Thanks for clarifying Jaydot. I've now looked at many pictures of ammnite fossils, I don't see much resemblance. I bear in mind that I am looking at pictures, not holding specimens like my own. I do see resemblance when just comparing my photos. I'm going to try taking new pictures in the sun, behind a magnifying glass.

Jaydot,

Ammonites can sometimes be ID'ed by the suture pattern. One needs to have a fairly complete specimen section from which to map this pattern across one complete whorl. (from the spiral seam to the mid ridge). Sometimes when the inner structure can be used to help. We may not be able to pinpoint a species, but I bet we can hit the family level.

Remember, I want a top view pict!

RS

Better pics are in the near-future.
Sorry if you clicked thinking they were here. But this is important too.
I found a detailed 1985 map for the age of the rocks.
http://www.state.me.us/doc/nrimc/mgs/explore/bedrock/historical/feb08.htm
That puts the location in the Silurian Age, between mid and late, far as I can tell. I don't understand the map legend much, but my spot is in the light green Ssu zone, in North Central Maine. There are different places on that legend that say what the light green means, apparently for the different letters, which are different locations.(there's a seperate map and legend for that) They all mention Silurian. I also don't see where tan and brown are defined..I'm not normally this sloppy with map legends.
Is it possible that with the glacial deposits and brook, there might be variations within the zones?

Editing for clarity - I located "light green ssu" on the legend and it corresponds with mid-late silurian. I am confused by the legend because it has 2 columns; 1 for intrusive and the other for stratified. This may be a very dumb question, but wouldn't ages of the different kinds of rocks be different?

Piper,

As for your rock ages, no. Intrusion and sedimentation can occur very near each other at the same general time.

RS

Now the pictures are ready. The sun + magnifying glass worked pretty good. Learning how to share photos has proven much more tedious than researching the age of the bedrock. Now I found Image Shack, full size works but it's not very easy to use. I don't see how to name the photos unfortunately. :
I think linking the albums is easier because of the amount of pictures, and the need to see them in full size.
Rehash- Silurian Age bedrock. All of the following rocks were found in the same location, North central Maine, in a brook.

Album for the first rock. (when viewing a photo, directly below the pic is a magnifying glass. Clicking that to open the full size pic in a new window) Now we can refer to this as ROCK # 1
http://img697.imageshack.us/g/1001017qq.jpg/

Album for the rock with the shells ROCK #2
http://img408.imageshack.us/g/1001049t.jpg/


Album for a rock I found a few days ago. Another potential fossil? ROCK#3
http://img94.imageshack.us/g/1001073m.jpg/

Rock 3 gets votes for Bryozoans and Echioids for here. But that´s a tough call.

susu.exp wrote:Rock 3 gets votes for Bryozoans and Echioids for here. But that´s a tough call.

That's a very good call! I still have too much to learn about before I can say that's what they are. I appreciate the input very much.

susu.exp wrote:Rock 3 gets votes for Bryozoans and Echioids for here. But that´s a tough call.

+1.

Image #2 (?) on the right side of rock #3 seems to have the classic "web" look of a bryosoan in one patch, and the distinct "rays" do suggest echinoids on the bigger "depressions".

RS

Thanks again Therapod I noticed the link to Rock #2 is not working. I put them in a new album but it might be missing some images now. I'll have to fix that later, but in the meantime this link should work, plenty of good images right now.
http://img691.imageshack.us/g/1001048l.jpg/

I can't edit the post from yesterday to fix the link there also.

This was found near a cliff on the North Yorkshire coast.

The_Piper wrote:Thanks again Therapod I noticed the link to Rock #2 is not working. I put them in a new album but it might be missing some images now. I'll have to fix that later, but in the meantime this link should work, plenty of good images right now.
http://img691.imageshack.us/g/1001048l.jpg/

I can't edit the post from yesterday to fix the link there also.

Piper,

I think, if my old man's memory isn't failing me, "susu.exe" is an invertebrate paleontologist. At any rate I think he has a better grasp on these issues and types of fossils than I. I specialized in land vertebrates. While I am now involved in studying Mississippian cephalopods, and associated fauna, I would consider "susu.exe"'s opinion in these matters to be based on great education and experience. Much of my knowledge in paleontology has been self taught and my education has glaring holes, such as those I mentioned above.

RS

pensioner wrote:This was found near a cliff on the North Yorkshire coast.

Pensioner,

Did you get the PM I sent you following the demise of the "other" forum?

OK! That's just strange looking.

Can we have some background info and pictures from differing angles?

Are there any other fossils known to occur from this area, and if so what kind? Do we know the approximate age of the deposits that yielded this thing?

I like to say this when I'm stumped about an earthly oddity, "concretion"!

RS

theropod wrote:

The_Piper wrote:Thanks again Therapod I noticed the link to Rock #2 is not working. I put them in a new album but it might be missing some images now. I'll have to fix that later, but in the meantime this link should work, plenty of good images right now.
http://img691.imageshack.us/g/1001048l.jpg/

I can't edit the post from yesterday to fix the link there also.

Piper,

I think, if my old man's memory isn't failing me, "susu.exe" is an invertebrate paleontologist. At any rate I think he has a better grasp on these issues and types of fossils than I. I specialized in land vertebrates. While I am now involved in studying Mississippian cephalopods, and associated fauna, I would consider "susu.exe"'s opinion in these matters to be based on great education and experience. Much of my knowledge in paleontology has been self taught and my education has glaring holes, such as those I mentioned above.

RS

Thanks again Therapod. You're very helpful and knowledgeable, I appreciate it very much!
I just looked up cephalopods now Well my fossils are easier than that. I'm kinda glad LOL!

I'm curious if Rock #2 looks like Brachiopods to Susu.exp? Finding them is so exciting. Yes I'm really 35

theropod wrote:

pensioner wrote:This was found near a cliff on the North Yorkshire coast.

Pensioner,

Did you get the PM I sent you following the demise of the "other" forum?

OK! That's just strange looking.

Can we have some background info and pictures from differing angles?

Are there any other fossils known to occur from this area, and if so what kind? Do we know the approximate age of the deposits that yielded this thing?

I like to say this when I'm stumped about an earthly oddity, "concretion"!

RS

Very interesting Pensioner. More info please!

The_Piper wrote:I'm curious if Rock #2 looks like Brachiopods to Susu.exp? Finding them is so exciting. Yes I'm really 35

Yes, they do. While I´m working on invertebrates, my focus is on terrestrial ones, mainly insects. With Rock #2 you can very quickly eliminate anything but Brachiopods and Bivalves. The age makes Brachiopods more likely as does the symetry shown by the shells - Brachiopods have a top and bottom shell, whereas bivalves have a left and right one. Thus any single shell from a brachiopod is bilaterally symetric, while most bivalve shells are not. Finding the part when the two shells meet would clinch it, but I don´t think this is preserved on Rock #2. A bit of googling found Paralenorthis robustus as a possible candidate.

Thanks very much Susu.exp! I don't know how you got all the way to the species name! Now I googled Paralenorthis robustus. Found a paper mentioning that species in "shin Brook formation" That place is right in my town!
Major Kudos hehehehe

The_Piper wrote:Thanks very much Susu.exp! I don't know how you got all the way to the species name! Now I googled Paralenorthis robustus. Found a paper mentioning that species in "shin Brook formation" That place is right in my town!
Major Kudos hehehehe

Piper,

See, I told you!

"susu.exe" knows this shit far more completely than I do, but get me on a desert plain with lots of Mesozoic exposure and I can do my thing. I'd give my left nut to go to the Gobi for at least one complete season (high quality GPS, HD camcorder and a few other goodies in-hand). The point is that there are literally thousands of paleontology students with special areas of study. Some of us look for a specific type of pollen or snail or a myriad of other fossil groups. What one of us sortta knows about the other can go into amazing detail, and help you make species ID''s like this. I can SOMETIMES still do this with most of the late Cretaceous vertebrates, focusing on dinosauria.

Some people do not enjoy spending weeks on end with their head on the ground and their ass in the air baking in a desert sun, fending off venomous creatures from scorpions to snakes, tearing the fingerprints free of ones fingers, constant wind interspersed with severe thunderstorms, living in a tent and all sorts of physical discomforts. I love it. I'm kinda like "Lieutenant Dan" on the mast of the shrimp boat in "Forest Gump" when it comes to the storms. I'm probably a little crazy in that regard. I hate storms to wet down a dig area and I take it personally when one happens along.

I must warn you that you have now gained a glimpse behind the curtain. It now may become a matter of obsession to learn more about both your local paleontology and geology. You're already displaying curiosity, and that's an early onset indicator. Then as your affliction progresses you will search farther afield and become familiar with terms that allow you to better view the history of our world.

I've been infected for many years!

RS

Sorry about the quality of the photographs. I have asked my son to tell his friend to take better photos.

I was told that my son’s friend’s father was a builder who was working at Sandsend digging a trench which was about 2 meters deep when he found, what he thought was a couple of fossilized bones. He threw them on a spoil heap hoping to collect them later in the day. An hour later he found the object in question. When he went looking for his earlier finds someone had taken them.









http://www.sandsend.ukfossils.co.uk/San ... -guide.htm

“Although some superb reptile remains have been found at Sandsend, the foreshore is so dangerious, often covered in algee and little in the way of boulders that it makes this location a 'low' find.”

@ theropod

Yes I did read your pm, thanks mate for the info.

Man,

Take that to a good paleontologist as soon as you can. Photos 2 and 3 give me a real impression of an egg-like structure, however image 4 causes doubt in the thickness of what might be shell.

Don't get too excited 'cause it could still be a concretion. Is the surface displaying any sort of texture and is this texture of a web like nature if present?

Does the finder remember how large these "bones" were that were lost? Have you done any research into the age of the deposits in this area?

RS

theropod wrote:

The_Piper wrote:Thanks very much Susu.exp! I don't know how you got all the way to the species name! Now I googled Paralenorthis robustus. Found a paper mentioning that species in "shin Brook formation" That place is right in my town!
Major Kudos hehehehe

Piper,

See, I told you!

"susu.exe" knows this shit far more completely than I do, but get me on a desert plain with lots of Mesozoic exposure and I can do my thing. I'd give my left nut to go to the Gobi for at least one complete season (high quality GPS, HD camcorder and a few other goodies in-hand). The point is that there are literally thousands of paleontology students with special areas of study. Some of us look for a specific type of pollen or snail or a myriad of other fossil groups. What one of us sortta knows about the other can go into amazing detail, and help you make species ID''s like this. I can SOMETIMES still do this with most of the late Cretaceous vertebrates, focusing on dinosauria.

Some people do not enjoy spending weeks on end with their head on the ground and their ass in the air baking in a desert sun, fending off venomous creatures from scorpions to snakes, tearing the fingerprints free of ones fingers, constant wind interspersed with severe thunderstorms, living in a tent and all sorts of physical discomforts. I love it. I'm kinda like "Lieutenant Dan" on the mast of the shrimp boat in "Forest Gump" when it comes to the storms. I'm probably a little crazy in that regard. I hate storms to wet down a dig area and I take it personally when one happens along.

I must warn you that you have now gained a glimpse behind the curtain. It now may become a matter of obsession to learn more about both your local paleontology and geology. You're already displaying curiosity, and that's an early onset indicator. Then as your affliction progresses you will search farther afield and become familiar with terms that allow you to better view the history of our world.

I've been infected for many years!

RS

Awesome hehe. It's become clear to me that this is a highly specialized field. There are 5000 genera of fossil Brachiopods alone! I'm think I'm already hooked. Since Im entirely new, I'm going to stick with hunting mostly in my backyard. I just have to bend down and pick up the rocks, and I get to keep everything I find. I have 4 acres. Just waiting for that ice to thaw. The brook becomes a powerful river when it rains, especially in spring, and constantly washes up new rocks on my property. I have to somehow check the ones that are under the ice now before they get washed away! I do have many local excursions that I've become aware of. Especially the rare Pertica Quadrifaria plant in Baxter State Park. There will be a picture of me there sometime after may 1 I have a few local people showing mild interest to go searching with me. In maine, the biggest hazard might be gun-toting Elmer Fudds. (hunters) The nearest gravel pit is used as a shooting range, they were there yesterday. I should wear my orange hat in my backyard now. I think the gravel pits might be glacial eskews.
I'm not sure if I'll ever get to camp out and take long trips digging deep into the Earth somewhere hot and dangerous, but I'm keeping an eye out for a cheap pick axe thing for starters.

sorry if I'm derailing the thread...thanks for the new pictures Pensioner. I suppose they're not clear enough still? I had decent luck taking pics in the sun, and using a magnfying glass.