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  1. Hello everyone! It's been awhile since I've had a chance to give a fossil hunting update, the Holidays took over in quite a hurry, and coupled together with taking on some new responsibilities, the shorter days, cooler weather and a scramble to get the end of the year work done, it was quite difficult to get everything organized! I'm hoping to be more efficient with my cleaning and preparation this year, and though I have some life hurdles to overcome I think this year could be even better than last one with my fossil hobbies. I'm hoping to add more additions to my echinoid album, and I'd like to make some albums for some of my other fossils sometime this year. Not long after my last trip to the Waccamaw site I once again found myself out there collecting more specimens. I went with a slightly different group for the weekend, where we doubled up and went to the ever popular Holden Beach to look for some more Cretaceous goodies. And in addition, I did get to check out a different Waccamaw site at a different time as well, which had slightly different specimens, and an array of unusual color preservation. I think it was another successful month, and I found a lot of really cool specimens. I even got an opportunity to obtain some neat fossils from a fellow collector and friend in the midst of everything, and I'd like to include some of that briefly as well. While we were wrapping up for the weekend, I ended up trading him some of my Virginian Ecphora shells for some really cool Triassic plant specimens from the Pekin Formation, as well as some grey and black shales from the Cumnock Formation. It's a positive update to my quest to obtain local Triassic fossils I can take on the road to display, and with these acquisitions I was able to do just that recently! I feel like they get overlooked at times, but there are some really cool fossils from the Triassic Basins. I did manage to acquire some other cool specimens as well, but I'll save them for the mailbox scores thread. Here are some of those plant specimens and shales. Most are hard to identify, but there are some partial Otozamites fronds. The shales were a gamble, and I ultimately did end up splitting some, while retaining the last two intact, as they contained visible coal, and are somewhat significant to my home area's history in regards to the Cumnock Formation and all the historical coal mining that occurred. However, I did manage to find this little guy in one shale. I made a post a while back, and my current idea is that it's some form of Metoposaurus tooth. It's badly fragmented, though I have been offered by a friend to try and repair it, which I may take him up on. Although these second hand fossils were greatly appreciated and will serve well as display items, I also attempted to steak out a potential Triassic site right down the road earlier this week! Unfortunately, though it did indeed have Triassic geology, it was a conglomerate of Sanford Formation with a small bit of Pekin Formation mixed in, which did not immediately appear to contain much, at least on the surface. The old Triassic report mentioned it was mostly a mixture, so I wasn't too disappointed; it was still fun to check out a new area. In addition to the hunt for a fossil site, the area was also home to a small copper mine that last operated in the very early 20th century. I had not been exploring there since I was a boy over 20 years ago, so it was interesting to check out again! I ended up collecting some malachite from the spoil piles before heading home, so I at least found a few things to keep on that trip. I'm really grateful the landowner was kind enough to let me check it out. I hope to return there again sometime during lighter hours to look for some copper ore fragments as well. Now, onto the actual fossil tips! I'll start with Holden, as I have less to show off from there. It was fairly tame as far as crowds go, since the Holidays were kicking into gear. Despite a single day to collect, I think I did alright! I made a new friend during that part of the trip, and I was able to collect some nice modern mollusk shells as well, some of which could be used to compare to my Waccamaw finds. I did find an interesting sand dollar of some variety embedded in a stone, but I dropped it in the rapidly rising tide as I was collecting another specimen, so I ended up losing sight of it. To start, these are two Glycymeris americana valves, one from Holden, and the other from the Waccamaw site, as a comparison. These are some of the Hardouinia mortonis echinoids I found that day. I had many more, but it was hard to get them all pictured! On the topic of those echinoids, I found a few really good pathological specimens that day! This is the more extreme of them, with the side being somewhat compressed into the part, and the peristome off axis and off center. I'm not sure if this is something genetic, or if this was evidence of some kind of repaired biologic damage. It's probably my most pathological specimen to date. This was another specimen with similarly placed deformities, but much less extreme. And this one was a really unusual one, with an "elongated" periproct, giving it a more heavily sloped appearance compared to the standard ones. Moving on, this was probably my favorite find from the Holden part of the trip. This is a partial Anomoeodus phaseolus mouth plate and jawbone, which is a fairly uncommon find. I had previously found two teeth attached together, but this one is by far my best one yet. I found some individual "teeth" from these reworked into the Waccamaw formation site as well, but they were very small. I also found a few things I had not found myself since 2022, namely a nice, whole Mosasaur tooth, and a fragment of a Sphenodiscus lobatus ammonite. I found a few shark teeth, but I was honestly so focused on other finds I didn't emphasize looking for them as much as I normally would. I gave a few that I picked up to my new friend I made while I was hunting, as well as a small mosasaur tooth. This is an Enchodus jaw fragment with the base of a tooth I found, this might be the largest jaw fragment I found to date. I haven't found a tooth and jaw fragment attached together yet, but I'll keep looking! A turtle shell fragment I found out there. This is one of the more defined ones I've found, and appears to be from the edge of the shell. This was a cool steinkern I found, from what appears to be a Naticidae snail. This one is a bit heftier than ones I've found previously, and it almost seems to have some of the innermost shell preserved on one section, but this could be some other material. This is one Exogyra costata I found on the beach. I did pick up a number of them, but there weren't as many good specimens this trip for some reason. I took a couple of pictures of the same shell under UV light as well. And the last of my notable finds, this is a Striaticostatum harbisoni, a Peedee Formation Wentletrap Snail that was preserved due to recrystalization! Next to it is a steinkern of another one, which is usually all that is preserved; this is the first one I've found like this. It's broken toward the base, but it lets people see the tiny crystals inside the shell that grew during the process. I also found a second partial one, but it's in a much more worn condition. Now, onto the Waccamaw site finds! This site is slowly growing on me, as well as a greater appreciation for mollusks. It's becoming one of my favorite sites to visit. I've been utilizing a out a book that was published just last year titled Photographic Atlas of Waccamaw Formation Mollusca to identify my finds. It's a great resource for identifying the various mollusks of the formation, of which there are over 1000 different varieties! I found so much this time that I had to cut back on sharing them, though I do hope to do an album on everything when I get time. Starting off, here are some of the paired Lirophora varicosa athleta, AKA Imperial Venus Clams, I found. Here are a couple of pathological valves I found, as well as a sponge damaged valve and a valve with an oddly placed gastropod drill hole. Here is an intact Chama macerophylla, also known as the Leafy Jewelbox Clam. It's less common than the Arcinella cornuta Spiny Jewelbox Clams from what I've noticed. This is a Neverita duplicata, also known as the Shark Eye Moon Snail with some particularly beautiful shell preservation. This is a Naticarius plicatella, an extinct moon snail with an interesting spiral groove pattern along the whorl. Although the aperature (opening) is broken, this is my largest specimen of this snail found at the site to date. Here are two paired bivalves, a Trachycardium emmonsi (Cockle Clam) and a species of Diplodon clam (Diplodonta acclinis?) A Crepidula fornicata, also known as the Fornicating Slipper Snail. This one was unusually thick and large compared to the ones I normally find, around 5.715 cm (2.25 inches) long. Another worn Crepidula fornicata with a couple of Septastrea marylandica coral colonies growing on it. There appears to have been a third between the two but it probably broke off when it was originally extracted from the earth. Two valves from two different Ostrea lawrencei oysters that have a lot of small coral colonies and singular corals. This one is interesting because they were both attached to a relatively small scallop valve, as seen by the impression on their hinges. A really cool Ostrea lawrencei that has a Septastrea marylandica colony over nearly the entire outer surface. I didn't realize that it was covered in coral until I washed it, as the amount of sand and dirt that covered it almost covered it completely! The uncovered inner surface was the only exposed part of the oyster when I collected it. A large oyster, Ostrea compressirostra, that was found paired in the Waccamaw site, a fairly rare find. Unfortunately, the upper valve had a lot of bore damage on one side, but it's still a cool, paired find nonetheless! A Pleuromeris decemcostata, a pretty cool, small species of clam. It almost has a beaded structure to its ribs. In addition, the same Pleuromeris decemcostata under UV light. It's hard to see in this picture, but some of the "beads" in the ribbing have a UV reaction, in a somewhat random order.The Waccamaw stuff has some decent UV reaction, but it's no where near the level of the Florida Pleistocene shells of a similar age. A very small intact Arcinella cornuta, also known as the Florida Spiny Jewelbox. This is the smallest intact one I've found yet, at around 1.9 cm (.75 inches) across. One of my favorite finds from the Waccamaw site part of the trip, a Pterorytis fluviana, a type of murex with very frilly spires. Usually the spires are broken down, but this one as fairly intact aside from a hole in the side! A Radiolucina waccamawensis, an extinct hatchet clam. It measures about 7.62 mm (.3 inches ). These are pretty interesting little bivalves with a neat crossed structure to them. Some Eupleura caudata, a small species of murex snail. These had some nice shell preservation as well! A Neoterebra dislocata (Eastern Auger Snail) on the right, and what I believe is a Calliostoma tuomeyi (Calliostoma Top Snail) on the left. The Calliostoma Top Snails, like the Cone Snails and the Murexes, seem to vary a good bit and have very subtle differences, which makes it hard for me to identify. Two different extinct Nassa Mud Snails (or Dog Whelks); a rare Ilyanassa porcina on the left, and a somewhat uncommon Ilyanassa scalaspira on the right. A bryozoan-encrusted gastropod shell. I'm wondering if this is a variety of Bryolith (or Plagurized Gastropod), or if it it is simply a colony that covered an empty shell; either way it's really cool. Two Waccamaw Formation Conasprella oniscus cone snails, with a UV light comparison showing the remnants of their color pattern. This pattern can be used to differentiate the different species found in the same place to some degree. Here's a cool Arcopsis adamsi, a type of Ark Clam with an interesting beaded sculpture instead of the coarse ribs of the more common species. Next, a case of miscellaneous micros: on the right are three Biflustra savartii, a species of "Erect Form" Bryozoans, on the bottom left is an interesting and unknown Archohelia coral branch, and the upper left is some unknown, extraordinarily fragile fossil of some sort. It was probably 30-40% larger before I tried moving it to this case; it had a fragility not unlike that of the ill-fated microfossil echinoid I found on the previous trip. Another little case containing an assemblage of various paired microfossil bivalves from the Waccamaw site. The beaked Nuculana acuta (Pointed Nut Clam) are probably my favorite of the micro-sized bivalves. Kalolophus gibbesii, a medium-sized clam related to the modern Kalolophus speciosus, also known as Gibb's Clam. I've found similar clams in Virginia, but this is the first one I found in the Waccamaw Site. An Aurinia obtusa, a type of Volute Snail. This is the most common species from the Waccamaw, I've been told the other two are exceptionally rare. This is also the first mostly whole one I've found in the site. Next is a large Mercenaria mercenaria valve, which I took pictures of to show the progression of cleaning it out for it's inner contents. About halfway through cleaning I discovered a partial Rhyncholampas sabistonensis echinoid, with part of the side plating and the entire oral surface. It's overall in poor condition, but serves as another good example of the rare things that can be found inside other shells. There were quite a number of other things as well, such as whole Lirophora varicosa athleta (Imperial Venus) Clams, barnacles, and more. However, a lot of stuff was attached with a tough sediment, which made extraction difficult. The last image in this series shows the contents found inside waiting to dry off. And the last thing I wanted to share from the site is a juvenile gastropod of uncertain identity I'm thinking it's likely a Pliculofusus sparrowi (A type of gastropod related to the Tulip and Spindle Snails), but also somewhat resembles a juvenile Scaphella precursor (A rare species of Volute). While that's all the Waccamaw stuff from the normal site, that's not all the Waccamaw Formation fossils I found last month! I had a chance to check out a different location of the formation at a different time, and while there were a lot of similar things, there were some things different about this other site as well. Oysters were much more common, I found a few species I hadn't seen before, some varieties of gastropod were larger, and there were a lot of really interesting mineralization colors as well. There were a lot of red, yellow and orange colored shells, likely from iron oxides in the soil. There were also some interesting blue-grey colored shells, which I'm not too sure of the process that made them this way. Some were comparable to the blue shells found in the Bone Valley area of Florida. Here's a really cool and large Anadara lienosa Ark Clam valve from the secondary Waccamaw site. This is the largest Ark Clam I've found from the formation yet. It has some of the unusual orange-yellow iron oxide coloration. Here's a paired Arcinella cornuta (Florida Spiny Jewelbox) from the other Waccamaw site. This one came apart while I was cleaning it but I've got the two halves paired together still. I found some other paired specimens but they had a lot of spines missing. A very big Mercenaria mercenaria (Hard Clam) valve that was in the portion that had the blue mineralization. The outer surface is heavily worn but it has a very dark grey-blue coloration to it. A very hefty and thick Glycymeris americana (American Bittersweet) that has buried in the sediments containing a lot of iron oxides, and has a very cool yellow, orange and red marbled coloration. Two Septastrea marylandica corals from the other Waccamaw site. Both have some yellow coloration, and one has splotches of red, all from the iron oxide present in the site. Here's a Crepidula fornicata (Fornicating Slipper Snail) and two Neverita duplicata (Shark Eye Moon Snails) with some pretty cool blue-gray coloration. The rightmost is an especially pretty dark grey-blue! Two worn Crepidula fornicata specimens (Fornicating Slipper Snails), with Septastrea marylandica coral colonies growing on them. They also both have bryozoan colonies and Polychaete worm tubes on them, as well as a lot of boring sponge damage; These were the home of a number of animals, even after their death. An unusual paired oyster from the other Waccamaw site. Due to the larger quantity of oysters in that site, and paired ones like this could be found in a much higher frequency. Here's what I believe might be a juvenile Triplofusus giganteus, also known as the Horse Conch. It's over 3.81 cm (1.5 inches) long. A somewhat rare Trigonostoma elizabethae, an unusual type of Nutmeg Snail. This came from the other Waccamaw site, but I did find a larger specimen at the primary site that I forgot to take a picture of before storing it away. This one has some of the blue-gray coloration. Two neat Ensis clams, also known as Razor Clams, from the secondary Waccamaw site. They're usually broken like this due to their thin, fragile structure. The top one may be a Ensis directus, and the bottom may be a Ensis megistus. An assortment of microfossils from the other Waccamaw site with various mineralization colors. I'm hoping to find a new technique for extracting these, as my current method results in some of these getting broken. And my last find from the site, An unusual bone of some variety; I almost want to think it's a turtle shell fragment, but I'm really not sure. It has some odd, rib-like structuring on the longer outer edges. And that's all I've got for now! 2023 was a really fun year for collecting, but I feel like 2024 could potentially be even better. As I wrap this post up, I'll be getting ready for tomorrow, where I'll be displaying some of my finds from the last two years at a park for an event, after which I'll be heading back to Holden Beach once again for a weekend to unwind from work and hunt for fossils with a couple of friends (I'll save my modern echinoid hunt for another time). I might post an update on that here, or I might wait until I go to Aurora, NC fairly soon. Further out, I've got a trip planned for Virginia once again in the early summer (Super excited for this one!), another extended Holden Beach trip in the spring, and there's a chance I might be able to tag along with a small group to go hunt fossils in central / northern Texas around the time of the solar eclipse, with some stops in Oklahoma and Mississippi! It'll be the first time I've ventured west of the eastern coastal states, so it'll be interesting if I do end up going. It'd require a lot of time off of work, so I'm still working out the logistics of it.
  2. There is a very interesting paper about the tracks of footprints of birds, pterosaurs, dinosaurs found just below the K/Pg boundary in the Las Encinas Formation, State of Coahuila, Mexico. Although the PDF is in Spanish, a more or less usable translation can be obtained using document option of Goggle Translate. The open access paper is: Serrano-Brañas, C., Espinosa-Chávez, B., Flores-Ventura, J., Barrera-Guevara, D., Torres-Rodríguez, E., Cadena-González, D., and Vega, F.J., 2024. Huellas de aves, pterosaurios, dinosaurios y el límite K/Pg en Coahuila, México (Footprints of birds, pterosaurs, dinosaurs and the K/Pg limit in Coahuila, Mexico). Revista-Maya-Geociencias, Febrero 2024. pp. 96-105. LInks to PDFs of Febrero 2024 and other issues of Revista Maya Geociencia A related paper is: Serrano-Brañas, C.I., Espinosa-Chávez, B., Ventura, J.F., Barrera-Guevara, D., Torres-Rodríguez, E. and Vega, F.J., 2022. New insights on the avian trace fossil record from NE Mexico: evidences on the diversity of latest Maastrichtian web-footed bird tracks. Journal of South American Earth Sciences, 113, p.103686. Yours, Paul H.
  3. Hi All, I will be grateful for identification of late cretaceous (probably Maastrichtian) shark teeth found in Nasiłów, Poland. I know that some of the roots are missing and genus may be hard to identify but just the family will be enough in such cases. Thank you!
  4. In parts of the Severn Formation in eastern Maryland, I will periodically find layers that are very dense with nodules. Has anyone else noticed something like this?
  5. Fullux

    Habrosaurus?

    Howdy all, I've had this salamander vertebra from the Hell Creek Formation for quite some time now, and I was wondering if there would be any way to place an ID. (I've been told it could be either Scapherpeton tectum or Habrosaurus dilatus)
  6. Andúril Flame of the West

    Chronicles in the Maastrichtian: Part II

    With the surprisingly warm weather early last week, I could not resist heading out for what is likely to be the last hunt of the season. Although I did not have the greatest luck on my last trip, I decided to hit the new Severn spot once again - and I couldn't be happier that I did! Upon arriving I was greeted by the open expanse of weathered marl, reminiscent of the western badlands despite the bustling city only a few miles away. Chunks of orange ironstone stood out against the dark Severn matrix and abundant Exogyra costata oysters littered the ground. The Exogyra often occur in small clusters, presumably what would have been oyster beds at the bottom of the shallow Cretaceous sea. A couple of poorly preserved Exogyra weathering out of the marl. Although I had collected a nice handful of Exogyra on my adventure at the site, I could not resist slipping another into the rucksack . The single Exogyra costata specimen collected on this trip. Although it is only a partial specimen, the bottom valve had a particularly interesting appearance. I wandered across the weathered slopes, keeping my eye out for my vertebrate quarry. Due to the poorly preserved nature of the fossils found at this site, I had an exceptionally difficult time differentiating fossils from suggestively shaped rocks. After the first hour, I had only collected about one piece that I felt was a fossil. Although the vertebrate remains remained elusive, I chanced upon an unexpected fossil - a nice chunk of lignite. The marl was rather rich in lignite, with carbonized remains of ancient plants appearing rather frequently. However, these tended to be highly fragmentary and would disintegrate at the slightest disturbance. A nice chunk of lignite that popped right out of the matrix. The lignite, indicative of a nearshore environment, hints at the exciting possibility of finding the remains of certain terrestrial Mesozoic reptiles in the Severn marls... After finding the chunk of lignite, the finds slowed once again. The misshapen ironstone concretions were certainly making their best bone impressions! . While investigating a cluster of Exogyra, I happened upon my first vertebrate fossil of the trip. A nice-sized shark tooth of a similar size to that recovered on my last trip. Based on responses to my last post, I am unsure if it would be appropriate to label this tooth as Scapanorhynchus sp. Any insight would be appreciated . Following the discovery of the first shark tooth, my eyes quickly began gravitating to the suddenly abundant fossils that littered the ground. It was not long before I had gathered a small sampling of surface-collected Severn shark teeth. A few more shark teeth found shortly after I happened upon the first. Unfortunately, the teeth are very poorly preserved and some smaller, brittle teeth disintegrated under the slightest pressure. A few of the smaller shark teeth. The poor preservation combined with the weathered condition of these teeth renders them almost unrecognizable. The shark tooth haul of the day. Along with the shark teeth, numerous white bone fragments littered the matrix. Although these initial seemed quite similar to the concretions and pebbles that lay alongside them, I gradually began to develop an eye for bone. Like the shark teeth, the bones were coated in a white, crusty covering and many were extremely fragile from constant weathering. A handful of fish vertebrae and some miscellaneous bone fragments. Some chunkosaurus, possibly from marine turtles or mosasaurs. The largest bone fragment of the day. This is likely too fragmentary to be identified, though I would be curious to see if any members have suggestions. A view from the end of the bone. What I have tentatively identified as a fish jaw section, possibly from a fish similar to Enchodus. Another intriguing bone fragment. After having spent several hours at the site, I was far more successful than I had been on the last trip. With my eyes attuned to the preservation of the fossils, I decided to give the place I had started at another try. I happened upon several bone fragments before my eyes landed on the last thing I expected to see weathering out of the steep slope... ...a large mosasaur vertebra! The processes were missing and it was badly weathered, but it was a season-maker. In my excitement, I forgot to take in-situ pictures, though it seemed to be little more than another concretion before I picked it up. The vertebra is quite busted up from being exposed to the elements, though some consolidation should help preserve it. Owing to its poor preservation, I do not know if an identification would be possible. In case there is a chance of ID, my understanding is that the three main species of mosasaur recognized from the Severn are Halisaurus platyspondylus, Mosasaurus condon, and Mosasaurus maximus. The vertebra seems to bear a resemblance to that of M. maximus, though the condition makes it very difficult to tell. Overcoming the initial excitement of the discovery, I had to wonder how many times I had walked over the vertebra... and what else I may have overlooked. Thanks for stopping by and happy hunting!
  7. Andúril Flame of the West

    Chronicles in the Maastrichtian

    It has been quite a while since I have written a trip report and I thought I'd share the results of some of my most recent fossiling adventures. Before diving into the fossils, this past weekend I had the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful fall foliage of the east coast. The Appalachians, usually quite unassuming hills that are nothing near the grandeur of the mountains to the north and west, were quite a sight to behold. The fall foliage was clearly quite popular, as I did not expect the entrance to Shenandoah National Park to be quite as backed up as it was. I made it up to the overlook as the sun was setting, as it is said that the colors are most impressive under the light of the westering sun. Unfortunately, the sun was mostly obscured by clouds, but the views were breathtaking nonetheless. Now, for what I am sure everyone has come here to see: the fossils! Over the past couple of months, I have acquired a renewed interest in the fossils of the Maastrichtian Severn formation of Maryland. As any who are familiar with this formation know, it is quite elusive and its most famous exposures were temporary construction sites in decades past. Several weeks ago, I visited a small creek that I had heard exposed the fossiliferous shell layer of the Severn. Initially, exploration of the creek did not seem promising and I only managed to locate only one poor exposure of the Severn at creek level. After some searching and many shell fragments later, I was rewarded with two relatively complete specimens: Crassatella vadosa Cyprimeria alta Although the yields had not been high, I was quite satisfied with these specimens due to the relative rarity of sites containing original-shell mollusks. A huge thanks to @historianmichael for identifying these specimens and for the preparation tips (unfortunately the shells have begun to crack but I am hoping they may remain salvageable). Inspired by my recent success and hoping for some vertebrate remains, I headed out to a new site. After taking quite a circuitous route through some woods and tall grass I made it to the exposure. The invertebrate fauna at this locality was not incredibly diverse, consisting almost wholly of the oyster Exogyra costata. A handful of Exogyra costata A more complete specimen of Exogyra costata with both valves intact. After encountering these first few Exogyra, I was left with a few hours to devote to searching for vertebrate remains. With my lack of experience with these fossils and their notoriously poor preservation, I only managed to recover a small selection of possible fragments. The entire haul of possible vertebrate remains. If any members have any insight on whether these are identifiable vertebrate remains, it would be greatly appreciated . Below are isolated photographs of some of the more intriguing finds of the day. This fragment bears some resemblance to a partial mosasaur tooth. However, it may be too fragmentary to assign a confident ID. Scapanorhynchus texanus I cannot say what this is, though I am hopeful that it might be bone. I believe that mosasaur and turtle remains can be found at this site. I am very grateful for any opinions. With the weather cooling I do not anticipate that I will be able to get out as often as I would like, but I hope to make a few more forays into the Severn before the year's end. Thanks for taking a look and happy hunting!
  8. Andúril Flame of the West

    Severn Possible Bone

    Recently I took a trip to a new spot in the Maastrichtian of Maryland. I did not manage to recover too much vertebrate material, though I have been quite intrigued by one piece that I collected. The main question regarding this piece is whether it is bone or whether it is simply a suggestively shaped rock. If it does turn out to be bone, would it be possible to determine what it may have come from? The main marine reptiles that are recovered from these deposits are mosasaur and marine turtle. A few photographs of the specimen in question. If better photographs are needed/photographs from a different angle, I would be more than happy to attach some to this thread. Thanks in advance for all suggestions and opinions!
  9. Hi everyone, From now on I will post my hunting trip reports to Eben Emael as I often forget to make separate posts for them. I visit the Romontbos Quarry in Eben Emael multiple times a year with our fossil club, the BVP (Belgische vereniging voor Paleontologie). It's one of the last active locations that's still accessible in the Maastrichtian Type Location that allows hunting, and the quarry is only a 20 minute drive away for me, so that's ideal. DISCLAIMER: For all new fossil hunters: This location is off-limits for individual people! You cannot go hunt there on your own. The quarry is very strict and does not allow trespassing. This is an amazing location with great fossil finds, so I cannot stress it enough to not enter this place illegal as it could put a stop to fossil hunting for everyone here. If you want to go on a fossil hunt here, join the BVP! They are the only ones with permission to access the quarry, and they organize multiple excursions to the quarry each year under strict safety protocols. If we behave, and no one blows it by trespassing, we should be able to have access to this quarry until the year 2043. Now that's out of the way, let me introduce this amazing location which is my favorite place to hunt! The Romontbos quarry in Eben Emael is part of "Mount Saint Peter" which lies on the Dutch/Belgian border and is home to the so called Limburg/Liege chalk also know locally as "Limburgse mergel" which was often used as building blocks in the past which is why you can see serpulids, oysters and urchins in the stones of old buildings in the region. The quarry is located only a couple of km from the city of Maastricht and "Mount Saint Peter" is the location where one of the first biggest fossil discoveries has been made, a skull of Mosasaurus hoffmanni A.K.A "The Beast of Maastricht" back in around 1766. The layers of Eben-Emael are part of the Maastrichtian type locality dating back to around 70 - 66 million years ago, during that time this area of Belgium and the Netherlands was part of a shallow tropical sea. The layers in the quarry have a very rich fauna and floral list: You can find many bivalves (Acutostrean Agerostrea, Pinna, Neithea, ...), Gastropods, Brachiopods, Serpulids, Belemnites, Crustacean claws (Mesostylus faujasi), sea urchins (Hemipneustes striatoradiatus, ...) and shark teeth (Squalicorax, Pseudocorax, Palaeohypotodus, ...). For the microfossil lovers there is also oportunities to collect Bryozoans and Forarminifera There is also fish material like fish teeth and the odd scale or vertebra to be found, or if you are very lucky you can find fossils of one of the many species of Mosasaur and Sea Turtles that swam in this shallow sea. But also plant material can be found like Sea Grass (Thalassocharis) of which this quarry is one of the only places in the world where you can find sea grass. But also Conifer material has been found regulary at past excursions. Also known from this location and other localities in the Maastrichtian type locality but exceedingly rare are ammonites, crab carapaces, sawfish material, Elasmosaur material, dinosaur material (Betasuchus and Hadrosaurs), marine crocodile material and bird fossils. It is in this same quarry that "the wonder chicken" Asteriornis maastrichtensis and Janavis finalidens were found. Should you see me on one of the excursions, feel free to say hi and come for a talk! Also feel free to share your own fossils from your trips to Eben-Emael, the more the merrier!
  10. ThePhysicist

    Pachycephalosaurid?

    From the album: Hell Creek / Lance Formations

    A river-worn, shed Ornithischian dinosaur tooth found in a channel deposit. Despite its rough shape, the prominent central ridge and denticles make me think it's Pachycephalosaurid.
  11. Hi all, Here's a conglomerate fossil I found on the depots of Romontbos on September 24th. It dates to the Maastrichtian stage of the Cretaceous and probably derives from the Romontbos Horizon of the Chalk of Eben Email. On the bottom left is a piece of crustacean leg, with a piece of echinoid test lying inside out on top of the large orange fossil, a spine lying on top of that. The large orange fossil itself, however, is a bit of a mystery as it seems to have a cylindrical shape - that is, both round and deep - with wavy colour pattern, is incomplete on the left side, and is hollow based on a single projection on the front of the piece. Is this just a large fragment of shell, of something else? And then there's this greyish roof-like fossil on the top right. Originally, I thought this was a fish scale, since it's got a bony texture exposed on one side and is rather thin. However, I then got told yesterday that it's too big for a fish scale - which, in these deposits, are thinner and of a reddish-brown colour to boot. I'm now wondering whether it could be the dermal denticle of a ray? Any interpretation of any of these fossils is welcome! @Manticocerasman @Mart1980 @ziggycardon @Jasperfossils
  12. pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon

    Unknown bryozoan fossil from the Maastrichtian of Romontbos

    Hi all, Just through this out there, as I have no idea what to make of this other than that it contains bryozoa. Found at the Romontbos quarry in the Province de Liège, Belgium on September 24th, this fossil seems to comprise three superimposed layers, with the reddish bryozoan layer forming the bottom one, the smooth shell-like layer being on the outside and the gray layer of bryozoa laying in between. I found this piece on the depots, so exact stratigraphy is, unfortunately, unknown, although the composition of the marl suggests it comes from the Romontbos Horizon in the Chalk of Eben Emael. @ziggycardon @Mart1980 @Jasperfossils @Manticocerasman Here's a fun interpretation I have of it. But beware, once seen, it can't be unseen!
  13. Andúril Flame of the West

    Stratigraphic Range of Deinosuchus

    Having the opportunity to review some literature today, I came across an interesting figure that I had not noticed beforehand. In their paper describing the fauna of a Severn Formation locality in Maryland, Harstein et al. (1999) include a photograph of a tooth assigned to Deinosuchus rugosus (Specimen 59). This struck me as strange since the Maastrichtian is typically considered to be early to middle Maastrichtian in age. However, from what I gather it seems that the youngest confirmed occurrences of Deinosuchus are in the late Campanian. Have I missed some literature and is Deinosuchus known to occur in Maastrichtian strata? It may also be important to note that in the paper, the particular lens where the tooth was found is described as a thin lag layer occurring at the contact between the Severn Formation (Maastrichtian) and the Matawan Formation (Campanian). I am inclined to believe that the fossils are from the Severn Formation and that they are indeed Maastrichtian in age, but is it possible that they may instead be from the Matawan formation? As always, any expertise is greatly appreciated . Hartstein, E. F., Decina, L. E., & Keil, R. F. (1999). A Late Cretaceous (Severn Formation) Vertebrate Assemblage from Bowie, Maryland. The Mosasaur, 6, pp. 17-23. https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1HtUwlDORQ0Q29JZjF2NUg1QXc/view?resourcekey=0-5BbGrGtBu1LIFY7jLj8LGQ.
  14. Mikrogeophagus

    Prognathodon sp.

    From the album: Corsicana Formation

    Prognathodon sp., South TX Maastrichtian, Cretaceous Aug, 2023 My favorite find down here so far! Check out those serrations. Was crazy to look down in a gully and spot this...
  15. Mikrogeophagus

    Prognathodon sp.

    From the album: Corsicana Formation

    Prognathodon sp., South TX Maastrichtian, Cretaceous Aug, 2023
  16. Mikrogeophagus

    Dakoticancer australis

    From the album: Corsicana Formation

    Dakoticancer australis, South TX Maastrichtian, Cretaceous Aug, 2023 A pretty nice crab carapace with some appendage included.
  17. Mikrogeophagus

    Cretalamna maroccana

    From the album: Corsicana Formation

    Cretalamna maroccana, South TX Maastrichtian, Cretaceous Oct, 2023
  18. Mikrogeophagus

    Diplodetus americanus

    From the album: Corsicana Formation

    Diplodetus americanus, South TX Maastrichtian, Cretaceous Oct, 2023
  19. Mikrogeophagus

    Hemiaster bexari

    From the album: Corsicana Formation

    Hemiaster bexari, South TX Maastrichtian, Cretaceous Oct, 2023
  20. Mikrogeophagus

    Plicatula mullicaensis

    From the album: Corsicana Formation

    Plicatula mullicaensis, South TX Maastrichtian, Cretaceous Aug, 2023
  21. Mikrogeophagus

    Exogyra costata

    From the album: Corsicana Formation

    Exogyra costata, South TX Maastrichtian, Cretaceous Aug, 2023
  22. Addition to another (earlier) post. Found some interesting fossils from the late Cretaceous in Europe. In the south of the Netherlands (Limburg), Cretaceous sediments occur. At and around the ‘Schneeberg’ (border between Vaals and Germany), the Kalksteen van Vijlen (Vijlen chalk), Orsbach Kreide (Orsbach chalk) and Kunrader Kalksteen (Kunrader chalk) or Vetschauer Kalksteen are present. Fossils from these sediments consist of belemnites (Belemnitella junior (Nowak, 1913), Belemnella (Pachybelemnella) sumensis (Jeletzky, 1949) and/or Belemnella (Pachybelemnella) cimbrica (Birkelund, 1957), some intermediate forms are described as Belemnella ex gr. sumensis/cimbrica, sea urchins (Echinocorys sp. including Echinocorys gr. conoidea (Goldfuss, 1829) and Cardiaster granulosus (Goldfuss, 1829), oysters (Pycnodonte vesicularis (Lamarck, 1806), shark teeth (for example Carcharias sp., Cretalamna lata (Agassiz, 1843), Paleohypotodus bronni (Agassiz, 1843), Squalicorax pristodontus (Agassiz, 1843) and Pseudocorax affinis (Münster in Agassiz, 1843) and other fossils. Many fossils are from the Vijlen Chalk (early Early to early Late Maastrichtian). Fossils from the Vijlen 0-3 and Vijlen 4-6 (Vijlen chalk) are approximately between 70.6 and 69.3 million years old. The basis of interval 0 of the Vijlen Member could be dated at 70.6 Ma. Lithology and bioclast contents for intervals 5 (upper part) and 6 of the Vijlen Member at Mamelis (Mamelis 62D-78) have indicated an age of 69.7-69.3 Ma. According to recent research the base of the Vijlen Member is dated at 70.4 Ma and the fossils from Vaals and nearby places could be between 70.4 (the base of the Vijlen Member) and 69.7 or 69.5 million years old (Lixhe 1 Hz. and mid-Lixe 1). Including the latest part of the late Late Maastrichtian, Cretaceous fossils from Limburg and its capital Maastricht are between 70.4 and 66.02 million years old. Some Cretaceous fossils. Belemnites (Belemnitella junior or Belemnella (Pachybelemnella) sp.), oysters (Pycnodonte vesicularis), small shark teeth (including possibly Paleohypotodus bronni), sea urchins (Echinocorys sp.) and one small sea urchin (possibly Echinogalerus belgicus (Lambert, 1898) plus one brachiopod. Internet https://www.somniosus.be/Homepage_set.htm Literature Birkelund, T. (1957). Upper Cretaceous belemnites from Denmark. Det Kongelige Danske Videnskabernes Selskab, Biologiske Skrifter, 9, 1–69, Copenhagen. Christensen, W.K. (1995). Belemnitella from the Upper Campanian and Lower Maastrichtian chalks of Norfolk, England. Special Papers in Palaeontology, 51, 1-84. London. Felder, P.J. & Bless, M.J.M. (1994). The Vijlen Chalk (early Early to early Late Maastrichtian) in its type area around Vijlen and Mamelis (southern Limburg, The Netherlands). Annales de la Société géologique de Belgique 116: 61–85. Felder, W.M. & Bosch, P.W. (2000). Geologie van Nederland, deel 5. Krijt van Zuid-Limburg. NITG TNO, Delft/ Utrecht: 192 pp. Gallagher, W. 1997. When Dinosaurs Roamed New Jersey. Rutgers University Press. Jagt, J.W.M. (2005). Stratigraphic ranges of mosasaurs in Belgium and the Netherlands (Late Cretaceous) and cephalopod-based correlations with North America. Netherlands Journal of Geosciences. 84. 10.1017/S0016774600021065. Jagt, J.W.M. (2012). Belemnitellid coleoids (Mollusca, Cephalopoda) from the type Maastrichtian, the Netherlands and Belgium. Scripta Geologica. Special Issue, 08, 93–112. Jagt, J.W.M, & Jagt-Yazykova, E.A. (2012). Stratigraphy of the type Maastrichtian – a synthesis. Scripta Geologica. Special Issue, 08, 5–32. Keutgen, N., Jagt, J.W., Felder, P., & Jagt-Yazykova, E. (2010). Stratigraphy of the upper Vijlen Member (Gulpen Formation; Maastrichtian) in northeast Belgium, the southeast Netherlands and the Aachen area (Germany), with special reference to belemnitellid cephalopods. Geologie En Mijnbouw, 89, 109-136. Jeletzky, J.A. (1949). Über den taxonomischen Wert einiger morphologischer Elemente des Rostrums der belemnitellenartigen Formen (Familie Belemnitellidae Pavlow, 1913), sowie über die Gattung Belemnella (Nowak, 1913,subg.) Jeletzky, 1941, ihre Phylogenie und einige Vertreter.Neues Jahrbuch für Mineralogie, Geologie und Paläontologie, B9, 257–287. Keutgen, N. (2011). The belemnite zonation of the uppermost Cretaceous in the Maastricht-AachenLiège, Brabant-Méhaigne and Mons areas (Belgium, southeast Netherlands). In: Jagt, J.W.M., Jagt-Jagt. Belemnitellid coleoids from the type Maastrichtian. Scripta Geol., Spec. Issue 8 (2012). Keutgen, N. (2018). A bioclast-based astronomical timescale for the Maastrichtian in the type area (southeast Netherlands, northeast Belgium) and stratigraphic implications: The legacy of P.J. Felder. Netherlands Journal of Geosciences, 97(4), 229-260. doi:10.1017/njg.2018.15 Nestler, H. (2002). Die Fossilien der Rügener Schreibkreide (4. überarbeitete und erweiterte Auflage). Die Neue Brehm-Bücherei Bd. 486., Hohenwarsleben (Westarp Wissenschaften-Verlagsgesellschaft mbH). Schulz, M.G. (1979). Morphometrisch-variationsstatistische Untersuchungen zur Phylogenie der Belemniten-Gattung Belemnella im Untermaastricht NW-Europas. Geologisches Jahrbuch, A47, 3–157. Van der Ham, R. & van Birgelen, M. (1992). Zeeëgels uit het Maastrichtien van de Schneeberg en omgeving (Aken, Duitsland). Natuurhistorisch Maandblad, 81(8/9), 139–153. Vellekoop, J. & Kaskes, P. & Sinnesael, M. & Huygh, J. & Déhais, T. & Jagt, J. & Speijer, R. & Claeys, P. (2022). A new age model and chemostratigraphic framework for the Maastrichtian type area (southeastern Netherlands, northeastern Belgium). Newsletters on Stratigraphy. 55. 10.1127/nos/2022/0703.
  23. From the album: My Echinoid Collection

    Hardouinia mortonis Peedee Formation Maastrichtian Age, Late Cretaceous (~70 Ma) Holden Beach, Brunswick County, North Carolina, USA Self collected in September, 2023 A bit of an unusual find, this Hardouinia mortonis specimen had a significant amount of crystallization occur within the internal cavity, where the sediment settled and left a pocket. It's not too terribly uncommon to find these specimens with a layer fine crystals in these pockets, and I have found a few broken ones with such layers from the area. However, this one stood out because it was mostly intact, and the crystals began to form in what was likely a small crack, which ended up splitting it open over time as they grew. I have been calling it my "geode" echinoid. I am not sure what kind of crystals they are. They are usually very small and grey, forming a "film" over the walls of their cavity. I think it's either a type of quartz, or a type of calcium carbonate. The entire test of this one seems to have a slight degree of mineral replacement to it, mostly noticeable on the oral surface (there is some dense crystal filling the peristome and the features surrounding it).
  24. Hello everyone, it's been a while since I last posted on the forum In the last year my collection has reached 33 specimens, so I guess that "road to 35" is extremely close! Today I wanted to show you a specimen I acquired very recently, specifically last March! Species: Cretalamna maroccana (Arambourg, 1935) Size: 2.5 tall, ~3.0 cm long Age: 72-66 mya (Late Cretaceous, Maastrichtian) Origin: Ouled Abdoun basin (Morocco) About this fossil: a nicely preserverd shark tooth, with only a small hole on the front part of the tooth's root; I especially appreciate the two lateral cusplets, which are extremely nice to admire. Definitely one of my favorites!
  25. Hello fossil hunters! Found some interesting fossils from the late Cretaceous in Europe. In the south of the Netherlands (Limburg), Cretaceous sediments occur. At and around the ‘Schneeberg’ (border between Vaals and Germany), the Kalksteen van Vijlen (Vijlen chalk), Orsbach Kreide (Orsbach chalk) and Kunrader Kalksteen (Kunrader chalk) or Vetschauer Kalksteen are present. Fossils from these sediments consist of belemnites (Belemnitella junior (Nowak, 1913), Belemnella (Pachybelemnella) sumensis (Jeletzky, 1949) and/or Belemnella (Pachybelemnella) cimbrica (Birkelund, 1957), some intermediate forms are described as Belemnella ex gr. sumensis/cimbrica, sea urchins (Echinocorys sp. including Echinocorys gr. conoidea (Goldfuss, 1829) and Cardiaster granulosus (Goldfuss, 1829), oysters (Pycnodonte vesicularis (Lamarck, 1806), shark teeth (for example Carcharias sp., Cretalamna lata (Agassiz, 1843), Squalicorax pristodontus (Agassiz, 1843) and Pseudocorax affinis (Münster in Agassiz, 1843) and other fossils. Many fossils are from the Vijlen Chalk (early Early to early Late Maastrichtian). Fossils from the Vijlen 0-3 and Vijlen 4-6 (Vijlen chalk) are approximately between 70.6 and 69.3 million years old. The basis of interval 0 of the Vijlen Member could be dated at 70.6 Ma. Lithology and bioclast contents for intervals 5 (upper part) and 6 of the Vijlen Member at Mamelis (Mamelis 62D-78) have indicated an age of 69.7-69.3 Ma. According to recent research the base of the Vijlen Member is dated at 70.4 Ma and the fossils from Vaals and nearby places could be between 70.4 (the base of the Vijlen Member) and 69.7 or 69.5 million years old (Lixhe 1 Hz. and mid-Lixe 1). Including the latest part of the late Late Maastrichtian, Cretaceous fossils from Limburg and its capital Maastricht (where workers and fossil hunters found Mosasaurus hoffmannii (Mantell, 1829) are between 70.4 and 66.02 million years old. Above: photo with Cretaceous fossils from Limburg (Vaals). These fossils are the remains of animals that lived in the shallow sea that covered Europe between 70 and 66 million years ago. A comparable American site is Big Brook Park in Marlboro New Jersey where these kind of marine fossils are also found (belemnites, oysters, shark teeth and other Cretaceous material). The six belemnites are possibly Belemnitella sp. (Belemnitella junior (Nowak, 1913), the white oyster is Pycnodonte vesicularis (Lamarck, 1806) plus one fragment, the black object is a 'Steinkern' from the sea urchin Echinocorys sp. (possibly Echinocorys gr. conoidea (Goldfuss, 1829) and the seven teeth are shark teeth (mixed species, I think a few Carcharias sp. The bigger one I don't know. I do not think it is a Paleohypotodus bronni (Agassiz, 1843) because the crown is not really twisted. Internet https://www.somniosus.be/Homepage_set.htm Literature Birkelund, T. (1957). Upper Cretaceous belemnites from Denmark. Det Kongelige Danske Videnskabernes Selskab, Biologiske Skrifter, 9, 1–69, Copenhagen. Christensen, W.K. (1995). Belemnitella from the Upper Campanian and Lower Maastrichtian chalks of Norfolk, England. Special Papers in Palaeontology, 51, 1-84. London. Felder, P.J. & Bless, M.J.M. (1994). The Vijlen Chalk (early Early to early Late Maastrichtian) in its type area around Vijlen and Mamelis (southern Limburg, The Netherlands). Annales de la Société géologique de Belgique 116: 61–85. Felder, W.M. & Bosch, P.W. (2000). Geologie van Nederland, deel 5. Krijt van Zuid-Limburg. NITG TNO, Delft/ Utrecht: 192 pp. Gallagher, W. 1997. When Dinosaurs Roamed New Jersey. Rutgers University Press. Jagt, J.W.M. (2005). Stratigraphic ranges of mosasaurs in Belgium and the Netherlands (Late Cretaceous) and cephalopod-based correlations with North America. Netherlands Journal of Geosciences. 84. 10.1017/S0016774600021065. Jagt, J.W.M. (2012). Belemnitellid coleoids (Mollusca, Cephalopoda) from the type Maastrichtian, the Netherlands and Belgium. Scripta Geologica. Special Issue, 08, 93–112. Jagt, J.W.M, & Jagt-Yazykova, E.A. (2012). Stratigraphy of the type Maastrichtian – a synthesis. Scripta Geologica. Special Issue, 08, 5–32. Keutgen, N., Jagt, J.W., Felder, P., & Jagt-Yazykova, E. (2010). Stratigraphy of the upper Vijlen Member (Gulpen Formation; Maastrichtian) in northeast Belgium, the southeast Netherlands and the Aachen area (Germany), with special reference to belemnitellid cephalopods. Geologie En Mijnbouw, 89, 109-136. Jeletzky, J.A. (1949). Über den taxonomischen Wert einiger morphologischer Elemente des Rostrums der belemnitellenartigen Formen (Familie Belemnitellidae Pavlow, 1913), sowie über die Gattung Belemnella (Nowak, 1913,subg.) Jeletzky, 1941, ihre Phylogenie und einige Vertreter.Neues Jahrbuch für Mineralogie, Geologie und Paläontologie, B9, 257–287. Keutgen, N. (2011). The belemnite zonation of the uppermost Cretaceous in the Maastricht-AachenLiège, Brabant-Méhaigne and Mons areas (Belgium, southeast Netherlands). In: Jagt, J.W.M., Jagt-Jagt. 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