Hexagonaria In New Hampshire?

[Jonesy]

Hey, all!

First off, this is my very first post and I found this forum thanks to the almighty Google.

My question is this: About 20 years ago, I unearthed a small (~2 inches square) fossil in the rocky hillside of our backyard in rural New Hampshire. I always meant to try and identify it but, well, life happens and it ended up in a box for the next two decades.

So, the other day, while researching a mineral specimen that I found with my son, I accidentally came across a photo of that exact same type of fossil from so many years ago! Now, before everyone laughs at me when you see how obvious it is, I must say that I am not a rock hound and, therefore, would have no reason to know this: Apparently, it is a member of the Hexagonaria group - same as the famous "Petoskey Stone" so prevalent in northern Michigan.

According to all the research I've been doing for the past week, though, Hexagonaria of any species just aren't found in this area of the country. So, what gives?

Has anyone else ever found or heard of Hexagonaria in the New England region???

Thanks a bunch!

[erose]

Glaciers. They had a bad habit of moving, mixing and sometimes just plain obliterating stuff. Does it show wear or rounding? You mentioned Petoskey Stones. I have one all nicely rounded and polished and it came from a hillside near Dayton, Ohio several hundred miles south of Lake Michigan. Yours could have been moved all the way from Canada.

[Auspex]

A stone found where it ought not to be is called an "erratic"; in the northern part of the northern hemisphere it is almost certainly a "glacial erratic". Without such geological largess, New Hampshire would hardly have any fossils at all .

[Jonesy]

Hi, erose and auspex!

I've certainly considered the glacial movement factor. It just seems a bit of a stretch when looking at the documented spread pattern of Devonian-era fossils during the Pleistocene-era movements that are said to have blanketed this region. That's why I've been searching and searching to find any other such instances in this region. New Hampshire, in particular, is built so much upon metamorphic and igneous formations that fossils are relatively rare when compared to other sites around the country. Given that this specimen was unearthed in fairly shallow surface rock following construction activity, well...it's intriguing is all.

It may very well be that this is an erratic and my search may end up being in vain. Fortunately, the land this specimen was found on ~20 years ago is still in the extended family's possession so I think a trip down there may be in order....

Thanks for the replies!

Edited to add: Oh, and erose: the specimen is very nicely rounded on all sides and the details are quite clear. I don't have the means of taking a photograph at the moment but one look at a Google Images search for "unpolished Petoskey Stone" will show you exactly what it looks like!

Edited July 11, 2011 by Jonesy

[Fossildude19]

You can never underestimate people moving things, dropping things, or putting things where they don't belong, just for giggles.

I've heard of it before.

Could be someone's lost vacation keepsake. You never know.

But I do like the glacier theory as a first choice.

Regards, from another 'Jonesy'

Edited July 11, 2011 by Fossildude19

[erose]

Not really sure what level of geologic mapping exists for NH, but if you can get some better (more detailed) maps you might find that there are pockets of sedimentary strata still preserved in places around the state. Now that is just a SWAG (scientific wild ###### guess) on my part. But there are similar pockets in the SE part of NY's Hudson River Valley and New England amongst all those metamorphic mountain roots. You need to do some research.

But glaciers can move stuff hundreds of miles and they didn't all just head due south. And then there are rivers who's size and course have changed dramatically over the eons shifting stuff around.

[FossilDAWG]

I recall once, when I took a mini-course in fossil collecting at the Sonoran Desert Museum in Tucson Arizona, being shown a nice big Baculites that someone picked up in the Tucson Mountains just West of the city. The problem is, there is no marine Late Cretaceous known in the area, or indeed for a hundred miles or more in any direction. However the area is very complex geologically, with small (and larger) slices of Mississippian, Pennsylvanian, and Permian limestone, Cretaceous fresh water (not marine) arkose/sandstone/shale, and lots and lots of igneous rock. Is there a really tiny fault slice of Late Cretaceous marine rock out there, which has eluded all the geologists mapping the area, or did someone decide to dump an old fossil collection out in the hills? Maybe it was used as a talisman by Native Americans, and eventually was dropped out there far from its source. An intriguing mystery, much like a Petosky Stone in New Hampshire.

Don