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Summer vacation fossil hunting week.


Manticocerasman

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Summer vacation fossil hunting week.

 

Like each summer Natalie and I spend 1 week of our holiday for a fossil hunting trip. Usually the destination for this is the Isle of Wight, but due to the current covid situations we had to choose another location. So we went for 1 week to the French coast altering between late Cretaceous and Jurassic deposits..

Although there were no big tide or storms we still got our fair share of fossils in the boulders on the beaches and we even had a few spots of gault clay exposed where we found some nice phosphate ammonites and crustaceans.

 

I’ll let you all enjoy the holiday pictures:

 

 

 

 

Natalie found this exqusite little lobster in situ on the beach on the 1st day: ( Hoploparia longimana, Albian ( Gault clay ) )

soon joined by another specimen.

5f33d952de95d_IMG_3599(1).JPG.bf02746fb9e7ebdbb9fd273af675223a.JPG

IMG_3734.JPG.1e0199662a68e7c39c74bf86e7836700.JPG

 

IMG_3603.JPG.49972d21232675dfad3d8da277d6e3da.JPG

 

IMG_3629.JPG.5b6356bdb30ad555094464445b29d844.JPG

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Ichthyosaur vert from the Kimmeridgian:

IMG_3659.JPG.f09dfc91f6299151e846c71002cf22e9.JPG

 

more beach:

IMG_3677.JPG.75c519793e31aa7b8daf8dd5cb5ba672.JPGIMG_3678.JPG.9331e396a13297a4023a5e3dabc42531.JPG

 

jurassic ripplemarks:

IMG_3698.JPG.0892d1a6b4db34a5c102cb4608ace78d.JPG

 

IMG_3703.JPG.9778e86a8edafa34d6e040aecaf4121f.JPG

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IMG_3719.JPG.a4f911e4bad5f8141d6579f823d0c3c0.JPG

 

Chalky ammonites in the loose boulders:

 

Mantelliceras sp. :

lower Cenomanian

IMG_3635.JPG.ae74c006a611ff16f9d769ebf3185c3d.JPG

 

Cunningtoniceras inerme

Mid. Cenomanian

 

IMG_3650.JPG.c0f3803a4ccd24508630ffb25d4d8dfc.JPG

 

And a large one found by a local collector that we got to take back home :D  ( Thx a lot Luc :) )

( Lewesiceras peramplum, Turonian )

IMG_3714.JPG.d97e79055f1f3d9babd496d3d96c79d2.JPG

 

 

And a few pieces after cleanup and prepwork:

 

Albian Ammonites from the gault clay:

IMG_3749.JPG.49d06757243e5476bf4eb5d03938bb8d.JPGIMG_3750.JPG.3a43e0faf9e8368f1bdd879a202b65ad.JPGIMG_3751.JPG.f6e64407e4ec98d1f36d7aaee712392b.JPGIMG_3752.JPG.2a9dfcbc45f5182fd952845607dfa9c0.JPG

 

Gault clay crabs:

IMG_3753.JPG.58fa3ce839a3fe5b8e220a4e01882061.JPG

 

a few of the chalky ammonites:

IMG_3764.JPG.cafd97f3ef57d7599e25b1fdb0b35853.JPGIMG_3773.JPG.78df2f30cb47772b2bccb687dedf0533.JPG

 

a nice rare heteromorph:

Turrilites scheuchzerianus

mid. Cenomanian

before and after prep:

IMG_3776.JPG.6fe878963593c874688247c6e23c84b3.JPG

IMG_3777.JPG.92673874d869bfc7a8fe6a6fa76a22a8.JPG

 

 

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growing old is mandatory but growing up is optional.

 

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That was fun to read, thanks! It’s such beautiful scenery and you made some great finds. I especially like the crustaceans and you did a great job with the heteromorph prep (and also with the ammonite above that one).

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Great finds and awesome pics:thumbsu:

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Every once in a great while it's not just a big rock down there!

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Really cool! I didn't realise the Gault Clay was also present in France! I've collected from the U.K. exposures at Folkestone. It's an amazing deposit. 

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"In Africa, one can't help becoming caught up in the spine-chilling excitement of the hunt. Perhaps, it has something to do with a memory of a time gone by, when we were the prey, and our nights were filled with darkness..."

-Eternal Enemies: Lions And Hyenas

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Great trip report and finds!

Thanks for posting, Kevin! :)

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    Tim    -  VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER

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__________________________________________________
"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks."

John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~   ><))))( *>  About Me      

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What an awesome vacation, Kevin. Amazing, gorgeous scenery, and incredible finds. I'm particularly impressed with those ammonites and crabs from the gault clay. Thanks for sharing. I wish we had beaches like that here. 

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1 hour ago, Paleoworld-101 said:

Really cool! I didn't realise the Gault Clay was also present in France! I've collected from the U.K. exposures at Folkestone. It's an amazing deposit. 

The Gault Clay is not always exposed, most of the time it is coverd by sand, but from time to time the clay is exposed. But it has indeed been years since I last saw it exposed like this.

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growing old is mandatory but growing up is optional.

 

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That sounds so fun! That heteromorph ammonite is stunning! I love the crustaceans!!! How common are associated Ichthyosaur fossils in the U.K. and France, I’ve been dying too get some associated Ichthyosaur fossils, but I want to find some too?! Great finds, and thanks for the trip report!:envy:

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20 minutes ago, Familyroadtrip said:

That sounds so fun! That heteromorph ammonite is stunning! I love the crustaceans!!! How common are associated Ichthyosaur fossils in the U.K. and France, I’ve been dying too get some associated Ichthyosaur fossils, but I want to find some too?! Great finds, and thanks for the trip report!:envy:

The Ichthyosaur fossils are far from common in France. associates fossils even rarer. But we have one piece with 4 associates verts that we found a few years ago. I think they are easyer to find in the UK

growing old is mandatory but growing up is optional.

 

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32 minutes ago, Familyroadtrip said:

Wow! How common are they in the U.K.? I want to find some so bad!

Dont get me wrong, by “easyer to find” I Don’t know the situation in the Uk, I see a lot of Ichthyosaur material from the jurrasic coast on social media from there. But it will probably still be difficult to find, but your chances will be higher than in France. You will have to ask people familiar with that area.

growing old is mandatory but growing up is optional.

 

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Happy Holidays! 

What lovely pictures and terrific finds. 

The crustaceans are superb but I love the ammonites, too. :)

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Life's Good!

Tortoise Friend.

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12 hours ago, Familyroadtrip said:

Wow! How common are they in the U.K.? I want to find some so bad!

I've been to the Jurassic Coast four times now (focusing on the stretch of beach between Lyme Regis and Charmouth), and i've found almost 20 ichthyosaur vertebrae, some articulated in sets of 2 and 3, as well as jaw fragments. That stretch of coast is one of the best places in the world to find an ichthyosaur bone, even if it's just a single vertebra. I'd definitely suggest you go there.

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"In Africa, one can't help becoming caught up in the spine-chilling excitement of the hunt. Perhaps, it has something to do with a memory of a time gone by, when we were the prey, and our nights were filled with darkness..."

-Eternal Enemies: Lions And Hyenas

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9 hours ago, RuMert said:

The lobsters are fantastic! So as the crabs and the scenery

 :DittoSign:

:)

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11 hours ago, Paleoworld-101 said:

I've been to the Jurassic Coast four times now (focusing on the stretch of beach between Lyme Regis and Charmouth), and i've found almost 20 ichthyosaur vertebrae, some articulated in sets of 2 and 3, as well as jaw fragments. That stretch of coast is one of the best places in the world to find an ichthyosaur bone, even if it's just a single vertebra. I'd definitely suggest you go there.

Thank you, I want to find any, but I’m really interested in associated fossils!!! Is it ok if I pm you about it?

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10 hours ago, Familyroadtrip said:

Thank you, I want to find any, but I’m really interested in associated fossils!!! Is it ok if I pm you about it?

Sure that's no problem. Better we stop hijacking this thread anyway hahaha

"In Africa, one can't help becoming caught up in the spine-chilling excitement of the hunt. Perhaps, it has something to do with a memory of a time gone by, when we were the prey, and our nights were filled with darkness..."

-Eternal Enemies: Lions And Hyenas

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A few more Turonian cephalopods:

 

Metasigaloceras sp.

IMG_3768.thumb.JPG.3c3151045eef565a7ad71e5ee54c9f81.JPG

 

Metasigaloceras sp.:

IMG_3767.thumb.JPG.eaae90637c2649d908a43c7ceedfcb5c.JPG

 

Eutrephoceras sp.

IMG_3769.thumb.JPG.17d9185194dcc806d7327cd52bc1aa82.JPG

 

and the better ammonites from the gault clay cleaned up:

IMG_3754.thumb.JPG.86a58dd0cb9f98da5fdbee40fcea5271.JPG

 

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growing old is mandatory but growing up is optional.

 

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