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...
Sharks of SC Posted July 17, 2010 Share Posted July 17, 2010 Awesome finds!! Looks like a great trip! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scylla Posted July 17, 2010 Share Posted July 17, 2010 My favorite is the last one. Great trip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted July 17, 2010 Author Share Posted July 17, 2010 Auspex: Thank You. I was pretty psyched about that, myself. CBK: Thanks. Yes, I had a blast - there were fossils everywhere. Definitely a good trip. Scylla: Thats my favorite, too! Although the branching stem is a close second. Thanks for the replies. 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RomanK Posted July 17, 2010 Share Posted July 17, 2010 Then I found this last piece. It made the trip for me, even though the detail isn't that great. Earlier on Saturday I ended up at the Gilboa Museum: http://www.thefossil...__1#entry159638 and the film we watched showed what they claimed was a branch of the famous Gilboa trees, and it looked very similar to this: Hi Tim, congratulations with nice finds. For comparing I post my Devonian finds Roman http://s1143.photobu.../donbassfossil/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted July 17, 2010 Author Share Posted July 17, 2010 (edited) Thank You, Roman. Your finds appear to show greater detail. I really like the 3-dimensional cast of stem. (Pic 4) What type of area are your Devonian finds from? The lack of detail in my finds is probably from the fact that the cobbles are loose float from a creek bed. More erosion damage. Thank you for posting your beautiful specimens for comparison. Warm regards, Edited July 17, 2010 by Fossildude19 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RomanK Posted July 17, 2010 Share Posted July 17, 2010 Thank You, Roman. Your finds appear to show greater detail. I really like the 3-dimensional cast of stem. (Pic 4) What type of area are your Devonian finds from? The lack of detail in my finds is probably from the fact that the cobbles are loose float from a creek bed. More erosion damage. Thank you for posting your beautiful specimens for comparison. Warm regards, Hi Tim, you obviously saw my finds and area here. This is Donetsk region area (50 km from Donetsk southward). Details on my specimens are due to the volcanic activity in that time and lots of ashes in that area which provide good preservation. Best wishes, Roman. Roman http://s1143.photobu.../donbassfossil/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shamalama Posted July 17, 2010 Share Posted July 17, 2010 Wow, great report and pics, Tim! Love both the branches! -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/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted July 17, 2010 Author Share Posted July 17, 2010 (edited) Wow, great report and pics, Tim! Love both the branches! Thanks, Dave. It was a great place to find stuff. NIce to have things from a famous locality, also. Regards, Edited July 17, 2010 by Fossildude19 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted July 17, 2010 Author Share Posted July 17, 2010 (edited) Hi Tim, you obviously saw my finds and area here. This is Donetsk region area (50 km from Donetsk southward). Details on my specimens are due to the volcanic activity in that time and lots of ashes in that area which provide good preservation. Best wishes, Roman. Sorry, forgot that that was where you found your Devonian plants. Thanks for reminding me. Volcanic ash deposits do offer stunning preservation. Thanks again. Regards, Edited July 20, 2010 by Fossildude19 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sue in ohio Posted July 18, 2010 Share Posted July 18, 2010 Wow Tim..I love the last pic too, the bark impression is awesome..lucky you. Thank you for sharing your vacation and finds with us. As soon as I can get another camera..mine died before my last roadtrip, I can get pics up of what I found across southern & eastern PA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted July 18, 2010 Author Share Posted July 18, 2010 Thanks Sue! I was really happy about that find! Made my trip. Sorry bout your camera, and everything else. Hang in there,... but,... ... I can't wait to see what you've been finding, as well. 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
New Members JohnnyTrees09 Posted July 25, 2011 New Members Share Posted July 25, 2011 (edited) I found this fossil in an outcrop along the creek near Hunter Mt. It was filled with Archaeopteris plants. I think that this might be a fish, anyone have any ideas? More pics soon to come. Edited July 25, 2011 by JohnnyTrees09 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 I see the shape, complete with "tail", that would make me think fish, but there are problems: The pattern is scale-like, but the texture is decidedly not. The "tail" is small, and does not appear to have any rays. No head; the "body" ends, but there is no messy ending, as there might be if the head were missing. Could it be a cone or something? "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...
New Members JohnnyTrees09 Posted July 26, 2011 New Members Share Posted July 26, 2011 I talked to a Devonian specialist today who was able to take a look at the fossil. He said it might be a mold of a fish because the color of the fossil is similar to the color of the surrounding material. I don't think that terrestrial plants had cones during the age we're dealing with, but I'll have to look again. I found a bunch of terrestrial plant fossils in great condition like Archaeopteris obtusa and Archaeopteris jacksoni hinting that the site might have been a flood plane or a swamp. I will post pictures of some of my better specimens soon. I have found other fossils of sticks and branches that have similar patters to that of the "fish" but none are as scale-like or defined, and all of them have lines running down the length of the stem in addition to the other markings. Also, the pattern on the fish, which seems to resemble diamonds, runs lengthwise from the belly of the fish to the spine, as opposed to head to tail. All of the other branches and sticks I found had diamond-like patterns that ran down the stem, seemingly orthogonal to the fish's pattern. One more piece of evidence is that the individual diamonds in the patterns from the plant fossils were all almost exactly the same size and orientation, fitting in a perfect matrix. The fish pattern, however, is not so perfect. Each diamond varies quite significantly and veers left or right as if sliding to accommodate a certain shape or form, much like scales would. The diamonds vary in size as well. Still isn't much to go on and it might be just a coincidence, but these are just a few things I wanted to point out. I will continue looking and if I find anything else I will certainly give an update. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astron Posted July 28, 2011 Share Posted July 28, 2011 All in all, a sucessful trip! Pictures of the area: Wonderful reports, pics and finds, as usual, Tim I am impressed with the exposure of the majority of the fossils displayed, especially with the plant material. Thanks indeed for posting Astrinos P. Damianakis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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