Search the Community

Why doesn't anyone seem to prep the undersides of trilobites? We see innumerable examples of the "pretty" carapaces, but I should think the undersides would be at least as instructive.

Hello and Happy New Year to all of my Fossil Friends! Yesterday and today I put in my first 2 hunts of the year. The weather here has been mild and I almost went fishing instead. But the fossil gods were calling to me and I couldn't resist their siren song. I decided to visit a site that I haven't been to for awhile. I am sorry but a have made a New Years resolution to no longer name locations for the world to see. This is a site that I have gone a few times with minimal results. Mainly it is a rather large site and the rock is hard to work. But I knew the potential for nice finds were there. So, Yesterday I arrived in the afternoon, planning on putting in a few hours. I started off on a lower layer. Now there is multiple layers of shale mixed with slate and limestone. The way this material fractures is rather strange. Which makes recovery of specimens rather tough. So while I found many cool things most where damaged in some way. Crinoids, brachiopods, bivalves, gastropods, nautiloids and trilo Cephalons were fairly common. Some were even pyritized. I must have been there for a couple hours before I decided to explore farther up the slope. I noticed a different color rock closer to the top, but there was really no where to stand. I grabbed a couple loose pieces and started seeing parts of corals and crinoids that were larger then any I have found before. Also partial trilo bits and pieces of Eldregoeps. I looked for a way to get to the very top of the slope and found a way that was not at first obvious. And then bingo! I found a small section that was easier to work and I immediately was rewarded. I started finding abundant amounts of horn coral, large crinoid segments and a nice slab with a horn coral with a trilo right next to it and possibly more. Then I removed a chunk of rock and uncovered a huge tabulate coral about the size of a dinner plate. Unfortunately this specimen was fragile and was broke into a million pieces. But I recovered some of the larger pieces. It started getting dark so I left for home with plants to go back this morning, which I did. Today was much of the same tons of corals but one horn coral was about the size of a grapefruit. This is definitely a different species than I am used to seeing. Most if not all need to be cleaned up and possibly prepped. So I plan on trying to clean up and get the mud off. I will post pics later this evening. It looks like this year has started off with a bang. I hope it is a sign of things to come.

On Friday I made a visit to an Atlanta area gem/mineral/fossil show. Generally I have poor luck at these shows, in large part because there are only a couple of dealers with fossils. This trip was different. One of the dealers was selling some items from an old collection. Most of what I bought was exciting to me because they are species I have wanted for a long time, for one reason or another. First up is a nice (to me at least) New Jersey Tiassic coelocanth, Diplurus newarki (I think the genus might have changed but Diplurus is OK for now). The dealer thought it was just a skull so it was very cheap, as the rock is very black and it was hard to see the skeleton in the room lighting. I used the flashlight on my phone to give oblique light and was very happy at what I saw! He also had some ammonites I was excited to see. Two are Triassic, a Ceratites nodosus and an Acanthoceratites spinosum from Germany. I collected a Ceratites when I was a kid (about 10) living in Germany, but it broke and all I have left is a piece. I've wanted a better specimen for roughly the last 50 years! I started to clean out the inner whorls on the Acanthoceratites but that will take quite a while. There was a third ammonite that was labeled as another Triassic species, but when I got home I recognized that it is actually a Placenticeras, a Late Cretaceous genus. I am not sure of the species and the preservation is different from the North American sites I know about, so I suspect it might be from a European source. I'll post more photos in the Fossil ID thread to see if anyone recognizes it. I also scored a trilobite I've wanted forever, an Elliposocephalus hoffi. Not because it is especially pretty, but because it is representative of the Chechosolakian Cambrian that is so important in trilobite lore. I also grabbed a nice Calymene celebra. Last up for now is an OK shrimp from Lebanon. The body is all authentic, but I'm not 100% sure about the appendages. It's pretty nice though so I like it. There are a few other little things but the above is enough for now. When I got home a box of New Mexico ammonites from the Christmas auction was waiting for me, which made a good day even better! Don

On Monday I went on a little trip to one of my top secret places to fossil hunt on the shores of Lake Michigan. It's a small beach in Northeastern Cook County, Illinois which I've always found lots of Silurian aged fossils. (1) This trip was no different!! https://silurian-reef.fieldmuseum.org/narrative/392 I found a large amount of small but pretty interesting Silurian fossils which demonstrate the diversity of reef supported aquatic life in the Chicago land area 444 to 419 million year ago during the Silurian era! (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10) (11) (12) (13) (14) (15) (16) (17) (18) (19) (20)

This important new paper from Allart Van Viersen and Gerry Kloc @GerryK should cause an indeterminable number of revised labels around the globe! Hollardops mesocristatus (Le Maître, 1952) has been restricted to the holotype from the Chefar el Ahmar Formation, Algeria. "The replacement of the unidentifiable name-bearing type of H. mesocristatus with the poorly preserved paratype of evenly imprecise geographic and stratigraphic provenance would be pointless. Therefore, we prefer to restrict H. mesocristatus to the holotype. This is a rigorous measure but one that enables the objective recognition of distinct species, albeit with the knowledge that one of these might potentially belong to H. mesocristatus when future collections at the type locality are conducted. Still, that would require the near-impossible identification of the specific bank that the holotype was extracted from as well as sufficient specimens to span a range of holaspid instars, in order to validate an unambiguous relationship with the type." This is the revised and updated list of the valid species from Morocco: Hollardops aithassainorum – Chatterton, Fortey, Brett, Gibb & McKellar, 2006 (lower Eifelian, Morocco) Hollardops angustifrons – Van Viersen & Kloc, 2022 (upper Emsian, Morocco) Hollardops boudibensis – Morzadec, 1997 (upper Emsian, Morocco) Hollardops burtandmimiae – (Lieberman & Kloc, 1997)(upper Emsian?, Morocco) Hollardops hyfinkeli (Lieberman & Kloc, 1997) (upper Emsian?, Morocco) Hollardops klugi – Van Viersen & Kloc, 2022 (lower Emsian, Morocco) Hollardops kyriarchos – Van Viersen & Kloc, 2022 (upper Emsian, Morocco) Hollardops luscus – Van Viersen & Kloc, 2022 (upper Emsian, Morocco) Hollardops multatuli – Van Viersen & Kloc, 2022 (upper Emsian, Morocco) Van Viersen, A.P., Kloc, G.J., 2022 Functional Morphology, Coaptation and Palaeoecology of Hollardops (Trilobita, Acastidae), With Descriptions of New Species and Two New Genera from the Devonian of Morocco. Geologica Belgica, 25(3-4):99-144 PDF LINK ************************************************************************************* Chatterton, B.D.E., Fortey, R.A., Brett, K.D., Gibb, S.L., McKellar, R.C. 2006 Trilobites from the Upper Lower to Middle Devonian Timrhanrhart Formation, Jbel Gara et Zguilma, Southern Morocco. Palaeontographica Canadiana, 25:1-177 PDF LINK Le Maître, D. 1952 La Faune du Dévonien Inférieur et Moyen de la Saoura et des Abords de l'Erg Djemel (Sud-Oranais). [The Fauna of the Lower and Middle Devonian Saoura and the Surroundings of Erg Djemel (South-Oran).] Materiaux pour la Carte Géologique de l'Algérie, 1re Série, Paléontologie, 12:1-170 Lieberman, B.S., Kloc, G.J. 1997 Evolutionary Biogeographic Patterns in the Asteropyginae (Trilobita, Devonian) Delo, 1935. American Museum of Natural History, Bulletin, 232:1-127 PDF LINK Morzadec, P. 1997 Les Trilobites Asteropyginae du Dévonien de l'Ougarta (Algérie). [Asteropyginae Trilobites from the Devonian of the Ougarta (Algeria).] Palaeontographica Abt.A, 244:143-158

can anyone help me identify this trilobite? it will soon be mine but it was mislabelled as Morocconites malladoides which it’s certainly isn’t. have been told it might be a Reedops cephalotes

I've recently been looking over the geologic formations in Illinois and I found one that's a bit interesting - it's a Cambrian period outcrop but it seems to be a bit small, only found in parts of Ogle and Lee County, Illinois. http://ebeltz.net/firstfam/1stfam.html https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1202269 https://ilstratwiki.web.illinois.edu/index.php/Cambrian_System I haven't heard of a lot of fossils coming from this area so I'm wondering if anyone's been fossil hunting in that region of Illinois before and how common are Cambrian Fossils from Illinois's Ogle and Lee Counties?

I was hoping someone could identify these two trilobites. I’ve had them as long as I can remember but I never got them ID’d and I’m terrible with trilobites. I have no information on the time period or the location. If higher quality photos are needed I can take them.

Hi all, yesterday I met up with @Nautiloid and @Dean Ruocco in Madison County to collect some bugs at DSR and another site nearby. After exchanging some gifts we got to work collecting, you can see some of @Nautiloid’s finds on his post here… Dean and I got to work creating benches in a promising area whilst @Nautiloid checked out an area at the site I had mentioned to him prior to the trip. Straight off the bat we were all finding some decent bugs, here were the only Greenops I found yesterday. I always like to collect some of the weirder associated fauna found at DSR, such as these Hyoliths. This one has both a Hyolith and a cephalopod I didn’t find too much Dipleura wise, only a decent head and some single segments, the latter of which I left at the site. After we finished up at DSR, we decided to move onto another site which I was told not to mention, so I will honor that request.

Hello all! Today I met up with my good friends @Dean Ruocco and @KompsFossilsNMinerals to collect a couple of Hamilton Group sites in Central NY. The first site we went to was the famous Deep Springs Road site, and then we hit a second location for a little while afterwards. All around it was a good day of collecting, with everyone having success in the trilobite department.

Richard Fortey on the Trilobite Chronometer Geology Bites • Nov 06, 2021 The ‘trident’ trilobites of Morocco Dr Kendal Martyn (UK), Deposits Magazine Yours, Paul H.

I recently stumbled upon this informative gem of an html article discussing modern trilobite lookalikes. Being a trilobite-cephalon myself, I found it fascinating, so I wanted to share it with you all! The article: Trilobite imposters

Well took a trip about a week ago ran in to another member of TFF we both did well. I’m holding up on prepping until I get some new bits in. However here is a preview of what I collected think I even scored a whole one time will tell.

On my eighth trip to the locality, I collected fossils at the famous St. Leon roadcut. Exposed were the Waynesville and Liberty formations, which date to the immense coral reefs of the upper Ordovician, or 450 ±5 MYA. The site was heavily picked, its erosive forces slowed during Indiana's summer heat. My drops of sweat evaporated on the sun-tempered limestone faster than I could count to ten. Despite the setbacks, acquisitions were generous. Best for last. Behold my brachiopods. The top row is Strophomena sp., the top-left sample demonstrating encrusting bryozoan. The second row is Vinlandostrophia ponderosa. The third and fourth rows are Lepidocyclus/Hiscobeccus, though I am of the opinion the genera are synonymous and are just sexual dimorphs given their identical ages, appearances, and regional occurrences. I am curious what other brachiopod enthusiasts think of this similarity. (Four boxes on the grid is 25 millimeters.) I continue with the bivalves. The top row is Caritodens sp, the top-left sample being a particularly well-preserved example. The bottom-left sample is Anomaladonta sp., and the bottom-right sample is a near-perfect Ambonychia sp. Life is incomplete without the gastropods! I didn't take French in high school for nothing! The top sample is unknown to me, despite being the second I have found of its type. The middle-left sample is too buried. The remaining four are all Paupospira sp., the middle sample being a good example. Interestingly, the bottommost Paupospira has a partial Flexicalymene sp. trilobite cephalon on it, which makes me question if the trilobite was consuming the calcium to augment its own development. However, considering the sample is a messy storm deposit, it is likely pure luck. I have to mention the numerous Isotelus maximus fragments at the site. When looking for fossils at St. Leon, one must wonder how many beautiful I. maximus lie under the surface, only to crumble down the slopes of the roadcut and into my hands. Of interest is the long, delicate genal spine on the top right. Now to the more interesting fossils. I follow with three of six total straight-shelled nautiloid cephalopods. The middle sample is a rare, (calcified) Anaspyroceras sp., and the right sample is also calcified. The beautiful, ancient calcite crystals within the dull-appearing right sample: Now to the next three. The left orthocone is all associated and is very large. The middle sample is also quite large. Species-level identification of orthocones can be difficult even with a clear cross-section of the siphuncle, so "straight-shelled nautiloid cephalopod" will have to suffice. However, I suspect these three samples are likely Treptoceras sp. Excellent samples to say the least. I kept saying "straight-shelled," so perhaps some of you guessed it: I found a coiled nautiloid cephalopod! These are very rare. I have found only a handful of these. Behold the curved Beloitoceras sp., a member of Oncocerida, to which the modern nautilus owes its existence to! It's unbelievable how this rock from half a billion years ago directly led to the existence of modern nautiloids! The continuity of life is incredible. The penultimate is a bryozoan fan. Yes, a fan! The bryozoan tapers off at the upper edges. I have never seen anything like it! It is 8x4 cm. And finally... ...a giant bryozoan! This is my biggest single fossil find ever! The caliper on the left is set all the way out to 15.00 cm! It is easily 15 inches in diameter and four inches thick! After crashing my bicycle a few weeks ago, this immense find could be my new wheel! Hear me out. In ten years of collecting, I have found many rare trilobites, behemoth cephalopods, and more, but this colony of tens of thousands of individual animals takes the cake for the most interesting fossil I've ever had the privilege to collect. On top of being huge and complete, it's riddled with trypanites (trace burrows for you bone hunters out there) from all a manner of creatures that used to reside in the Ordovician. I'm sure my fellow amateur paleontologists appreciate that this isn't just a fossil coral, it's an entire ecosystem! It's literally a window into life 450 million years ago! It's riddled with traces left by crinoid stems, scolecodonts (boring worms), parasitic encrusting bryozoans, brachiopods, bivalves, and so much else! I'm considering donating it to a museum. Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed.

Has anyone on here had a good experience with fossil preparation services? I’m not asking for specific companies (as I know this might be a breach of TFF community rules), just wanting to know if anyone has had good results with fossil prep companies in general. I’ve got a couple of nice-ish Devonian trilobite partials in need of prep and am too impatient to prep them myself. Also full air scribe setups are extremely expensive, this isn’t even taking into account that there are no spare rooms in my house for a fossil prep workshop. Meaning, I would either have to build onto the house or build a shed for my prep equipment. I apologize for rambling on a bit here, just wanted to make it clear that I really don’t have any other options.

Just started searching for fossils since moving to central New York. These are some finds from Madison County. I was hoping for some help, I know they are trilobites, but not the species. There were also some shells I was curious about. Thanks.

Found these in mid June 2022 in broken up shale on the bank of Nowadaga Creek in east-central New York. The cephalon head was found 1 foot away from that body. To make the image “pop”, I doused a rag with a few drops of mineral oil and gently rubbed it on the shale. Unsure what the actual trilobite species is. Triarthrus eatoni, beckii, other?

FINALLY getting around to posting about my first time ever fossil hunting in Oklahoma! Went on an extended weekend with the Paleontological Society of Austin to a variety of locales in Central OK - places I have heard about, read about and dreamed about going! I finally made it! And it was so very worth the drive, even if I did end up with a stupid cold the last two days (the drive home was a little....weird. Cold "fugue" makes for interesting driving- I really don't remember much of it, which is either good or bad....) But the FOSSILS! I've never hunted the Ordovician and Silurian so it was a real treat to find some new fauna. Of course I also brought home some micro matrix to extend my "hunting" fun. I was happy to find what I most wanted - a decent flat trilo and some good rollers. The rollers still need to be prepped a bit, but that is not my forte, so I have to find someone to get it done for me. But I also found some great stuff I wasn't expecting to find! I got there a day early and had scouted out some places to check - a lovely creek which supposedly had lots of species of trilobites, but all I found were some brachiopods and such. It was HOT. 98 degrees and humid, just like I had left behind in Central Texas. It was much greener though! Beautiful rolling hills and a lovely creek, but I didn't stay there long. I had another spot which I was pretty sure would be a winner. And yep, it was. Turned out some of the Society was there also, so I joined a half dozen of them already hunting. I was hoping to find an echinoderm called Oklahomacystis. The group had already found a half dozen or so, so I asked to see what they looked like. I had seen pictures, but it's always good to see something in the field to know what you are looking for. I was super happy to find a nice big one, fairly well preserved. I wasn't there very long, so I didn't find a lot, but I found a few nice things. Some cool Bryozoans and lovely Brachiopod with nice color: A Gastropod: The next morning was our first "official" PSoA site - Yellow Bluff. The weather took a dramatic turn overnight and we woke up to cold and drizzle! We hoped the drizzle would stay just that or quit altogether. It turned out perfect...the occasional drizzle but a wonderfully cool mid 60's day!! Apparently last time the Society had been out there it was in the 90s and miserable. So we lucked out. Yellow Bluff is on private land and we had made arrangements ahead of time. What I was NOT expecting was the scramble up a creek bank ravine followed by having to hop a barbed wire fence (which other members assured me had NOT been there before) and then found out the other group had found a much easier way up..... ah well. It was an adventure. This place is BIG...I didn't even really get to explore the Silurian stuff up above. I stayed mostly in the flat area and found wonderful crinoid parts, the occasional trilo bit, some great brachiopods and bryozoans. And FINALLY, after getting a little frustrated because all around me I hear "I found a Trilo!" (not everyone, but it seemed like it...) I finally found a whole trilobite and I have to say, it's pretty nice. cleaned up as much as I could A few more finds: A desegmented crinoid cup: a really neat little curled crinoid arm a little floating crinoid We were all looking for a newly described species of starfish that one of the PSoA members had found last time they were there - about 3 years ago. Alas, none were found. His is still the only one. I was hoping maybe this was one, but I think it's crinoid. A Gastropod Platyceras and some cool little tiny things from my micro matrix We finished out the day with some good food and conversation and got ready for the next day which I was most excited about - Black Cat Mountain! I had made arrangements to go to this amazing site and boy did it exceed my expectations. I found 49 Trilos -some just bits, but most whole! The place is enormous. Some of the group went off to hammer away at the stone to get the fossils- I prefer surface collecting. I just put my nose to the ground and found all kinds of great finds! Granted, they may not be the best finds, but I was super happy with what I found. I wasn't looking for the fancy stuff, I just wanted a couple of good rollers. I love the eyes!! And these aren't even cleaned up....just washed a nice big pygidium A Huntoniatonia impression with the part of the tail visible And of course there were some other really cool finds, like these button bryozoans: and of course a plethora of brachiopods: plus some nice size Cephalopods Oh, and last but not least, this cute tarantula and his little house: I was warned about rattlesnakes and was all prepared with my snake shin guards, but I think the temp was too cool for them so no sign of them this trip! Which was just fine with me. I'll stick with bugs and spiders, thanks so much!