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September 2020 - Finds of the Month Entries


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REMINDER: PLEASE carefully read ALL of the rules below.

Make sure you include all the required information, IN THE REQUESTED FORMAT (below) when you submit your fossil! 

If you have a question about a possible entry, please send me a PM.


Please pay special attention to Rule #5: 

Before and After Preparation Photos must be submitted for prepped specimens NOT  found during the Month of the Contest.

In addition to keeping the contest fair, this new qualification will encourage better documentation of our spectacular past finds.


Entries will be taken until 11:59:00 PM EDT on SEPTEMBER 30, 2020

Any fossil submitted after that time, even if the topic is still open, will be deemed ineligible! 

 

Only entries posted with CLEAR photos and that meet the other guidelines will be placed into the Poll. 

Photos of the winning specimens may be posted to TFF's Facebook page.

 

Please let us know if you have any questions, and thanks for sharing more of your fossils and research this month.

 

Shortly after the end of the Month, separate Polls will be created for the Vertebrate and Invertebrate/Plant Find of the Month.

 

In addition to the fun of a contest, we also want to learn more about the fossils. 

Tell us more about your fossil, and why you think it is worthy of the honor. 


To view the Winning Fossils from past contests visit the Find Of The Month Winner's Gallery.

 

Now, go find your fossil, do your research, and make an entry!
Best of success to all, and good hunting!

 

***********************************


Rules for The Fossil Forum's Vertebrate and Invertebrate/Plant Find of the Month Contests

  1. Find a great Vertebrate Fossil or Invertebrate/Plant Fossil! Only fossils found personally by you are allowed. NO PURCHASED FOSSILS.
  2. Post your entry in the Find of the Month topic. Use a separate post for each entry. (Only two entries per member per contest category.)
  3. Your fossil must have been found during the Month of the Contest, or Significant Preparation * of your fossil must have been completed during the Month of the Contest.
  4. You must include the Date of Discovery (when found in the contest month); or the Date of Preparation Completion and Date of Discovery (if not found in the contest month).
  5. Before and After Preparation photos must be submitted for prepped specimens not found during the Month of the Contest. Please make sure you arrange for photos if someone else is preparing your fossil find and completes the prep requirements in the contest month.
  6. You must include the Common and/or Scientific Name.
  7. You must include the Geologic Age or Geologic Formation where the fossil was found.
  8. You must include the State, Province, or region where the fossil was found.
  9. You must include CLEAR, cropped, well-lit images (maximum 4 images). If you are proud enough of your fossil to submit it for FOTM, spend some time to take good photos to show off your fossil.
  10. Play fair and honest. No bought fossils. No false claims.

 

* Significant Preparation = Substantial work to reveal and/or repair important diagnostic features, resulting in a dramatic change in the look of the fossil. The qualification of Significant Preparation is decided at the discretion of staff. Any doubts as to the eligibility of the entry will be discussed directly with the entrant.

 

******* Please use the following format for the required information: *******

• Date of Discovery   (month, day , year) 

• Scientific and/or Common Name

• Geologic Age or Geologic Formation

• State, Province, or Region Found

• Photos of Find

 

 

(Please limit to 4 clear, cropped, and well-lit images.)

(If prepped, before and after photos are required, please.)

 

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Looks like I'll be the first to post this month. It is still early on in the month so I guess i could find something better still, but I don't think posting this find is jumping the gun! It was also my week with Sara: the traveling Ceratopsian, so she accompanied me on this fossil hunt as well! I'm very proud of how well this came out. This is my find of the year for me, personally.

 

Date of Discovery: September 4, 2020

• Scientific and/or Common Name: Composita sp. brachiopod steinkern with internal (athyrid) spiralia brachidium

• Geologic Age or Geologic Formation: Burlington Formation (Mississippian in gelogic age)

• State, Province, or Region Found: Henry County, Missouri - USA

 

 As found-

20200905_020053.jpg

 

Cleaned-

20200904_154225.jpg

Perfection :D (besides the bit of iron staining on the right spiralia. Hey now, I'm still a picky fellow here!)

 

Some backstory-

I know I've shared some of these finds in the past, but I thought I'd take some time to show and explain what went into extracting this brachiopod. Sometimes it's hard to appreciate something without some backstory, or a glimpse of how it happened. These brachiopods with internals preserved are always entombed in cherty rock. As seen in the first photo, a small section of the spiralia is exposed in the slab of chert I pulled. The chert slab was a little over 13 inches in length, a bit over 5 and a half inches in width, and just near 4 inches in thickness. Compare that here to some of the shell of the steinkern that was removed.

20200904_172008.jpg

It is very thin and fragile, as well as the brachidium. One wrong whack can cause it to shatter into countless tiny pieces, even just the vibration from the impact can too! This chert is very tough stuff! I've worked this chert for some time, so experience led me to slowly and carefully plan my blows. Never whack this stuff blindly (if you do, expect heartache) and expect your fossil to come out intact! The most intimidating part was the first blow. I spent around half a hour taking 30 or so whacks, carefully planning each move. Some gentle love taps were thrown in every here and there as well. With a lot of patience and a little love, you can achieve some great results, even if the situation seems impossible. (I thought there was 0 chance of getting this out intact complete, look who was wrong!!!)

20200905_084109.jpg

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Nice brach. Did you whack your thumb doing something similar? I've been there before :oO:

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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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On 9/6/2020 at 3:08 AM, Paleoworld-101 said:

Nice brach. Did you whack your thumb doing something similar? I've been there before :oO:

:Smiling: Sure did, it happened a few months back when I hadn't been out to collect for a while. Looked way worse than it was. What looks like the weird denting in the middle of the nail has been there since a kid. Even when this one fell off, it regrew like this again. The nail has fell off countless times over the years from work and play, and it always grows back the same weird way. Probably a fungal infection or something.

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37 minutes ago, Jackson g said:

:Smiling: Sure did, it happened few months back when I hadn't been out to collect for a while.

Seems to me we need a thumb whacking emoji that doesn't have a grin. ;)

 

Ouch!_1.png   Ouch!_2.png   Ouch!_3.png

 

Be careful out there--it's hard to type with your fingers in a cast.

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

 

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This weekend I did my first fossil hunting trip on the Isle of Wight. 

The first day we did a private fossil walk in grange chine. Sadly no finds.

 

The next day we decided to do some of our own fossil hunting and in a rock pool in between Compton Bay and Brook Bay we found this Neovenator tooth. It’s a pity it’s missing the tip but the serrations are pretty prominent. A real dream find for me to find a UK dinosaur tooth. The tooth in the image is as found and will remain this way. 

 

Date of discovery - Sunday 13 September 2020

Scientific name - Neovenator salerii 

Formation - Wessex Formation, Compton Bay, Isle of Wight

75984D9E-7C2F-4A4E-A721-416B4F5044D5.jpeg

D701357F-311A-4CDC-B4A3-773924F248A6.jpeg

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4 hours ago, paulyb135 said:

This weekend I did my first fossil hunting trip on the Isle of Wight. 

The first day we did a private fossil walk in grange chine. Sadly no finds.

 

The next day we decided to do some of our own fossil hunting and in a rock pool in between Compton Bay and Brook Bay we found this Neovenator tooth. It’s a pity it’s missing the tip but the serrations are pretty prominent. A real dream find for me to find a UK dinosaur tooth. The tooth in the image is as found and will remain this way. 

 

Date of discovery - Sunday 13 September 2020

Scientific name - Neovenator salerii 

Formation - Wessex Formation, Compton Bay, Isle of Wight

75984D9E-7C2F-4A4E-A721-416B4F5044D5.jpeg D701357F-311A-4CDC-B4A3-773924F248A6.jpeg

Amazing find!!! Aren’t dinosaur fossils extremely rare at Isle of Wight?

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3 minutes ago, Familyroadtrip said:

Amazing find!!! Aren’t dinosaur fossils extremely rare at Isle of Wight?

Thank you. Yes they’re very rare. I have a few in my collection but this is my only self found one 

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27 minutes ago, paulyb135 said:

Thank you. Yes they’re very rare. I have a few in my collection but this is my only self found one 

That was only your second time hunting on the Isle of Wight?!

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16 minutes ago, paulyb135 said:

1st time and second day. Beginners luck :D

That’s insane!!! Me, my brother and my dad have all had some great beginners luck!

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3 hours ago, paulyb135 said:

Yes they’re very rare. I have a few in my collection but this is my only self found one 

Which makes the find that much more precious. ;)

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

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Here is my first ever try at the Fossil of the Month contest! Finally something I feel is worthy of entry! If I do something wrong @digit let me know. 

 

A large and inflated blastoid from an exposure that is known for typically having smaller, crushed, and/or broken specimens. A rare find.  Check out the full trip report here  for more details:  

 

 

• Date of Discovery   September 15th, 2020 

• Scientific and/or Common Name Blastoid (Pentremites sp.)

• Geologic Age or Geologic Formation Upper Mississippian (Glen Dean Formation)

• State, Province, or Region Found Grayson County, Kentucky- U.S.A.

 

bestfind4.thumb.JPG.a394cacdf55bc4a722b7dfeff328602f.JPGbestfind2.thumb.JPG.534d58ac4cecbafe0ed1885ce58a1dc0.JPGbestfind1.thumb.JPG.f2e81656b5196c127089be2d7c564e45.JPGbestfind3.thumb.JPG.1cd899a30c25a855917099536063a383.JPG

 

 

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The good thing about science is that it's true whether or not you believe in it.  -Neil deGrasse Tyson

 

Everyone you will ever meet knows something you don't. -Bill Nye (The Science Guy)

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Fantastic entries so far! Wow! :envy:

Max Derème

 

"I feel an echo of the lightning each time I find a fossil. [...] That is why I am a hunter: to feel that bolt of lightning every day."

   - Mary Anning >< Remarkable Creatures, Tracy Chevalier

 

Instagram: @world_of_fossils

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On 9/13/2020 at 12:06 PM, paulyb135 said:

This weekend I did my first fossil hunting trip on the Isle of Wight. 

The first day we did a private fossil walk in grange chine. Sadly no finds.

 

The next day we decided to do some of our own fossil hunting and in a rock pool in between Compton Bay and Brook Bay we found this Neovenator tooth. It’s a pity it’s missing the tip but the serrations are pretty prominent. A real dream find for me to find a UK dinosaur tooth. The tooth in the image is as found and will remain this way. 

 

Date of discovery - Sunday 13 September 2020

Scientific name - Neovenator salerii 

Formation - Wessex Formation, Compton Bay, Isle of Wight

75984D9E-7C2F-4A4E-A721-416B4F5044D5.jpeg D701357F-311A-4CDC-B4A3-773924F248A6.jpeg

I have no words except what a great incredible fantastic killer find! :drool:

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1 hour ago, Natalie81 said:

I have no words except what a great incredible fantastic killer find! :drool:

 

Thank you! It is kept nice and safe in a riker with some of my other UK Dino teeth 

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I am excited to share my entry for this month after a long journey from the find itself to the stabilization, realization I was out of depth, and finally to the preparator and back. A partial Mosasaur jaw.

 

Date of Discovery: April 14, 2020

Date of Preparation: August 11th through September 20th 2020.

 

Scientific NameClidastes sp. Mosasaur

Geologic Age or Geologic Formation: Ozan formation (Lower Taylor Marl), Late Cretaceous

State, Province, or Region Found: NSR, North Texas, USA.

 

Bottom right dentary resting upon the bottom left dentary in situ after removal of matrix covering the fossil.5f6a658912bb8_Insitu.thumb.jpg.c0b88e9d2e14ca71976c4dd66602562c.jpg

Before prep.

Preprep.thumb.jpg.1470790d6702f1460872197c531b9815.jpg

Part of the reason for the many pieces is from the specimen being spread out over several yards as well as the majority of it being under water. 

 

After prep:5f6a65906dae7_CompleteRedo.thumb.jpg.f89a388c3824850fcce39e74c45a5956.jpg

 

One of the multiple predation marks (vertical gash below the broken tooth in center of photograph):Predation.jpg.031e186edaa6a380b9b98f4456203267.jpg


 

A serious thank you to Kris @Ptychodus04. I realized very quickly that I lacked the skill to complete the preparation of this fossil and wouldn’t have been able to do any amount of justice to it. I really appreciate his kindness and excitement to do the preparation. His work is outstanding.

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47 minutes ago, Titan said:

I am excited to share my entry for this month after a long journey from the find itself to the stabilization, realization I was out of depth, and finally to the preparator and back. A partial Plioplatecarpus Mosasaur jaw.

 

After prep:

5f6a65906dae7_CompleteRedo.thumb.jpg.f89a388c3824850fcce39e74c45a5956.jpg

Incredible find!:drool:

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Agreed that must have been a great day when you found it.

“If fossils are not "boggling" your mind then you are simply not doing it right” -Ken (digit)

"No fossil is garbage, it´s just not completely preserved” -Franz (FranzBernhard)

"With hammer in hand, the open horizon of time, and dear friends by my side, what can we not accomplish together?" -Kane (Kane)

"We are in a way conquering time, reuniting members of a long lost family" -Quincy (Opabinia Blues)

"I loved reading the trip reports, I loved the sharing, I loved the educational aspect, I loved the humor. It felt like home. It still does" -Mike (Pagurus)

“The best deal I ever got was getting accepted as a member on The Fossil Forum. Not only got an invaluable pool of knowledge, but gained a loving family as well.” -Doren (caldigger)

"it really is nice, to visit the oasis that is TFF" -Tim (fossildude19)

"Life's Good! -Adam (Tidgy's Dad)

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@Titan 

 

Who made the identification as Plioplatecarpus?

 

Congratulations on a spectacular find!

The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true.  -  JJ

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@RuMert Thank you - looking back I'm glad I took a few pictures.

 

@Familyroadtrip Thanks!

 

@Top Trilo Thank you, yes it was but also challenging and surreal. My journal entry for the start of the day was "In search of Dragons" and at the end of the day my entry was, "Be prepared as you might actually find them."

 

@Randyw Thanks!

 

@Ptychodus04 Thanks again. Can't say it enough, but that must have been quite the challenge and you made it look easy. 

 

@JohnJ Thank you! I did the identification as best I could. I haven't reached out to a professional and my identification may be wrong, but I thought it looked similar enough to confidently label it into the Plioplatecarpus genus based on the dentary having a relatively long projection anterior to first tooth as well as the total dentary tooth count and shape.

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