Geology Information
Question: How old do you think the above fossilized shell is?
Chesapecten is a lineage of scallops that flourished in the shallow seas along the Mid-Atlantic during the Miocene to Pliocene Epoch (8-3 million years ago). There were different species:
Question: How old do you think the above fossilized shell is?
Chesapecten is a lineage of scallops that flourished in the shallow seas along the Mid-Atlantic during the Miocene to Pliocene Epoch (8-3 million years ago). There were different species:
- jeffersonius about 4.5 to 4.3 million years ago. This is Virginia's State Fossil. This distinctive scallop is the state fossil of Virginia and is the first fossil described from North America in 1687.
- madisonius about 4 to 3 million years ago
- an event or a time marked by an event that begins a new period or development
- a memorable event or date
- an extended period of time usually characterized by a distinctive development or by a memorable series of events
- a division of geologic time less than a period and greater than an age
- an instant of time or a date selected as a point of reference (as in astronomy)
Geologic Map of Virginia - Click on the map for a better view
Physiographic Map of Virginia - Click on the map for a better view
Geologic Time Scale - Click on the graphic for a better view

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