Alveolites goldfussi from Arkona

Alveolites is a tabulate coral that is common within the Silurian to Devonian rocks of North America. However I often confused it with Cladopora because I wasn't examining my specimens close enough. Below are some specimens of Alveolites goldfussi that I found in Arkona and came from the Hungry Hollow member of the Widder formation (Middle Devonian in age).

A second specimen that shows the "sideways" growth a little better.

When looking at the calice growth and arrangement patterns it reminds me of fish scales and that is what I look for in the field now.

Leioceras from France

Here are a couple of Leioceras from the Aalenian stage of the middle Jurassic.

I don't have the species name for this first one but it come from Caen, France. It has some nice shell features and sutures preserved.

This next specimen is much larger and is called Leioceras opalinum, it comes from Calvados, France. It too has some nice sutures but no shell features.

Thanks to my good friend Gery for sending me these specimens!

Sphenophragmus nanus from the Silica Shale

This is a tiny little shell that I'd never found and likely passed over while hunting the Silica Shale dumps. It's a Brachiopod called Sphenophragmus nanus.












I received this specimen and others from an auction on E-bay that helped me to ID some specimens I'd found previously and add species I'd never found.

Fossils I've traded away

I often write about the fossils I've received in trades with other collectors, well today I'm going to show some of the specimens that I've sent out. In many cases these are specimens that are nice but I'm not really interested in keeping as part of my collection. Others are especially picked for their recipients since they are good friends or have sent me very nice material in the past.


First up is this Silurian aged Dalmanites from the Rochester shale of New York. I sent it to mon ami en France, Gery who loves Trilobites. If you've been reading my blog for a while you'll note that there are many fine fossils that Gery has sent me from France so it is the least I can do for him in exchange.

This next piece is a fossil fish, Eohiodon rosei , from the Eocene aged Tranquil shale of British Columbia, Canada. I'd purchased this specimen a few years ago and although I did like it, I felt that my friend Dan would appreciate it more. He lives in BC and has not yet had a chance to collect from the site but has similarly aged beds near him that yield well preserved insects and leaves. He has sent me some nice Trilobites from the Cambrian aged Tanglefoot Creek shale as seen here... and he even wrote a guest blog about them here!

My collection is richer thanks to the generosity of these two excellent collectors!

Tropidoleptus from the Silica Shale

Have I mentioned that Tropidoleptus carinatus is one of my favorite Brachiopods? I've shown specimens I've previously found in the Hungry Hollow Formation, the Moscow Formation and the Mahantango Formation. Today I'm showing off a specimen from the Silica formation that I purchased.

Pedicle valve

Front

Brachial Valve

Profile

I find it interesting to note the different ways the shell has been preserved. The variations are due to the minerals present when it was being permineralized (the process where minerals fill in the spaces left after the original shell material dissolves or is replaced). As I've only had a few opportunities to collect from the Silica Shale I have to supplement my collection with purchased specimens from time to time. Hopefully I will find one for myself in the future.