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Showing results for tags 'Utah'.
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Very new to all of this but find it very satisfying to nerd out on! I find myself day dreaming of the back breaking hikes to find ancient creatures in the rocks haha! All of my current finds have been from the world famous area in South West Utah near the city of Delta. And mostly aquatic plant and animal life. By far the most satisfying have been the incredible Trilobites! I’ve dug once at the very popular ‘U-Dig’ site, but I have a couple much more private spots that I’ve had incredible luck at, not only in quantity and quality, but also in the types of trilobites im finding. I’m always up for a trip to the west desert rock hunting! The area is also very abundant in quartz and other gems.
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A bit of a weird trip yesterday. I combined two hobbies at the same time. You may have seen me wondering what fossil hunting was like on a boat. So I tried the desert version of a canoe: a mountain bike. This is part of the ongoing research on Fossils of Stansbury Island that @Earth Chemistry is conducting there (See thread here). I packed my bike and back pack and drove to the southern tip of the island. We had these layers down before my trip. Red is no fossils, green is fossils.
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Hello everyone! As my family was making its way through northern UT this summer on my way to Dinosaur National Monument I realized that there would be some extra time in the afternoon between when we would arrive in Vernal and when we would check into the hotel, so I decided to do the only logical thing and find a place to go fossil hunting for a few hours in the surrounding area. One of the sites I found only talked about finding belemnites, ammonoids and oyster shells on BLM land off of the highway going into vernal. It was supposed to be middle Jurassic Curtis formation (according to the geologic road signs, an interesting feature of this area's highways). I followed the directions given on the website and we reached the area that we believed to be the one mentioned (The Rockhounder: Belmemnite Fossils Near Vernal Utah) we met a young couple and their toddler out hunting for fossils (always nice to see). What we found somewhat disappointed me (however any afternoon spent fossil hunting is automatically better than any not doing so), only brachiopods and not one cephalopod fossil to be found. The main point of posting this in ID is to figure out if these brachiopods are jurassic species or older, as no belemnites were found they couldn't be used as indicators to the true age.
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Found during a trip out to a hill right adjacent to U-Dig Fossil Quarry. The trip report can be FOUND HERE. This is the largest I've collected. Typical sizes I've found are 3-6mm in length, 1-3mm in width.
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hey everyone - hope you're all well Thought this was worth sharing - a description of a well-preserved enantiornithean bird specimen from the Late Cretaceous Kaiparowits Formation of Utah. It represents a new genus and species, Mirarce eatoni. The specimen was originally collected in 1992, but it was only recently described (and published yesterday!). Atterholt et al. (2018). The most complete enantiornithine from North America and a phylogenetic analysis of the Avisauridae. PeerJ, DOI 10.7717/peerj.5910 Abstract: The most complete known North American enantiornithine was collected in 1992 but never formally described. The so-called “Kaiparowits avisaurid” remains one of the most exceptional Late Cretaceous enantiornithine fossils. We recognize this specimen as a new taxon, Mirarce eatoni (gen. et sp. nov.), and provide a complete anatomical description. We maintain that the specimen is referable to the Avisauridae, a clade previously only known in North America from isolated tarsometatarsi. Information from this specimen helps to clarify evolutionary trends within the Enantiornithes. Its large body size supports previously observed trends toward larger body mass in the Late Cretaceous. However, trends toward increased fusion of compound elements across the clade as a whole are weak compared to the Ornithuromorpha. The new specimen reveals for the first time the presence of remige papillae in the enantiornithines, indicating this feature was evolved in parallel to dromaeosaurids and derived ornithuromorphs. Although morphology of the pygostyle and (to a lesser degree) the coracoid and manus appear to remain fairly static during the 65 million years plus of enantiornithine evolution, by the end of the Mesozoic at least some enantiornithine birds had evolved several features convergent with the Neornithes including a deeply keeled sternum, a narrow furcula with a short hypocleidium, and ulnar quill knobs—all features that indicate refinement of theflight apparatus and increased aerial abilities. We conduct the first cladistic analysis to include all purported avisuarid enantiornithines, recovering an Avisauridae consisting of a dichotomy between North and South American taxa. Based on morphological observations and supported by cladistic analysis, we demonstrate Avisaurus to be paraphyletic and erect a new genus for “A. gloriae,” Gettyia gen. nov. here's the paper: Atterholt et al. Hope you like it! -Christian
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- avisauridae
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I've been looking for an ID for this big boy. So far I've found this site (http://www.ammonoid.com/Prionocyclus.htm) but I'm not sure what I'm looking for to differentiate between them. Could anybody more knowledgeable help me out?
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Kirkland, James I., 2018, Utah’s Early Cretaceous Fossils Provide Critical Data on the Opening of the Atlantic Ocean Utah Geological Survey – Survey Notes vol. 50, no. 3, pp. 6-7. https://ugspub.nr.utah.gov/publications/survey_notes/snt50-3.pdf https://geology.utah.gov/map-pub/survey-notes/atlantic-fossils/ Kirkland, J.I., Suarez, M., Suarez, C. and Hunt-Foster, R., 2016. The Lower Cretaceous in east-central Utah —the Cedar Mountain Formation and its bounding strata. Geology of the Intermountain West, 3, pp. 101-228. https://www.utahgeology.org/giw/index.php/giw/article/view/v03-04-kirkland https://www.researchgate.net/publication/312190529_THE_LOWER_CRETACEOUS_IN_EAST-CENTRAL_UTAH_THE_CEDAR_MOUNTAIN_FORMATION_AND_ITS_BOUNDING_STRATA Yours, Paul H.
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- atlantic ocean
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Hey hi Folks, I took a trip to the cambrian of western Utah for My 59th b'day. It had been 10 years since My last visit to the Antelope springs in the house range. This is where the Wheeler shale is exposed and lots of nice trilobites can be found quite easily. I left My house at 5 pm and drove through the night to get there. Missed the turnoff at 4 in the morning and drove way past it before I realized what I had done. I turned around and headed back the direction I had just came from. This error allowed Me to see the sun rise over the Utah desert. It was a beautiful morning. more....
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Finally, I have a fossil with some geological information associated. This piece is from the lower Ordovician Wah Wah Formation, specifically Section J in the Confusion Mountains in western Utah. I believe it might be an echinoderm scale. I would be thrilled if anyone could verify that and/or add any additional taxonomic information for me. Thank you so very much for your thoughts, and please let me know if you need additional photographs and I will do my best!
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The subject of this article is probably old news....but they spent a significant amount of space highlighting the importance of amateur collectors and thanking them for their contributions. Thought it might be nice to read about that http://www.geologypage.com/2018/09/half-billion-year-old-fossils-offer-new-clues-to-how-life-exploded-on-the-sea-floor.html
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- cambrian
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Hello! Let me start by thanking everyone in this forum for creating such a great avenue to learn and share! I’ve been a rockhound since I could walk. Many of my earliest memories are of my father teaching me how to navigate sedimentary layers in Utah, Wyoming, Colorado and Idaho. As I grew so did my interest in fossils, rocks and ancient artifacts. I’ve amassed a humble collection so far and am always on the lookout to add to it. I have a particular interest in learning the appropriate terminology for the distinct stages of fossilization that I see in my collection, how to identify my finds and how to properly care for my collection.
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- amateurfossilsleuth
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I found this fossilized shell during early summer while wading in Little Cottonwood Creek, Little Cottonwood Canyon, Utah. The river was starting to slow after all the spring runoff. What type of shell is it? What period do you think it’s from? Do you have any recommendations for me to start learning how to figure out these things on my own?
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https://www.livescience.com/63719-flowering-tree-fossil-cretaceous.html
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- cretaceous
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Utah Is A Gold Mine For Fossils Science Friday, September 21, 2018 https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/utah-is-a-gold-mine-for-fossils/ https://www.sciencefriday.com/ Yours, Paul H.
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- archosauriform reptiles
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Show Us Your Green River Fossils!
JurassicParkCarnotaurus posted a topic in General Fossil Discussion
Hey everyone! I recently started planning a trip out west for next summer and was thinking of going to the Green River formation. One of those "keep all you find" digs. Thought it would be cool to see some fossils from there that some of you may have found. Or even some you could have purchased. Thanks! -
I got this from a lady today who says she picked it up with some Dino stuff over 30 years ago in Utah. I am not sure of where in Utah but am looking for a starting point on figuring out what it is. Any help is appreciated.
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There is a new paper about the paleontology of Bears Ears National Monument that is available online as a preprint. It is: Uglesich, J., Gay, R.J. and Stegner, M.A., 2017. Paleontology of the Bears Ears National Monument: history of exploration and designation of the monument. PeerJ Preprints, 5, no. e3442v1. https://peerj.com/preprints/3442/ https://peerj.com/user/62073/ Another paper, which is available online, summarizes the archaeology of Bears Ears National Monument. It is: Burrilio, R.E., 2017. The Archaeology of Bears Ears. The SAA Archaeological Record. 15, 5, pp. 9 -18. http://www.saa.org/Portals/0/Record_Nov_2017 SAAweb.pdf http://onlinedigeditions.com/publication/?m=16146&l=1#{"issue_id":455593,"page":0} http://www.saa.org/AbouttheSociety/Publications/TheSAAArchaeologicalRecord/tabid/64/Default.aspx Yours, Paul
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- bears ears national monument
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I am a rock hound who came across this the other day and I am not sure what to think about it. I am almost positive it’s a tooth but not sure from what species. I was only allowed to upload 2 pictures so I chose these 2. Does anyone know what it may be? If it is a tooth the tip has been busted off at some point. Thanks
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I found these today in a box of fossils from my collection that I had in the 1970's. Other fossils in the box were mainly trilobites, crinoids and brachiopods. At one time, I had several thousand fossils, primarily from Ohio, Alaska and Utah. I personally collected 100% of the collection, so these fossils most likely came from oneof these states. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.
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Here's a few things I've learned about the best marine fossil sites. All the right ingredients need to come together in one spot for a great fossil site to come together. But I know there's much more than what I've listed below. So I was hoping other people could add to my list and correct anything they see that's amiss. I figure if your going to search for fossils, you might as well go with the best ideas in hand. All the right ingredients typically found at a good Marine Fossil site: * High elevation limestone shale cliffs, high elevation hill country or areas around ancient seabeds. *Marine rocks in the area like limestone, basalt, dolomite , loess, silica. *Excessive iron presence, magnesium, sulfur and copper carbon ore in the area is ideal. *Presence of certain minerals like bertheirine and calcium carbonates. *Evidence of trace fossils on the surface so you don't waste time digging in the wrong spot. * Mud stone, clay, coral formations, or coral rocks. * Rocks with flow lines, water marks, algae or microorganism markings. *Evidence of oxidation or oxidized rocks. Ross P. Anderson, Nicholas J. Tosca, Robert R. Gaines, Nicolás Mongiardino Koch, Derek E.G. Briggs. A mineralogical signature for Burgess Shale–type fossilization. Geology, 2018; DOI: 10.1130/G39941.1
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Hey all. Going out to Vernal UT at the end of the week. Spending a couple of days there, doing Dinosaur National Monument, then a week near Boulder CO. Would love any suggestions of places to hunt while I'm out there. Will also be visiting Florissant and Morrison. Trying desperately to squeeze an extra day to get up to Kemmerer WY to find some fishes!
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200-million year old Pterosaur 'built for flying' August 13, 2018 by Marlowe Hood, PhysOrg https://phys.org/news/2018-08-million-year-pterosaur-built.html Rare Desert Pterosaur Fossil Discovered in Utah The rare Triassic fossil is the most complete early pterosaur ever found, and gives new insight into the evolution of the first flying vertebrates By Jason Daley, Smithsonian Magazine, Aug. 14, 2018 https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/rare-desert-pterosaur-fossil-discovered-utah-180969995/ Oldest pterodactyl fossil discovered in Utah desert Doyle Rice, USA TODAY, Aug. 13, 2018 https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/science/2018/08/13/fossil-oldest-pterodactyl-discovered-utah-desert/977979002/ Brooks B. Britt et al. Caelestiventus hanseni gen. et sp. nov. extends the desert-dwelling pterosaur record back 65 million years, Nature Ecology & Evolution (2018). DOI: 10.1038/s41559-018-0627 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-018-0627-y Yours, Paul H.
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- caelestiventus hanseni
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Has Anybody Found the Precambrian Fossils in Utah?
DeepTimeIsotopes posted a topic in Questions & Answers
So I've had a hankering for some Precambrian fossils. In Utah, according to this article, there is cyanobacteria fossils present in Utah. Does anybody have any examples of Cyanobacteria fossils that they'd like to show the world so I can have an idea what I'm looking for? If you know anything extra about localities or examples of the Red Pine Shale fossils and don't want to share with everybody we can PM. I'm just trying to get a feel for them before I head out. Thanks. -
The first two pics are of a fossil I found w/ a front and back view. I found them in a fossil bed in the Oquirrh Mts. (Ut) There's a lot of trace fossils on this one, so it may be impossible to id them all. Any thoughts would be much appreciated. The 3rd & 4th pictures are of a similar fossil found in the same fossil bed w/ a front and a back view as well.
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A friend gave these to me and said his mother Found them years ago when they lived in Utah. Other than that I have no idea of their origin. Any help in Identification would be greatly appreciated.
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