Carcharhinus sp. teeth from Bone Valley

Here are three teeth that I found in a bag of mixed teeth labelled "Belgrade Quarry, NC".  I believe they are from a Carcharhinus sp. shark based on comments from member "Sixgill Pete" on the Fossil Forum. That member suggested these teeth were possibly from a Carcharhinus obscurus which is an extant species known as the Dusky Shark. Based on some comments from members of the Fossil Forum, these teeth likely come from "Bone Valley" in Florida (based on color of the fossils, which is not a reliable rule but it is often a good guide) and are middle Miocene to Pliocene in age.

Specimen #1

Specimen #2

Specimen #3

As I mentioned earlier , these teeth came in a bag labelled as "Belgrade Quarry, NC". That quarry exposes sediments from the Eocene to the Miocene.  Carcharhinus obscurus is not generally acceped to have evolved until the late Miocene epoch so it's likely these teeth are from a different quarry

Rhyncholampas gouldii echinoid from Florida

Here we have a Rhyncholampas gouldii echinoid from FL. It was found in the Oligocene aged Suwannee Limestone southeast of Tallahassee. It is very similar in appearance to the genus Hardouinia (Cretaceous) but is found much later in the geologic column.

Adapical surface (top)

Anterior

Right profile

Posterior

Left profile

Adoral surface (underside or bottom)

The label that was originally included with this specimen listed it as Rhynchopygus but that genus is only valid in the late Cretaceous of Europe.

Anadara sp. fossil Pelecypod from Florida

Today I'm featuring a pair of fossil Pelecypods from Rucks Pit, Ft. Drum, Florida. This site is well know for the golden calcite filled clam geodes, most notably of the species Mercenaria permagna (Venus Clams). The fossils I have are from the genus Anadara sp. otherwise called "Ark Shells". Most people go for the flashy (and Fluorescent) Calcite that is best shown by removing a portion of the geode walls but I wanted these more for the fossils.

Specimen #1

Specimen #2

The sediments at Rucks Pit are Pliocene to Pleistocene aged (Piacenzian to Gelasian stage respectively) with most fossils coming from the Nashua-Caloosahatchee unit (informal). It's a transitional unit between the Caloosahatchee "beds" found further south and the Nashua formation found to the north. There is a nice write up of the pit with history, geology and paleontology discussed in a guidebook from the Southeastern Geological Society than can be downloaded here as a .pdf.

If you want to get some specimens for your collection from the source, check out the Apalachee Minerals website.

Large fossil oyster from Florida

About five years ago I spent some time in the Deltona-Daytona Beach area of Florida for a project. At one site I noticed that they were using sand filled with fossils as fill and parking lot stabilizer. Apparently this is very common in Florida but my fossil meter was going nuts and I grabbed this large oyster from one of the  piles.

Right valve (this would have faced the water more)

Left valve (this would have faced the sediment more)

Anterior showing how the two halves connected. The left valve is on the bottom.

Ventral profile

Here I flipped the fossil upside down so now the left valve is on top. Look at all the shell layers!

Another cool thing about the fossil is that the shell halves are filled with a sand/shell mixture. The fact that the shell is articulated indicates a rapid burial. I wish I could have saved more of the shells but piles like the one I found this in are ephemeral at any work site and it was gone when I went back just a few days later.

I don't know what formation this came from as it was just a sand pile at a work site. I'd say the shell is from the Pliocene or Pleistocene epoch based on what little I know of Florida geology. Any ideas or suggestions are welcomed.

A couple of Eocene echinoids from Florida

Today I'm featuring a couple of echinoids from the Eocene aged Ocala Limestone in Florida. First up is Oligopygus haldemani.

Next we have Eupatagus antillarum 

Both of these are somewhat common species as I see them posted on E-bay and at fossil shows often. I purchased both of the above specimens from E-bay as comparison specimens so I can better see the differences between the various types of echinoids.