eccentric1 Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 Hello again everyone. This past Sunday I visited a small tributary to a local reservoir that has been particularly swollen during the snow melt and recent rainfall. The stream has worn away the bank in some places exposing about 4 1/2' of layered sedimentary rock. I picked at the layers and was able to find my nicest brachipod specimen yet, a shiny bump as opposed to the negatives I find most often. I took my typical leisurely walk downstream and continued to find rocks peppered with brachiopod images, but I was also able to achieve a bit of possible diversity on this stroll. Pic 1 is of what I believe is a portion of a larger brachiopod than I am used to finding. Pic 2 looks like the shape of a fish of some sort, but it is also just as likely to be nothing at all... Pic 3 shows a rock with many different tiny shapes, I am working on picking it apart and IDing them. Pic 4 looks like another potential flower like plant top, I am trying to get a photograph with the proper shadowing that actually shows it how I see it with the naked eye. My plan is to go back with a camp stool and spend an afternoon splitting rocks to see what I can find that way. Braciopod covered rocks are pretty common in these streams, I have to get over the impulse to carry them all home. Mrs. e1 says that perhaps I should create a Devonian rock garden in the yard... Sarcasm is one of her many gifts. BTW, it is not my habit to continually start forum topics without commenting on others. Truth is I don't feel quite informed enough yet to contribute quality comments so I am choosing to be quiet...for now. Thanks for looking! e1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracer Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 i would imagine your collections are diverse and interesting. you may wish to start looking around other places in your area and see what other fossils you may find. it is difficult to decide what to say on some people's topics. i'm very attracted to paleozoic inverts, but i just don't have any within say around a six-hour drive, so i have not spent nearly as much time in their company as i would have wished and therefore have nothing insightful to add regarding them. when i first came here, there was a poster who was very well-acquainted with the sort of thing you're finding, and i remember him saying, "once i get out of the paleozoic, i'm lost". i found it an amusing comment. keep posting the finds from your walks. there are people here who can give you some good information on them... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 I wish I had the knowledge and experience to add intelligently to every topic! This is a case where the only thing I can comment about is that the imagery of sitting in a camp chair, splitting fossils out of shale while surrounded by solitude is really soothing (mini in-my-head vacations are wonderful things) "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...
Fossildude19 Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 Eccentric1, Neat stuff. #1 photo looks like half of a spiriferid brachiopod of some sort. #2 photo looks like some plant/wood type material, but the photo is very blurry. However, it also has the shape of a cephalopod, so, ... I wouldn't totally rule that out, either. # 3 looks like some different brachiopods perhaps,... with some crinoid stem pieces mixed in. #4 ...??? Looks too worn to tell, but could be a piece of crinoid calyx? I wouldn't put money on it, but general shape says it's a possibility. 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...
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