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Ok ok I found a couple more pictures. So it won't be as short as I first thought! Living here on the west coast, out east is the same area most of you would call way out west, S.dakota/Nebraska. Many, many, years ago, in fact back when I was on a school break, I traveled way out east as far as Omaha on a fossil collecting excursion. On the way there, one of the side trips was to a ranch in the oligocene badlands. Among other great pieces we found, here are a few pics of some of our finds from that trip. Hyracodon

Lets see what you consider jewelry grade fossils

Im not sure if anyone still recalls, but Last summer I posted this picture, in hopes someone could guess its true identity. Well it is now prepared to reveal its true identity I will post the revealed specimen in the reply.

I apologise, but I posted this earlier today, and realized it would be better as its own thread THROPHONS are an interesting gastropod from the miocene Astoria formation in Oregon, and quite rare with good preservation. I would invite others to show us their interesting fossil gastropods from around the world.

A storm on Jupiter

Went for a fossil hike yesterday

I think ill keep this one "Pulalius"

Well looks like its time for a new post. please keep in mind MOST, of my collecting adventures were before the "digital" age, so a lot of my pics are reprints from photographs. Dadgumit !!! if i only knew----.HOWEVER, most of these fossils ARE in my collection. The pieces I'm showing in this thread are very recent pics. The vast majority of this Cambrian material(lathem shale) i collected was also given to the museum before my move north these are pics of Olenellus clarki. The larger single trilo even has its opisthothorax preserved, a very rare occurrence Part A below----------------------------------------------- I call the one in the last pic," SPACEMAN"

I was talking with a friend on the phone a couple months ago and mentioned that I liked serrated shark teeth. About a week later I received this sweet GW tooth in the mail, completely out of the blue, as a Christmas gift. I collected The large hastalis is from STH

Firstly-thank you John This PDF is an explanation of what I hope will become solidly embedded in 21st century building codes. Including archaeology sites. ESP 3rd page As you probably know by now, I am very concerned with the loss of these very fragile resourses, and would collect fossils from them almost every weekend. My concern with salvaging fossils from the foundation pads of buildings, landed me the first "official" job, and proverbial guinea pig, monitoring these construction sites for museums in the country. I found many varieties of fossils on site almost every day, all went to those museums. And I have continued donating many many fossils to this day. Over 40 years. 20_Murphey_et_al_FINAL.pdf

These comparative specimens are lower cambrian inarticulate brachiopods from the lathem shale. I collected them in the classic locality at the marble mountains in the Mohave desert, over 40years ago. They too are a variety of PATERINA

This is what one looks like, as found !!

We decided to settle in the PNW, so after we packed up everything we could cram into our PU and cargo trailer, we headed north. It took us 5 days just to get from SoCal to Salem oregon, where we lived for 2 years. All because, when we acquired new tires for the trip, they forgot to tighten the lug nuts(only finger tight) and we didnt notice for a few hundred miles. When we finally pulled over 3 of the lug bolts were sheared off and needed to be replaced, and of course it was the weekend. Luckily it was only one wheel. The look of our vehicle and trailer reminded me of the beverly hillbillies. While living in Salem we learned there were occasionally, nice fossils found at the coast, a couple hour drive one way, and usually cold and wet. Being new to the area/state we had little time to wander about, and collect. But now and then we did get a break from the busy of new job, making a new home, etc. However we did, now and then, find time to get to the coast and gather some fossils there Most of the central coast is Miocene, Astoria fm about 15-18 m.y.o. These are examples of the giant volute MUSASHIA Before prep. After prep

I see a lot of posts of eocene fresh water, green river fish from Wyoming so. I thought I'd post some of my Miocene marine, deep sea fishes, from California Argyropelicus ( eastern pacific hatchetfish), and baby deep water flatfish This is all the pics i can get in one post now.

This Miocene wood was preserved in ash from a nearby volcanic eruption

I know crabs are fairly prevalent in the oligocene Lincoln ck. fm. Does anyone collect any associated fossils?

Back, many many years ago, I made my first trade, a bunch of sh th from France. All were relatively average except this one. The guy, from france said it was uncommon, possibly eocene, and It's the only one from that trade i have left. Anyone have any comments?

With all the mazon posts lately, it made me look closer at my material. What, if anything, are these little nodes?

Being a total fossil nut, and having excellent locality info, my new bride and I took a wonderful 7000mile expedition around the entire western half of the US, to see where we might want to settle. We visited a half dozen world class fossil sites. Along the way to Omaha and the badlands i took another sidetrip to Florissant co., this was before all the rules and regulations were in place. And ever since have had a GREAT affinity for fossil insects. Luckily she also loved fossils, and although we never returned to florissant, some years later we located another excellent oligocene fossil insect locality. I will share pics with you later. It was summer when we were at florissant, the fossil laden paper shale lies in some beautiful country up in the Rocky Mountains. It didnt matter then, but I kick myself now for not taking a pic of that beautiful countryside,. and ive heard it is not uncommon to have 4-5 feet of snow for 5-6 months there in the wintertime. We camped out at night and ended up spending 5-6 days digging in the Florissant area, long enough to get to know a lot of the locals. BTW, does anyone know a David knapp? He worked at the monument during the summers, and was another fossil nut. A nice guy and very helpful. If so, I would very much like to rekindle our friendship. Upon my return home, LACMIP put some of my florissant collection on display, and among many other pieces, here are a few of my favorites. note the fresh water ostracod on the ovipositor of the parasitic wasp. Hornet. Parasitic wasp. Sequoia branches/ berries. Flower/Chinese hatbox

When they first discovered this area they wanted only jewelry grade fire opal, tossing out the lovely Miocene wood fire opal mix as what youall call shamers. Now the wood with the combination opal is the priority material

I can't find my last posting on this subject. I need it for chat. so Ill try again. all material is replaced with agate and jasper, and cut and polished by me

Maybe we should talk over some finds at the STH locale. Shall we? DESMOSTYLUS tooth. Interesting story---I used to live within a couple hours of STH. so there was a point when I was in school during the week, of courseI had weekends off, so I would drive up to STH and dig there every weekend, for many months in a row. On this particular weekend i was happy to find half of a rare desmostylus tooth(about five columns). On one of my return trips, a couple months later,I was digging a good 60ft away and found another smaller partial of a desmo tooth(a couple columns). Upon my return home to prep what I had collected, I was fiddling with the pieces and lo-and- behold, they fit together. I ended up with a complete tooth---minus one cusp. Paleo serendipity I guess. But this was great, as desmo teeth are rare. Paired cetothere(whale) ulnas(elbow bones)

Ive been collecting fossils for 45 years and still have my FIRST fossil treasures, nothing great but--- 1st pic: This is Before I even knew what a fossil looked like (seems like back in the Pleistocene). I used to peruse/play in the tidepools near my home. when i was very young 4th grade. i had heard there were "fossils" found now and then in the same area, so I always kept my eyes pealed for fossils. on this particular outing i finally found a great fossil (so i thought). i was soooo happy and showed it off regularley. even took it to show and tell at school. In the years since ive concluded it is probably NOT a fossil, and to this day i cant figger WHAT it is. although it does have a special place in my fossil cabinit. Any ideas? 2nd pic is a shot of my first "real" fossiI. I went to the mountains on a 6th grade camp out. one sunny day we went for a hike up a small dry river bed. On the way up the cobbely "path" I kept noticing odd contrasting marks in the stream worn rocks. So on the way back I convinced the leader to slow down so I could look closer at the fossils in the rocks. I was very excited, as these obviously were FOSSILS. I found a small clam that I could carry easily. And brought my treasure back to camp in my pocket. And to this day too I love my sweet little first real fossil. I do know now, it is a Miocene pelecypods with well defined dendrites. But I didn't then. it seemed a lot bigger back then too. I realize this topic was asked only a few months ago but I didn't know how to post pics then. Does anyone else have a "first fossil" story? We'd love to hear it.

While in Tucson back in the '70s, I happened by a dealer wrapping a collection of split mazon nodules he had sold for a goodly sum. I didn't/dont collect mazon fossils, so all I could make of them were "blobs". I couldnt believe it. I had never seen "blobs" sell for so much! Just goes to show ya, one mans BLOB is another mans treasure. A couple years later, while i was perusing in another building, an older gentleman was unwrapping mazon material he had collected all his life. The nice fellow had fallen on hard times and needed to liquidate. having heard the tucson reputation, he packed up his fossils and drove out west this one and only time. I decided to stop, visit and watch, to see just what it was he had. His material needed no explanations. Having seen "blobs" being sold for such a hefty price, I figgered if I could SEE an identifiable fossil, it must be worthy of mazon. I collect/prepare my own material and never purchase fossils, but he was a really nice guy so I purchased all the nodules I could afford, not many compared to what he had, as he was unwrapping to set up. BY NO MEANS could i afford all he had, I am sure the other fine pieces he had were quickly snapped up by other collectors here are a some I got. TULLY. KELLIBROOKSIA. FERN/DIDONTOGASTER