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Hi all! As you could know from my previous reports we have several mid-Oxfordian sites around Moscow, which are not the best ammonite-wise, but yield well-preserved gastropods and bivalves. Shchurovo quarry is one of the best thanks to its enormous spoil piles and less popularity among hobbyists. It's situated in the outskirts of the historic city of Kolomna, one of the preferred Muscovites' weekend destinations (also home to pastila if you know what it is). The quarry is situated some 100km from Moscow. Kolomna old center: Main buildings are made from the local limestone. Kolomna kolachi: Old city wall:

Found this Gastropod fossil in Simi Valley CA I know it’s Eocene. I was thinking Natica but not sure. Can anyone help ID.

Poked around my local neck of the woods in San Pedro, California, along the coast by Point Fermin didn't have much luck aside from this... I'm not even sure if it's just eroded or an actual fossil some help in that regard would be particularly appreciated! Oh I'm assuming that if it is a fossil it came from the Altamira Shale?

This chunk of limestone was unearthed during an excavation for a business expansion. When excavator dumped the bucket containing this rock it split in two upon hitting the ground. The apparent spiral fossil was clearly revealed on both halves of the rock. The entire chunk of limestone is a triangular shape with a base of 620mm x 330mm peak heighth. The round spiral at the center is 160mm diameter. Location found is Hancock County, Garner, IA, USA and unearthed from the upper 10 feet of soil, glacial deposits from the Des Moines lobe of the Laurentide ice sheet. We'd gotten into subsurface clay deposits that had frequent rocks of a wide variety measuring anywhere from 18 inches to 4 feet. My question is if you feel this is some sort of gastropod, perhaps ammonite or platyceras? I also wonder if this represents a chunk of death plate and may include crinoids? I wonder too, if this could be platyceras being parasitic within a crinoid? Using steel picks, brass and nylon brushes and one power wash session at a car wash, more detail gets revealed. There are obviously harder areas of the rock and the matrix is becoming extremely fine and fairly resilient. I'll admit to using a Dremel with a pointed fitting in areas outside of the circular fossil. Slow speed and a light touch the tip will deflect off the harder rock and remove the softer matrix. Obviously this is not ideal, so can you please advise about acquiring an air abrasive set up? Is this a modified air brush or something? Thanks for any advice and thoughts. *In the photos I've designated ½ of the broken rock as "A." The other half is "B." The pictures without a letter designation are all of the "B" side.

The Pennsylvanian of Texas is a strange and exciting place. Even though I've been going at this whole fossil hunting thing for about a year and a half, my experience in this age of rock is extremely limited. And yet, many of my most prized specimens have come from such hunts. I've had the pleasure of visiting a few of the more prominent Pennsylvanian sites to be had around Central Texas, but now that I'm back up North, I thought it would be prime time to check out a spot that many have put in good words about. Another local collector, @PaleoPastels, had also been dipping her toes in the Paleozoic, so we decided to go for a group outing along with her entomologist roommate to the famous Lost Creek Reservoir in Jacksboro and a couple of Bridgeport localities! Unfortunately, @BobWill couldn't make it for that day, but he was nevertheless very helpful with providing guidance and advice on hunting the Finis Shale. Nothing beats first laying eyes on a distant exposure. The walk felt like an eternity! The day started off early and, after a bit of confusion , we managed to make it by about 9 am. The air had yet to be warmed by the sun, so we were all feeling a little chilly as we walked to the bluffs, simultaneously exchanging gifts and introducing ourselves. I was relieved to find that Lari was just as nice as her online personality made her out to be and we got straight to chatting about, well, fossils. Cole wasn't as big on fossils as Lari, but he still showed good enthusiasm. We weren't expecting trilos here, but I was crossing my fingers that we'd get some in Bridgeport to fulfill his entomology interests. Looking to the left and to the right on the Jacksboro slopes Once we reached the grey base of the bluffs on the far right end, we were all immediately hunched over, gathering up bits and pieces of the wide diversity of fauna present at the site. The ground was literally covered in millions of brachiopods, cephalopods, and gastropods. Some of my favorite things to pick up were snails of the order Bellerophontidae. They've got such a unique look to them that drastically differs from the gastropods of the Mesozoic and Cenozoic. A Pharkidonotus percarinatus gastropod still in matrix We steadily made our way to the left, scuttling up and down the slopes over and over again. The initial excitement had waned and the pace of finds slowed; Now we were really trying to focus on getting some of the rarer/cooler stuff. Throughout the morning, I had been yapping away about conularids: How strange they are, how I was really hoping to find one, how this was the one place where they were almost common, etc. I thought we'd have found one a lot sooner, but the lack of results and recent rain got me a little nervous, I must admit. I was starting to regret talking about them so much, especially when Lari and Cole began getting more interested in them. Surely this place was so big, it couldn't run out of them, right? A recreation of how I found the first conularid of the day Well, I guess the place is big enough because the first conularid of the day was at my feet before I knew it. It's beat up, but the enigma surrounding this animal is enough put it on the top shelf. Throughout the day, I found a handful more. I offered some to Lari, but she would not be satisfied until she found one on her own, which I understand. To find out if she and Cole scored any, you'll have to wait for her side of the story . Fimbrinia plummeri Not so far from the first conularid, I picked up my favorite brachiopod of the day. This specimen was extra shiny and had some nice pointy spines, warranting placement in my rares/delicates ziploc. I thought I had reached the peak of the day when I was forced to stop mid conversation. Inches from my face, I spotted the subtle glint of wrinkled enamel attached to an inconspicuous pebble. If I hadn't seen one of these featured on the forum last Spring, I'd probably have moved right past it. The first fragment I gazed upon was the largest and very clearly belonged to the shark, Glikmanius occidentalis. I hurriedly gathered two more smaller chunks and tried to reassemble the tooth. Glikmanius occidentalis cladodont shark. Don't worry, I figured out to flip that smaller fragment around by the time I consolidated everything! Unfortunately, the tooth crowns and a piece of the base were nowhere to be seen. There was a little valley next to it, so the other bits may have been washed away for all I know. Nevertheless, these teeth are simply awesome. I have a soft spot for shark teeth, so a charismatic find like this will always be a trip maker! I wonder if ones with cusps still attached have ever been found? Consolidated tooth. It's pretty, but I'll admit @historianmichael has me beat with his from earlier in the year! We rounded off our time in Jacksboro checking out the far left side of the exposure, mostly around the flats. There, pyritic cephalopod micromorphs could be found in excess. Shown below is my best specimen from that area: Wiedeyoceras pingue? Thus, our time at Jacksboro had run its course and the path was set for Bridgeport. Lari was kind enough to share some turkey jerky and the best blueberry muffin I've had in a long time. We all had some nice finds out of it, but I'm sure the place is a lot more productive if caught right after a storm. This spot is definitely due for a return. After identifying everything at home, I now have a list of over 55 unique species to show for the hunt! Bob and DPS have pooled together some great resources for researching IDs, but it was nevertheless an exhaustive (and satisfying) process. Bridgeport Prior to the trip, I did some recon and found a short list of cuts around Lake Bridgeport for us to visit. Since the day was already getting a bit late, I decided we should visit only the best two of the list which exposed what I believe to be the Bridgeport Shale. It was a pretty short drive and soon enough we were back together with our eyes glued to the ground at the first spot. We were on the look out for trilobites first and foremost. Within about 5 minutes, I found the first trilobutt! First trilobutt of the day I'm not sure if there is more trilobite within the nodule, but I will try to work it down and find out. Unfortunately, the trilobites did not start popping up like crazy as I had hoped. Instead, we were mostly collecting gastropods and the occasional horn coral. I did at least manage to find a pretty death assemblage of Trepospira snails. Trepospira snails I will say the red stone eventually gave me some bad flashbacks of Woodbine busts from the past. At times, it felt like I was hunting in a pile of unfossiliferous landscaping gravel. As we began wrapping up, I managed to pull a chunk of matrix with some trilobite material on top, but I wouldn't say it's anything too impressive. Trilobite material We took a short drive over to the second and final cut which exposed the same sort of rock. I got skunked at this spot, but Lari and Cole each managed to snag their own trilobite and had success splitting the various nodules. I was happy we all came out of Bridgeport with some trilobite material to show for it! The day felt like it was gone in a flash, but my body was definitely calling it quits. It was fun to meet up with another forum member and explore some unknown territory. A future second get-together is for sure in the cards after some rainy weather . Throughout writing this report, I've left out a lot of awesome finds so Lari can share them herself. So, keep an eye out for her side of the story! Anyways, here is an overview of the finds: Top L to R: Metacoceras sp., Gonioloboceras goniolobus, Brachycycloceras normale, and Euloxoceras greenei 2nd Row L to R: Pseudorthoceras knoxense, and Ephippoceras sp. Bottom L to R: Rugobactrites jacksboroensis, Wiedeyoceras pingue?, and Domatoceras sp.? Top L to R: Lophophyllidium spinosum, Paraconularia crustula, and Lophophyillidium plummeri 2nd Row L to R: Fusunilids, and Incrustospongia meandrica Bottom L to R: Fenestella sp., and Tabulipora sp. Note: Syringopora sp.? not pictured Top L to R: Rhipidomella carbonaria, Neospirifer dunbari, and Punctospirifer kentuckyensis 2nd Row L to R: Lissochonetes geinitzianus, Wellerella osagensis, and Neochonetes granulifer Bottom L to R: Meekella striatocoastata?, Crurithyris planoconvexa, and Hustedia mormoni Top L to R: Hystriculina texana?, Echinaria semipunctata, and Kutorginella lasallensis Bottom L to R: Composita subtilita, Kozlowskia splendens, Fimbrinia plummeri, Eridmatus texanus?, and Phricodothyris perplexa Note: Differentiating between Hysticulina and Kutorginella was a bit of a challenge. Top L to R: Glikmanius occidentalis, Archaeocidarid plate Bottom L to R: Various crinoid parts including a regenerating spine on the far right. The spine left of it has strange circle impressions on it. Top L to R: Nuculopsis girtyi, and Astartella concentrica Bottom L to R: Yoldia glabra, and Allorisma costatum? Top L to R: Cymatospira montfortianus, Knightites tennulieata, Pharkidonotus percarinatus, and Euphemites vittatus 2nd Row L to R: Euphemites multiliratus, Knightites tennulieata?, Trepospira illinoiensis, and Glabrocingulum grayvillensis Bottom L to R: Worthenia tabulata, Soleniscus primigenius, and Strobeus paludinaeformis Top L to R: Amphiscapha subrugosa, Donaldina sp.?, and unknown gastropod Bottom L to R: Pseudozygopleura semicostata, and Meekospira choctawensis Hashplates: Bridgeport: Thanks for reading!

Dear fellow forum members, some years ago I acquired some remnants of an old collection with poor documentation, most fossils where from germany. Among these was a gastropod shell in very light matrix I assumed to be lignite or something similar. Yesterday I found a very similar shell for sale online with the following ID: "Schnecke, Mesontopsis nehringi, Tertiär, Pliozän,Tagenbau Hambach" "Tagebau" is open pit mining, lignite in that case. The one on red background is mine. I think I can assume they are the same species. I just cannot find any information on "Mesontopsis nehringi" except for that online auction. Who knows that snail?

Over the month of December, I've gotten the opportunity to check out several sites across the state of Texas. In my fossil interests, I have to admit that I am certainly a bit vertebrate-centric, but that does not mean I will pass up the chance to marvel at a beautiful invertebrate specimen when given the chance. For better or worse, these past four mini hunts have not really delivered on the vertebrate end, but have made up the difference in terms of inverts. I've decided to combine these smaller hunts into one report. For those with invertebrate addictions, I hope this sampler of Texas fossils will meet your medically-necessitated daily dose of invertebrate content. Enjoy! Maastrichtian No Mas Kemp Clay and Corsicana Formation Leading up to my eventual move away from Austin back to DFW, I made sure to visit a nearby site that possessed some Maastrichtian exposures. Back up in Dallas, the nearest exposures of similar age are a bit of a drive, so I wanted to take the opportunity to travel to a convenient spot while I still had a chance. I had previously seen this spot mentioned in some old literature, where it was described as exposing the Kemp Clay at the top of a bluff and Corsicana below. Since I had no prior experience with these formations, I wasn't sure what to expect or what to look for in terms of identifying formations. One Saturday afternoon, I carved out a few hours to take the drive and a brief hike out to the spot. I was excited to finally hunt a stage of the Cretaceous I had never searched before. The landscape was quite dramatic and I could see out for miles. Pictures really do not do the place justice. The drop from the trail to the creek bed is much higher than the picture makes it out to be. After navigating my way down, I was immediately confused by the formation the creek bed was composed of. Perhaps I am just too Ozan-minded, but the shale looked almost indistinguishable from my usual Ozan hunting spots elsewhere in the area. It had that classic bluish grey color and was even filled with rather large Exogyra oysters. I began to wonder if so much time and weathering had passed that the creek had finally reached down to the Ozan far below. However, a closer inspection showed that there were some subtle key differences. The wavy shells of the oysters were not indicative of the species E. ponderosa, but instead of E. costata, which is present in the Corsicana Formation at least according to the paper I had read about the site prior. There was also a pronounced presence of tiny phosphatic bivalves that I had never seen in the Ozan. With this information, I was relieved to know that my goal of collecting in the Maastrichtian could continue without issue. Some leftovers from an earlier fossil hunter. Not all of these are E. costata since they washed down from older strata upstream. With little direction as to where to look first, I decided to plop down and try splitting open some chunks of mudstone that had fallen down from a grey and brown formation at the top of the cliff (Kemp Clay I'm assuming). Initially, I didn't find much, but eventually some invertebrate fossils began showing up. I was intrigued by the presence of the original shell on a few gastropods (I hadn't been to the Whiskey Bridge at this point so this was a first for me). They were ornamented, unlike the steinkerns I had been accustomed to for the entirety of my Cretaceous fossilizing career before. Unfortunately, none of them were preserved well and were more so just crushed messes too fragile to take back. In the same rocks, I came across various bivalves that were fairly nice to look at and ended up keeping an orange 2D one, though I am having a difficult time identifying it. A gastropod with the original shell from the Kemp Clay(?) A flattened bivalve(?) from the Kemp Clay(?). It's about 30 mm across, orange, and has thin red lines between the ribbing. At first, I wondered if it was a smushed trigonia, but I'm doubting that now. Afterwards, I surface collected along the bed and climbed some of the cliff where Corsicana was exposed. There wasn't much in the way of large finds, but getting close to the ground revealed a plethora of smaller finds to be had. The first objects of interest were highly detailed button corals. The closest thing I could find online as an ID was the genus Micrabacia which is known from the Peedee formation (also Maastrichtian). I came across a couple bits of crab claws as well. My vertebrate hopes for ginglymostoma were never fulfilled, sadly. Instead, I found only three sharks teeth that were all missing roots . I don't think they can be identified, but I welcome you all to toss out ideas if you have any. An in situ of what could be a Micrabacia button coral. As I walked along the cliffs, I couldn't help but think about the time period I was traversing through. In the formations beneath me were the Cretaceous layers I had grown so used to. In those days, mosasaurs and dinosaurs dominated the world. It's mind boggling to realize that the strata just above the Kemp Clay was the geological blink of an eye that saw an end to all of it. All those billions of ammonites and not a single one made it through such a barrier. Even something so simple yet prolific like exogyra was put to a complete stop. The Maastrichtian was not a final stand by any means either. That day 66 million years ago may have started just like any other, but ended with the world being permanently changed in a way that is almost unimaginable. Speaking of days ending, the time was 30 minutes till sunset. With the day winding down, I decided to circle back and try splitting some more mudstones from the Kemp Clay in hopes of finding a shark tooth before calling it quits. Rock after rock, I couldn't seem to find anything other than the usual tiny clams and crushed snails. As the light started to dim, I was finally greeted by the sheen of shiny black enamel. It had a strange shape to it, but this being a new place for me, it could have just been a weird shark for all I knew. As I chipped away at the rock, more and more of the specimens figure was revealed. Finally, I realized that all of my labor had been put into exposing a simple enchodus fang, no different from the hundreds I had seen before! And yet, I was still happy with it. After the disappointment of the broken shark teeth from before, it was nice to at last have a complete tooth from the Maastrichtian, no matter how common the animal may be. With that, another stage of the Cretaceous was crossed off the list. Some pics of all of the finds: Strange bivalve, a gastropod, Micrabacia(?) corals, and perhaps a scaphopod? Top row L to R: Crustacean claw bits, and the enchodus (petrosus?) fang. Bottom L to R: Worm tube, and three rootless shark teeth Eocene Escargot Stone City Formation Fast forward about a week, and the time had come for me to pack my things and leave my dorm once and for all. I usually drive straight to Dallas from Austin, but this year things were different. My carless brother started his first semester at A&M, so I volunteered to pick him up on the way home for the break. Being the person that I am, I simply cannot drive all the way out there and NOT visit the world-class site known as the Whiskey Bridge. I made sure to turn in my dorm key early in the morning and head on out for a quick hunt in the Stone City Formation along the Brazos. I was hoping @Jared C could join in the fun, but he unfortunately had a final that same morning . I'm pretty sure passing the class wasn't that important, but I won't hold it against ya . Before making the drive, I had also done a bit of research into which layers yielded the most vertebrate material. Even with the information, however, I still had measured expectations as the Stone City Formation is of course much more famous for its rich invertebrate fauna. The goal for the day was to find some vertebrate material and perhaps a complete cone snail. When I arrived, the place was still covered in mud from the storm a couple days before. With hopes that the popular site had been replenished, I carefully made my way down to the water, passing by a couple of hunters just finishing up their session. The plan was originally to head straight for a productive spot a ways from the bridge, but of course the newness of the place and its fauna had me stopping in my tracks every few steps to pick up a gastropod. When I finally got to the spot, I slowly climbed up the slope to meet the fine hash layers atop the ledge. There is never a dull moment at this locality. Every square inch of surface is covered with bits of white shell. The first oddball that caught my eye was a strange looking piece of coral. Madracis johnsoni Side stepping to the right while hugging the wall of soil led me to my next noteworthy find and the first of the vertebrates! The skinny crown and wrinkling of the enamel was a familiar sight for someone who has collected so many scapanorhynchus teeth in the past. However, it would seem that, for this formation, a sand tiger shark was the more likely ID. I'm guessing this is from Striatolamia macrota. The weathering on it is likely due to prehistoric reworking I would assume. Striatolamia macrota? Not so long after, I sidestepped my way into finding my first ray plate! Unfortunately this one was also in not-so-perfect condition. Myliobatis sp. fragment I couldn't stick around for too long since my brother was waiting for his pickup. I rounded off the trip by filling up a couple bags with fine shell hash matrix for future screening for microfossils. I didn't take too much though, as I have a secret side project involving many bags of micromatrix that is currently occupying most of my micro attention. If I find anything special from the hash, I will be sure to add an update to this topic. Overall, it was a solid first visit to a famous site. I managed to find some vertebrate bits and bobs that I'm happy with. I am a little bummed I never got a complete cone snail, but I guess that will just have to wait for a future outing. Overview of the finds: Top: Dentalium scaphopods Bottom L to R: Striatolamia macrota tooth, Myliobatis ray tooth fragment, reworked Carcharhinus mancinae? tooth, and Conus sauridens fragments Top L to R: Lunulites bouei and Schizorthosecos sp. bryozoans, and Turbinolia pharetra coral. Bottom L to R: Fish otoliths (not sure how/don't want to ID), Balanophyllia desmophyllum, and Madracis johnsoni Top L to R: Weathered Architectonica elaborata?, and probably Venericardia densata that looks strange since it doesn't seem to curve like others. Mid L to R: Anomia ephippioides, Vokesula smithvillensis, Notocorbula texana, and perhaps a worm tube? Bottom L to R: Large Anomia ephippiodes, and a trio of Venericardia densata Top L to R: Athleta petrosus, Ancilla staminea, and Pseudoliva vestusa Bottom L to R: Athleta lisbonensis, Architectonica scrobiculata, and Sinum arctatum Top: Michela trabeatoides Bottom L to R: Protosurcula gabbii, Hesperiturris nodocarinatus, Cochlespira engonata, and Protosurcula gabii though they look different from the one on the left of the row. Top L to R: Distorsio septemdentata, and Latirus moorei Bottom L to R: Mesalia clairbornensis, Turritella nasuta, and Gegania anitquata Phew that was a lot to identify. I'm sure I got plenty wrong, so feel free to correct me on any of these. I will probably find a ton of new species in the micro matrix that I can add in a later update!

From the Rocky Ridge Sandstone unit of the Pierre Formation near Fort Collins, Colorado