Geology & Fossils
The Old Man of the Mountain, monadnocks, and another nickname, Granite State, are all clues to New Hampshire’s fossil heritage. Most of the state is covered by metamorphic and igneous rocks, which seldom contain fossils. In addition, New Hampshire was completely covered by glaciers during the Pleistocene, or Ice Age. These glaciers destroyed fossils and buried much of the land under boulders and gravel. You may wonder if there are any fossils in New Hampshire at all.
New Hampshire doesn’t have an official state fossil. In fact, it has relatively few fossils at all. Fossil marine invertebrates have been found in a few places in the western part of the state. Brachiopods and corals are among New Hampshire’s most abundant fossils. These fossils date back more than 345 million years to the Devonian and Silurian periods of the Paleozoic Era.
Corals and brachiopods both generally live in shallow marine waters. In addition, corals are typical residents of warm seas. These fossils tell us that New Hampshire was underwater more than 340 million years ago. The climate was probably tropical, similar to places today near the equator, or subtropical, similar to Florida.
Brachiopods are among the oldest known fossils. They are mollusks, related to such diverse animals as snails and octopuses. Unlike snails, however, brachiopods have two shells. They are called bivalves, just as bicycles have two wheels and biplanes two wings. Clams, mussels, and oysters are also bivalves.
But brachiopods have a different type of symmetry, or balance, than do clams. If you pull a clam’s two shells apart, you will see that each shell is the mirror image of the other. The two valves of a brachiopod are not alike, however. But you can divide a brachiopod into two equal halves. Just lay it down flat and draw a line down the middle. You cannot do this with a clam.
Brachiopods are attached to the seafloor by stalks, or pedicle s. They open their shells just enough to allow water to enter. Short, hair-like cilia beat to and fro, causing water currents to flow into the shell. The water contains the tiny prey brachiopods eat.
Brachiopods prospered in shallow seas for more than 300 million years. Shortly before the Mesozoic Era, when dinosaurs evolved, brachiopods declined. Brachiopods weren’t the only animals that declined at the end of the Permian Period, the last period in the Paleozoic Era. In fact, something caused a mass extinction about 230 million years ago. Although brachiopods didn’t become extinct, they were greatly reduced in numbers. Why didn’t they recover?
New species of bivalves, including clams, had evolved which could burrow into soft sediments. Clams draw water into their shells through a siphon that they extend through the mud into the water. Just imagine burying yourself in mud and drinking water through a straw. This ability to hide from predators probably increased their survival rate, and they took the place of many brachiopods. Because clams are not connected to the seafloor by stalks, they can move about. This may be another advantage over brachiopods.
More than 200 species of brachiopods still live in the world’s seas. They are greatly outnumbered by about 20,000 species of clams, oysters, and other bivalves, however.
Brachiopods and corals are very common fossils in many states. Fossils found in New Hampshire are generally not of very good quality. Perhaps none of New Hampshire’s fossils is exciting enough to be adopted as an official fossil.
Most New Hampshire fossil sites are located in deep woods and are hard to find. Collecting fossils is not encouraged here because they are rare.
The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism - 
