Over several millions of years of tectonic activity, the sea floor was pushed up and out creating California. As such, the fossils from the Calaveras Dam Site show a variety of remains from marine organisms. From whales to sharks, and tubeworms to pectens, all are representative of a time when the Bay Area was underwater.
This gallery focuses on fossils that have been brought the furthest in the preparation process. The preservation of morphological features in these fossils is exceptional given the complex geological history of the area. A majority of the literal tons of fossils are in process of being catalogued, with a few yet to be prepared.
Shark Teeth
Shark teeth were in abundance and inspired undergraduate Xena Ross to quantify shark genera present in the fossils and present her findings at the 2018 Society of Vertebrate Paleontology Meeting. Her findings found there were at least 15 genera and 36 total species of sharks. More information can be found on the Calaveras Shark Teeth Fun Fact PDF written by Xena Ross!
Many types of invertebrates were present. Different types of clams were present. Pecten, the classic bivalve often occurred in aggregated together in one large chunk. Also present were teredos also known as shipworms. While not actually worms, these were wood-boring clams left traces of them burrowing into wood. The trace fossils are indicated by the white-ish circles against the dark charcoal of the wood.