Ordovician in Tennessee (Help!)

**Terri** · May 18, '10, 9:30am

That would be a lot more interesting than a mud slump or sponge reef! I'm going out tommorrow so I'll get the shots you want, and take a closer look for other fossils.

Have fun collecting!

**Terri** · May 20, '10, 12:08am

The first picture is of the possible collapsed septa, the second is of the the entire fossil. There is a protusion in the rock face towards the end of the fossil (left side of pic.) and if you look closely there are more ?septa showing in the little white patch.

The third picture is really cool, while looking for more fossils I wandered about 500ft. from the above fossil and found this one.

I didn't see anything other than a few brachiopods but I could see a layer of sediment way over my head. It is a very unstable outcrop, lots of precariously perched rocks overhead, I think there may be more cool stuff to be found. If the rain holds off tommorrow I am going back.

I took a lot of pictures today most of them didn't come out well, so I'll see if I can do better tommorrow.

**Terri** · May 20, '10, 12:12am

Oops, got the top two mixed up the second one should be the first!!

**Architeuthoceras** · May 20, '10, 9:57am

I think these are Stromatoporoids that have gone through a little recrystallization.
It looks like they grew vertically as the sediment got deposited around them. The broken one was probably crushed as the sediment piled up around it.

**Terri** · May 20, '10, 9:15pm

Thanks again Kevin! Once again I have learned something!

Happy hunting next week!

**Architeuthoceras** · May 20, '10, 11:52pm

Originally Posted by Terri

Thanks again Kevin! Once again I have learned something!

Happy hunting next week!

Thanks Terri !

Keep looking, It looks like you live in a very fossiliferous part of the country, I'm sure there are a lot of very interesting fossils out there just waiting to be found.

**Terri** · May 21, '10, 10:02am

I'll definintely keep looking, I seem to be hooked. I hope all of the "Help" I need is not too bothersome!

**DWhatley** · May 21, '10, 5:15pm

Originally Posted by Terri

I'll definintly keep looking, I seem to be hooked. I hope all of the "Help" I need is not too bothersome!

keep the mystery finds coming! It gives Kevin something interesting to do

and the rest of us a fun vicarious experience.

**Terri** · May 21, '10, 6:24pm

Thanks D I'll do my best, and I agree,Kevin definintely needs something more intriguing to do with his time!

**Architeuthoceras** · May 21, '10, 11:27pm

Originally Posted by dwhatley

keep the mystery finds coming! It gives Kevin something interesting to do

and the rest of us a fun vicarious experience.

It's just like being there, isn't it

Originally Posted by Terri

I'll definintly keep looking, I seem to be hooked. I hope all of the "Help" I need is not too bothersome!

Never a bother Terri, I live for this stuff

I finally get a chance to go out and wouldn't you know it... SNOW is in the forecast... the 20th of May... Global warming must mean local cooling

**DWhatley** · May 21, '10, 11:34pm

Global warming must mean local cooling

I think the official name has been changed to Global Climate Change to more correctly identify the oddities in weather.

It's just like being there, isn't it

Not exactly, unless I pretend the skinned up knuckles from my LR are from digging around in the rocks.

**Terri** · Jul 08, '10, 12:39am

Hi Kevin, I'm afraid this will be non- ceph, but it is near the stromatoporoids that I thought might be cephs

I took this pic. when I found the sponge reefs posted earlier in this thread, this is the bottom of a huge slab hanging out over the rock face that the reefs are on. If my memory serves me about 20 ft overhead. To give a little scale the hour glass shape in the left upper side of pic. may be a little longer than my hammer (guesstimate). I'm wondering if these could be sponge or just some odd stuff on the bottom of a rock?

I'll have to re-check but I think that location was the Nashville Group; Bigby-Cannon Limestone.

**Architeuthoceras** · Jul 08, '10, 6:38pm

It looks like the bottom of whatever was growing on the sea floor, probably those Stromatoporoids.

Was it foggy that day?

**Terri** · Jul 08, '10, 7:19pm

Terriably foggy

**DWhatley** · Jul 08, '10, 8:40pm

A very little photoshopping will make the fog evaporate.

**Terri** · Jul 08, '10, 9:56pm

Thanks D, it really wasn't foggy at all, just a bad picture. I guess I'm going to have to learn how to photoshop

I would rather be fossil hunting

**DWhatley** · Jul 08, '10, 10:06pm

Actually for that kind of over exposure issue, any simple photo program (including Google's free Picasa ) will offer enough really simple correction to sharpen the image and remove the "fog" in 2 minutes tops. Bad focus, however is not something easily adjusted.

**Terri** · Sep 12, '10, 10:44pm

Actinocerid??

**Architeuthoceras** · Sep 12, '10, 11:37pm

Yes!

Nice find, looks like a big one. Glad you could get out and do a little fossil hunting.

**Terri** · Sep 12, '10, 11:52pm

Well, I'm learning something or it was a really good guess!

This next fossil is really getting on my nerves, if there were no ammonoids in the ordivician (correct me if I'm wrong) then this must be a gastropod?