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A Cretaceous walk on the beach


Manticocerasman

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Last Saturday we finally went back to the Cretaceous deposits at the northern French coast.

On some spots on the beach the gault clay deposits were visible, this delivered a few beautiful belemnites ( Neohibolites minimus ) and from time to time other small fossils washed out of the clay and scattered in the shingle.

The chalk boulders near the clifs were not very productive, apart from a very rare Ptychodus tooth. This one made our day.

 

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growing old is mandatory but growing up is optional.

 

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Love the belemnite. Very colorful. What mineral? Nice to be able to be out on the beach. I am envious.

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Nice trip report :) Looks like you guys had a great hunt!!
Absolutely love the Neohibolites, and of course, that beautiful Ptychodus tooth :D

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Opalised fossils are the best: a wonderful mix between paleontology and mineralogy!

 

Q. Where do dinosaurs study?

A. At Khaan Academy!...

 

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Excellent finds, especially the Ptychodus tooth, and very nice photos. The French coast looks like a beautiful place to collect fossils.; hopefully, you can get out again soon.

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: )

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I believe that is a Ptychodus decurrens from the Turonian age Chalk Group member. Great find!

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5 hours ago, LSCHNELLE said:

I believe that is a Ptychodus decurrens from the Turonian age Chalk Group member. Great find!

THX,

I'am not familliar with the Ptychodus species. So I  don't know if the European specimens are the same species in the US.

Also the tooth is from the middle Cenomanian ( Acanthoceras rhotomagens  zone ), not the turonian

growing old is mandatory but growing up is optional.

 

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7 hours ago, Manticocerasman said:

THX,

I'am not familliar with the Ptychodus species. So I  don't know if the European specimens are the same species in the US.

Also the tooth is from the middle Cenomanian ( Acanthoceras rhotomagens  zone ), not the turonian

Ptychodus decurrens does first occur in the middle Cenomanian extending through the middle Turonian. So, that ID is still a good possibility.  I had just read a paper saying it was most commonly found in France in the Turonian age deposits. Ptychodus decurrens has up to 12 transverse crown ridges on a lower profile crown. At the margin, the ridges bifurcate and branch into numerous finer anastomosing ridges that extend 
to the edge of the crown. Your tooth appears to have those features and it is found in Europe. No other Ptychodus of Cenomanian age have those features. 

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2 hours ago, LSCHNELLE said:

Ptychodus decurrens does first occur in the middle Cenomanian extending through the middle Turonian. So, that ID is still a good possibility.  I had just read a paper saying it was most commonly found in France in the Turonian age deposits. Ptychodus decurrens has up to 12 transverse crown ridges on a lower profile crown. At the margin, the ridges bifurcate and branch into numerous finer anastomosing ridges that extend 
to the edge of the crown. Your tooth appears to have those features and it is found in Europe. No other Ptychodus of Cenomanian age have those features. 

Thx for the info it helps a lot :) , althought the mention "commonly found in France" :P those teeth are found from time to time, but they are extremely rare. but mabey other sites in france yield them more frequently.

growing old is mandatory but growing up is optional.

 

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It is an extremely rare and beautiful find! I was just trying to say they might be more common in the Turonian. Not easy to find.

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