Search the Community

Hi all, I recently made a trip out to Wilson Clay Pit in Brownwood, Texas with my local paleo society. I've found several recognizable things, and a few I need some help identifying. I apologize in advance to @erose who gave me an idea on one bivalve that I failed to write down, and thereafter promptly forgot! I think the tooth is Petalodus sp., just need confirmation. I'd love a genus for the clams, and I have no idea at all what the small plate-shaped fossil is. Thanks!

A co-worked of mine has a deer lease near Bangs, Tx (just west of Brownwood). He says the lease is full of very large rocks that have fossils embedded in them and while out this past weekend, he found this item. He sent me a photo knowing I love hunting fossils but this is way out of my knowledge base. I have never been out to the Brownwood area to hunt fossils but after hearing about what he's seen, it's definitely on my list of places to hit now. Based on what I've learned, it appears the lease sits in the Thirfty and Graham formations but I cant say that with 100% certainty. Anyone know what it might be and is this something that's found up north on the lake spillway? Thanks in advance David

My dad, my brothers and my 6 year old nephew had all scheduled a trip out to the clay pits on April 23rd. I didn't know that DPS was going until a few weeks later. I was excited to meet them out there. We drove our typical route into the area, through Grosvenor, but when we came to Jim Ned Creek, we were in for a surprise! The water, which usually flows under the gravel road there was flowing about ten feet above it! It was incredible how much water was moving through there. So I grabbed my scuba gear.... Just kidding. We u-turned and headed back out to the Grosvenor highway. We had had this trip planned for so long that I felt that I needed to find a different route in. Besides, I had been talking up the pit for so long, and my brothers and nephew had never been there. Using a key map, we found another, MUCH DRIER, route in. The pits were damp, but easily maneuverable. I was waiting for the DPS to show up, and was disappointed when they didn't. But I understood. The water flowing through that creek nearly put us all off the trip. My brothers found some good specimens, including some trilobites. My nephew had a blast! This was the first trip when I didn't find any trilos. No Petalodus either, though we may have been in the wrong place. My dad found an absolutely perfect one on a previous trip, which I need to post one of these days. Below are a few examples of what I found. Lophophyllum (or Lophophyllidium [i get confused... ]) profundum Basal Plates and Upper Stem of Ulocrinus (?) sp. Punctospirifer kentuckyensis in Matrix Driving back into Brownwood, I thought it would be interesting to take everyone out to the spillway. I figured that, since the Jim Ned and Pecan Bayou were running so high, the spillway must have some water running through it. That was an understatement! So I grabbed my scuba gear...

So, come down on the DPS trip to Brownwood they say. Make some new friends, find some cool stuff and eat some good food. Boy were they ever right! Met Mike, Paul, Nanette to name but a few; great bunch o' people. Can't wait to post my pics...my 1st Crinoids and my 1st ever trilobite! Stay tuned for the pics coming soon!