Paleontology, Clam Bank Formation

Field work (2021) recovered fossil types not previously reported that underscore an Early Devonian age, and crinoid columnals that may identify a new reconfiguration of regional paleoceanographic circulation. Formal description and publication await but here is a preliminary assessment.

The following were recovered from the prominent limestone interval in Clam Bank Cove that previous work has defined to be of late Silurian (Pridolian) age.

Cystoid

Sections and fragments are recognized but part of the theca and attached stem was recovered as shown in the photo, with sufficient structural details to identify Sphaerocystoides ovatus, an Early Devonian form previously noted in the USA.

Rugose corals
Previous fossil lists include rugose corals, including Zaphrentis sp. (Sullivan, 1940) and Acanthophyllum sp. (Oliver, 1997). Through the 1900s, the first name was used for a wide range of rugose corals that had a similar form, and later revision arising from petrography resulted in numerous separate genera. The latter genus has notable characteristics but not alike to that recovered during field seasons 2020 and 2021.

Form 1 - possibly Dubrovia sp., of Early Devonian age.

Crinoid Columnals

Crinoid columnals offer an alternate taxonomic framework to that characterized from cups and crowns. The illustrated facet is similar to Facetocrinus Stukalina, a genus found in late Silurian through Middle Devonian strata of Russia, eastern Europe, Germany, and France.

Bivalve