Trip to Deer Lake - Orwigsberg, PA - Mahantango Formation (Middle-Devonian)

[Masonk]

Hi All,

I took a trip a couple weeks ago (6/19) out to Orwigsburg, PA to Deer Lake to hunt for Middle-Devonian fossils.

 

Interesting location as the exposed formation (Mahantango) is situated in the parking lot of a local restaurant. 

 

It was a hot one, but I managed to find some shade under a few small evergreens.

 

Spent a few hours at the site and did fairly well overall. Found one Trilobite and a section of Cephalopod. 

 

Plenty of Crinoids, Brachiopod, Gastropod Steinkerns, Bryozoan and Bivalves.

 

[Masonk]

Trilobite (cephalon and part of thorax of Eldredgeops rana?) and section of Cephalopod (Bactrite?)

 

 

 

 

[Masonk]

Several Gastropod

 

 

 

 

 

[Masonk]

Brachiopods - I believe all are Mucrospirifer sp. 

 

 

 

 

[Masonk]

Orthonata undulata 

 

 

 

Not sure what the center impression would be, if anything. Brachiopod?

 

 

 

Brachiopod bottom right

 

Bryozoan bottom right  (Cystoporida?)

 

 

 

Edited July 1 by Masonk

[Masonk]

I believe these are all also bivalves, although top right could be a brachiopod?

 

 

Pleurodictyum sp. (bottom left)

 

Palaeoneilo sp.?

 

Palaeoneilo sp.?

[Masonk]

More Brachiopods!

 

 

 

Devonchonetes sp.?

 

Devonchonetes sp.?

 

 

 

 

[Masonk]

 

Goniophora hamiltonensis?

 

Bryozoan with a brachiopod or bivalve steinkern?, Crinoid at bottom. 

 

[Masonk]

 

 

Tentaculites bellulus?

 

This is conical shaped and has ridges. Assuming a straight shell cephalopod or gastropod?, Crinoid and Brachiopod bottom right. 

 

Crinoid stem

 

Crinoid stem

 

Crinoid

 

Crenistriella sp.?

 

Edited July 1 by Masonk

[Masonk]

 

Bryozoan

 

Crinoids

 

Bryozoan, Crinoid, Brachiopod 

[Masonk]

And the final group

 

 

Mostly Crinoids

 

 

 

Brachiopod and Crinoid

 

Brachiopod and a small Gastropod. 

 

Brachiopod and Bryozoan

 

[Masonk]

Thanks for looking! Please feel free to correct any of my IDs. I'm still learning and won't take offense. 

[Fossildude19]

42 minutes ago, Masonk said:

Bryozoan

Bryozoan, Crinoid, Brachiopod 

 

 

The "bryozoans" here all appear to be thoracic segments of Dipleura dekayi.

[Masonk]

8 minutes ago, Fossildude19 said:

 

 

The "bryozoans" here all appear to be thoracic segments of Dipleura dekayi.

 

Thanks, Tim! I've never seen one up close and wasn't aware they had such a pronounced texture.

 

Pretty cool! Gives me hope I may one day find a complete example. 

[Andúril Flame of the West]

Looks like you had a fantastic trip! The heat in the Mid-Atlantic has been brutal and has kept me away from many of the Paleozoic fossil sites. With the blazing sun and the Realfeel over 100 it can be nearly unbearable to work in road cuts and gravel pits laden with scorching hot rocks. Kudos to you for withstanding the heat and getting a diverse haul of beautiful bivalves! 

[Masonk]

On 7/3/2024 at 11:10 PM, Andúril Flame of the West said:

Looks like you had a fantastic trip! The heat in the Mid-Atlantic has been brutal and has kept me away from many of the Paleozoic fossil sites. With the blazing sun and the Realfeel over 100 it can be nearly unbearable to work in road cuts and gravel pits laden with scorching hot rocks. Kudos to you for withstanding the heat and getting a diverse haul of beautiful bivalves! 

Thanks! I’m a glutton for punishment. 

 

The great thing about hunting the earlier Paleozoic period, most of the locations around me have an abundance of fossils, so it doesn’t take more than a few hours to collect a good amount of decent specimens.

[RandyB]

Congratulations on a successful hunt at a site that has become much more challenging since the widening of rte 61.