Thank you for adding me Larry. I can fill in some of the details of the
locality, age and environment of the rocks. The worm tube colonies are
being collected from rocks mapped as the "Temblor" Formation. Temblor is
in quote because it does not directly correlate with the type Temblor
Formation in the Temblor Range in southern San Luis Obispo County, probably
200 miles away. This is a common problem in California geology. The rocks
are well bioturbated mostly medium- to fine-grain sandstone with occasional
well rounded pebble conglomerate beds. A normal marine fauna including
mollusks and a number of marine mammals has and is being been found at the
site. The site is the expansion of the Calaveras Reservoir east of Fremont
and south of Livermore in the San Francisco East Bay. A new dam is being
constructed and at this point they are still digging out for the new dam
and exposing lots of faulting and apparently a thin section of marine
"Temblor" Formation. Using sedimentology and the mollusks I believe the
environment is outer shelf, possibly upper slope, possibly in a large same
- think similar to Monterey Bay today, but between 20 and 15 million years
ago. In fact I was talking with a vertebrate paleontologists last night
who has looked and some of the vertebrates and between us we think the
rocks are between 19.5 and 16 Ma. The colonies appear to have been
transported as all of them I saw were lying on their side if you consider
the rounded portion up. Jim Walker (the site paleontologists) and I are
very excited about these worm colonies. If anyone has any questions please
ask and I'll answer as best I can.
Best,
Chuck
On Fri, Sep 19, 2014 at 10:58 AM, Lovell, Larry <LLovell from lacsd.org> wrote:
> Alexei, Colin, Harry, and others,
>>>> Thanks to all for the comments on these fossil worm tubes. I am adding
> Chuck Powell to the email list so he can see any further relies on Annelida
> to my post. He is the originator of the question and has more pics and
> information he can share. Please make sure to include him in any further
> discussion.
>>>> Thanks,
>>>> Larry
>>>> Larry Lovell, President
>> Southern California Association of Marine Invertebrate Taxonomists
>> Visit our website: www.scamit.org
>> (310) 830-2400 X-5613 (work)
>> (760) 803-1608 (mobile)
>>>> *“What’s the use in their having names,” the Gnat said, “if they won’t
> answer to them?”*
>>>> *“No use to them,” said Alice: “but it’s useful to the people who name
> them, I suppose.”*
>>>>> - Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking Glass
>>>>>>>> *From:* Алексей Ипполитов [mailto:ippolitov.ap from gmail.com]
> *Sent:* Friday, September 19, 2014 10:45 AM
> *To:* Colin Hermans
> *Cc:* Harry Hove, ten; Annelida from magpie.bio.indiana.edu; Lovell, Larry;
>WEnright from sandiego.gov> *Subject:* Re: [Annelida] worm tubes
>>>> yes, they are very similar to *Ficopomatus* as well. However, *Ficopomatus
> *is met within estuarine environments only, while Temblor Formation,
> where the object was found, seems to be mostly marine. This is the reason
> why I excluded genus *Ficopomatus *from most probable determinations.
>> Finally, the best way is that offered by Harry ten Hove - to examine
> visually part of the sample, not the photo).
>> Respect,
>> Alexei
>>>> 2014-09-19 21:12 GMT+04:00 Colin Hermans <hermans from rockisland.com>:
>> Dear All: The Fossils look very much like the tubes of what are now
> called Ficopomatus enigmaticus that cluster on pilings and other hard
> surfaces in the turning basin in the Petaluma River, in Petaluma,
> California. The locals there called them "corals" because their clusters
> of calcarious tubes are reminiscent of coral.
>> In Vertebrate Embryology a Laboratory Manual by Richard M. Eakin,
> University of California Press 1947, 1971, pp. 44-49, "Fertilization and
> Cleavage in a Tube Worm," is a description of how these worms make
> excellent material for students to directly observe fertilization and
> cleavage, without having to resort to computers. (Wow, direct observation
> of the real world!!!)
>> These worms, then known as Mercierella enigmatica, could be ordered from
> Dahl Biological Supply (
>http://www.wysk.com/index/california/berkeley/4ynjxlq/dahl-biological-supply-inc/profile)
> or collected from the boats and floats in the brackish water at the foot of
> University Street in Berkeley and kept in seawater in the Life Sciences
> Building.
>> Students at Sonoma State University and I made similar collections from
> the Petaluma river. This species is known for its wide range of salinity
> tolerance. We were able to verify that at Sonoma State.
>> My first thought is to question the age of these fossils in this reservoir
> that like Berkeley is in the "East Bay." How "in" the East Bay is it or
> was it?
>> Best wishes, Colin Hermans
>> ===========================
>>>>> On Sep 19, 2014, at 3:34 AM, "Harry Hove, ten" <harry.tenhove from naturalis.nl>
> wrote:
>> > Dear Larry,
> >
> > There might be a few more candidate names for the tube cluster as shown
> on
> > the photograph than suggested by Alexei (but he has a lot more experience
> > with fossils than I have). Hydroides is not the only genus that can be
> mass
> > forming like this, see ten Hove & van den Hurk 1993) but it is hardly
> > possible to see details on the photograph. Any chance to send me a piece
> of
> > the stuff? Alexei will be visiting me in Naturalis next month, so maybe
> we
> > could have a short look together.
> >
> > gr.
> >
> > Harry ten Hove
> >
> >
> > Op donderdag 18 september 2014 heeft Lovell, Larry <LLovell from lacsd.org> > <javascript:_e(%7B%7D,'cvml','LLovell from lacsd.org');>> het volgende
> > geschreven:
> >
> >> Hello wormers,
> >>
> >> Any thoughts on the makers of these fossils in the photos? Serpulidae
> is
> >> highly likely, but anything more specific to suggest? Scroll down for
> >> specific info on the collecting locality and timeframe. We have
> Salmacina
> >> tribranchiata colonies locally, that are much smaller in size.
> >>
> >> Cheers,
> >>
> >> Larry
> >>
> >> Larry Lovell, President
> >> Southern California Association of Marine Invertebrate Taxonomists
> >> Visit our website: www.scamit.org<http://www.scamit.org/>
> >> (310) 830-2400 X-5613 (work)
> >> (760) 803-1608 (mobile)
> >>
> >> “What’s the use in their having names,” the Gnat said, “if they won’t
> >> answer to them?”
> >>
> >> “No use to them,” said Alice: “but it’s useful to the people who name
> >> them, I suppose.”
> >>
> >>
> >> - Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking Glass
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> From: General_Topics [mailto:
> >> general_topics-bounces from discussion.list.scamit.org] On Behalf Of
> Enright,
> >> Wendy
> >> Sent: Thursday, September 18, 2014 11:22 AM
> >> To: general_topics from discussion.list.scamit.org> >> Cc: cpowell from usgs.gov> >> Subject: [General_Topics] FW: worm tubes
> >>
> >> Hello All!
> >>
> >> I received this interesting photo today. Can anyone provide some
> >> information? Both worms and paleontology are outside of my expertise!
> >>
> >> Thanks so much!
> >> Wendy
> >>
> >> From: Powell, Charles [mailto:cpowell from usgs.gov]
> >> Sent: Thursday, September 18, 2014 11:03 AM
> >> To: Enright, Wendy; james walker
> >> Subject: worm tubes
> >>
> >> Hi Wendy,
> >>
> >> I was wondering if you or someone down there could help me. It has to
> do
> >> with worms not mollusks and the only people I know working with worms
> are
> >> there and at LACM.
> >>
> >> I was out at Calaveras Reservoir in the east SF Bay area yesterday
> looking
> >> at the fossil they've been collecting. One thing I was shown (by Jim
> >> Walker the paleontologists out there) really interests me and Jim are
> the
> >> domes of worm tubes (see attached). They run from about a quarter to
> half
> >> meter across, the tubes in the lower portion seem to run perpendicular
> to
> >> the outer layer. Also tubes in the outer layer have a rounded top.
> These
> >> appear to be transported and laying on their side compared to bedding.
> >> Have you ever seen or heard of anything like this? Its a new one on me
> and
> >> I think it needs to be written up.
> >>
> >> These worms are in middle Miocene rocks assigned to the "Temblor"
> >> Formation.
> >>
> >> Thanks for you help.
> >>
> >> Best,
> >>
> >> Chuck
> >>
> >> --
> >> Charles L. Powell, II
> >> U.S. Geological Survey, MS 975
> >> 345 Middlefield Road
> >> Menlo Park, CA 94025
> >>
> >> 1-650-329-4985
> >> https://profile.usgs.gov/cpowell/> >>
> >
> >
> > --
> >
> > T 071-5687657, M
> >
> > Darwinweg 2 - 2333 CR Leiden
> > E Harry.tenHove from naturalis.nl I , www.naturalis.nl
> > _______________________________________________
> > Annelida mailing list
> > Post: Annelida from net.bio.net> > Help/archive: http://www.bio.net/biomail/listinfo/annelida> > Resources: http://www.annelida.net>> _______________________________________________
> Annelida mailing list
> Post: Annelida from net.bio.net> Help/archive: http://www.bio.net/biomail/listinfo/annelida> Resources: http://www.annelida.net>>>>> --
> Respect,
> Alexei Ippolitov*
>http://www.jurassic.ru/ippolitov.eng.htm> +7 (926) 799 03 44
>> *Everything you wanted to know about belemnites and serpulids, but were
> afraid to ask :)
>
--
Charles L. Powell, II
U.S. Geological Survey, MS 975
345 Middlefield Road
Menlo Park, CA 94025
1-650-329-4985
https://profile.usgs.gov/cpowell/
