Dimitris Posted December 5, 2020 Share Posted December 5, 2020 It's been a long time since I wanted to visit that site. Situated 500kms away from my home was the only reason for the delay. It is among the 5 geosites in Bulgaria where you can spot the K/T boundary, a thin layer of approximately 3cm rich in iridium, dark colour and clayish/Ash texture. I never saw spotted Anyway, the place is beautiful, similar to the south coast of Britain. I would call it Dorset of the Black Sea. As you may notice, the whole formation is made off loose sediments that are prone to landslides. The ideal places to look for fossils are at the bottom and near the debris of fallen boulders. Many traces of Upper Cretaceous ammos but nothing worth keeping. In situ echinoid, eroded by the waves. I kept this one. Some partial echinoids which I left so that others can determine the formation. My first complete Echinocorys sp. Very good preservation. Danian age The rest echinoids I collected. The one on top is within the matrix, but since next week I will have air pen and compressor, I thought to collect. This formation is supposed to be the most major echinoid site in Bulgaria. I guess due to many fossil hunting, the yield is low. Or I wasn't in the right place since its my first time here. Anyway, the sea is very beautiful there. If you are not convinced to come for fossil hunting, you may still come after June just for the beach. The place is well connected to the UK through Burgas Airport. Hope you liked the trip, I really enjoyed a warm day by the sea far away from freezing temperatures of Sofia! 17 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpc Posted December 5, 2020 Share Posted December 5, 2020 Thanks for this nice tour. Your posts make me want to come visit..... What about that red ammonite in the first photo? Is it an ammonite? and did you collect it? 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted December 5, 2020 Share Posted December 5, 2020 Great report, pictures, and finds! Looks like a lovely place to hunt. Thanks for posting this. 1 Tim - VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER VFOTM --- APRIL - 2015 __________________________________________________ "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~ ><))))( *> About Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dimitris Posted December 5, 2020 Author Share Posted December 5, 2020 44 minutes ago, jpc said: Thanks for this nice tour. Your posts make me want to come visit..... What about that red ammonite in the first photo? Is it an ammonite? and did you collect it? Thanks! Indeed it's a small ammo, size less than 2cm and very fragile. Left in situ as it didn't spark any interest and will help me tomorrow find again the Maastrichtian outcrop. 44 minutes ago, Fossildude19 said: Great report, pictures, and finds! Looks like a lovely place to hunt. Thanks for posting this. You are welcome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpc Posted December 5, 2020 Share Posted December 5, 2020 9 minutes ago, Dimitris said: Thanks! Indeed it's a small ammo, size less than 2cm and very fragile. Left in situ as it didn't spark any interest and will help me tomorrow find again the Maastrichtian outcrop. You are welcome! Well, then I will be right over to collect it. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted December 5, 2020 Share Posted December 5, 2020 Super location photos, what a lovely beach. Love those echinoids too and the colour of that ammonite is fabulous. Thanks for sharing. 1 1 Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted December 5, 2020 Share Posted December 5, 2020 Thanks for taking us along. Lovely location! 1 Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuMert Posted December 5, 2020 Share Posted December 5, 2020 Nice scenery, another Jurassic coast there. Bulgaria is famous for echinoids, yours are great 1 My sites & reports Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
traveltip1 Posted December 6, 2020 Share Posted December 6, 2020 Great echis 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troodon Posted December 6, 2020 Share Posted December 6, 2020 Definitely a place I would love to visit. Thanks for the photos and tour 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dimitris Posted December 6, 2020 Author Share Posted December 6, 2020 22 hours ago, jpc said: Well, then I will be right over to collect it. Will be waiting you, unless the sea devours it first! 21 hours ago, Tidgy's Dad said: Super location photos, what a lovely beach. Love those echinoids too and the colour of that ammonite is fabulous. Thanks for sharing. Adam the whole place is like paradise! 21 hours ago, Ludwigia said: Thanks for taking us along. Lovely location! Thank you Roger! 18 hours ago, RuMert said: Nice scenery, another Jurassic coast there. Bulgaria is famous for echinoids, yours are great Thanks a lot! Actually it is Cretaceous (end) to Tertiary boundary. But the scenery is more or less the same. 3 hours ago, traveltip1 said: Great echis 3 hours ago, Troodon said: Definitely a place I would love to visit. Thanks for the photos and tour Thank you guys! I have already started cleaning and identification. There is a great post for this process here, helped me a lot. (1leva coin is one inch) I think this small one is Echinocorys sulcatus This one got my attention, but cannot find equivalent picture to compare. I took it out from the bottom of the formation so might be Maastrichtian. I will visit the place again, soon as I get a decent 4X4. My normal car is not capable of accessing every possible location. Maybe around May so that I can enjoy the sea as well! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica Posted December 20, 2020 Share Posted December 20, 2020 The echinoids are great, and the colour of that ammonite is out-of-this-world!!! Thanks for showing us! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dimitris Posted December 23, 2020 Author Share Posted December 23, 2020 On 20/12/2020 at 2:56 PM, Monica said: The echinoids are great, and the colour of that ammonite is out-of-this-world!!! Thanks for showing us! Thank you Monica! I promise to search the place again in hope to find a bigger ammonite like this. Usually, they are very fragile so I will come prepared with paraloid to stabilise in situ. 3 weeks have passed since collection but now I have eventually my new toys, a silent compressor and a W224 pen, so the fossils wont wait a lifetime on the shelf to be prepared. 1st one turned out to be a nice Echinocorys sp, most possibly, E. sulcatus Paleocene - Danian Here are all Echinocorys that have been found at this specific section. (Echinocorys sulcatus, Echinocorys sulcatus sulcatus, Echinocorys sulcatus orbiculatus, Echinocorys renngorteni, Echinocorys edhemi, Echinocorys legindensis, Echlnocorys douvillei) There is some growth on the urchin that is probably from other life form, maybe sea lily or something similar. You can see it on the picture above, just between 6 and 7cm of the ruler. Can be seen on the picture below at almost 9cm. 2nd one is Echinocorys edhemi Paleocene - Danian Found at the same section as the other above. 3rd one was extracted directly from the formation. The section is called Byala 2b and was at the very base of the formation, making it Maastrichtian. I have no doubt about that, since next to it, found that little ammo shown within the field report. I have no idea of what this echinoid might be. I assume it has been either tectonically deformed or was cracked and then fossilised. I hope someone would be able to guide me a little! Scientific reference: GEOLOGICA BALCANICA, 30. 1-2, Sofia, Jun. 2000, p. 49-57 Link: https://www.geologica-balcanica.eu/sites/default/files/articles/GB(2000)_30_1-2_pp.49-57 (Ilieva).pdf Tanya Ilieva 3 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dimitris Posted December 29, 2020 Author Share Posted December 29, 2020 Prepped the last one from the site. It is the big one I quote below. Seunaster sp. I think. It is not the perfect fossil, but it is my first preparation using mostly air scribe. I cut the stone using a cutting wheel, in order to make it free standing. The colour was different in situ as you can see. This warm brown was possible only when wet with sea water (WHY???). However the application of resin was necessary as the urchin was already weathered. Lastly, the ammo is red-orange as the organic material was replaced by hematite. This tip was given by a local friend. Most possible, this topic will remain silent until Spring, when I promise to find more species and cross fingers, one nice and big ammo of this locality! On 5/12/2020 at 5:24 PM, Dimitris said: In situ echinoid, eroded by the waves. I kept this one. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badeend Posted January 4, 2021 Share Posted January 4, 2021 Hello Dimitri’s, You shouldn t hit your thumb! That hurts! Nice location and fonds. Thans for showing! greetings Walter 1 “If you can't explain it to a six year old, you don't understand it yourself.” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dimitris Posted January 6, 2021 Author Share Posted January 6, 2021 On 4/1/2021 at 11:32 PM, badeend said: Hello Dimitri’s, You shouldn t hit your thumb! That hurts! Nice location and fonds. Thans for showing! greetings Walter Thanks Walter! That mark on my nail is older, mid October. I was wearing protective gloves but the blow was very strong, was fighting with hard Cretaceous limestone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phevo Posted January 6, 2021 Share Posted January 6, 2021 Looks exactly like Stevns in Denmark exept for the sandy beach and nice weather ;P the K/T boundary is also exposed there Are there any quarries in the area? That's were a lot of specimens are found in Denmark at least Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dimitris Posted January 7, 2021 Author Share Posted January 7, 2021 21 hours ago, Phevo said: Looks exactly like Stevns in Denmark exept for the sandy beach and nice weather ;P the K/T boundary is also exposed there Are there any quarries in the area? That's were a lot of specimens are found in Denmark at least Well, the nice weather is not always observed. It depends mostly upon the wind. There are some quarries, one of which I plan to visit. This one is located 30kms (on map) NW of Byala. This one seems abandoned (from Google). 2-3 more pits exist around but I can see machinery so I guess they are using them. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dimitris Posted March 27, 2022 Author Share Posted March 27, 2022 This was my last chapter in Byala, 5.3.22. Of course I don't mean I will never visit the place; I just don't plan to travel 400kms for this specific formation. My echinoid lust has been cured We started on Friday with a friend and we met more friends there the next day. The weather was really mixed - on our way, there was heavy snowfall. The next day was just cold. The morning hunting was not very productive for me, although I extracted a nice cretaceous sample. The early evening though, paid off. My friend suggested to search on the steep hills and we managed to collect some very neat specimen, some direct from the formation, others embedded in small terraces on the cliff. Here is a video from the terrace of the cliff, probably around 50-70mts from the sea level. The hiking is quite hard, but the view and the echinoids are amazing! VID_20220312_153436.mp4 The "as found" state of the echinoids is rather disappointing, just round rocks. The proper process of cleaning, which I was not aware, is with KOH, then curing with acid and lastly, applying a buffer of bicarb and water. These large Danian echinoids, the majority of them must be Echinocorys edhemi, during the process of KOH. The argile layer becomes soft like mud and you can peel it off with just water. All details are preserved - brilliant. Here are all my tiny Danian echinoids collected on this excursion. Sizes range between 1.5-4cm. This one needs a little blasting for the last traces of clay. I decided to keep this one on matrix. One of my favourites. Such a great detail The next two are from last year, however I cleaned them now. First is Danian, next one Cretaceous. My bigger, Cretaceous samples. The samples of this period are more rare, since this layer is not so exposed. Additionally, the preservation is not always good and the echinoids are more fragile. Here is a rare one. One side is partial preserved, the other is almost destroyed and the echinoid is compressed. Another one partially preserved from last year. Needs to be stabilised soon. Here are the large Danians, resting after KOH. Some will need sandblasting, others are almost ready. This one is completely clean, my largest so far. Hope you enjoyed the finds. More impressive will follow after summer. Different locality and age (Priabonian). 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darktooth Posted March 27, 2022 Share Posted March 27, 2022 This was a very nice report with great pictures! Thanks for sharing your adventure!oops like an awesome place to visit. 1 I like Trilo-butts and I cannot lie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dimitris Posted January 15, 2023 Author Share Posted January 15, 2023 Some rearranging of my echinoids from Byala. Since I finished collecting there, I thought to display these urchins in a fancier way. I will soon make a label on the side with the species. First row, Cretaceous, the rest are Danian. 2 13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phevo Posted January 16, 2023 Share Posted January 16, 2023 (edited) Thanks for the trip report, really interesting to see a site at the same time period but different locality and the nice finds I have been to Stevns klint in Denmark that also exposes the K/T boundary, finds are similar but the matrix from your location seem to be more similar to what I have experienced in Germany's Campanien A paleontologist in Denmark taught me not to apply any amount of acid to prepare echinoids. As the shell itself consists of Calcite, the acid will react with it and dissolve the finer details from the echinoid, tubercles and surface texture are lost in the process Really like the way you have chosen to have your display Edited January 16, 2023 by Phevo 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuMert Posted January 16, 2023 Share Posted January 16, 2023 Nice presentation, look like a museum 1 2 My sites & reports Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon Posted January 16, 2023 Share Posted January 16, 2023 13 hours ago, Dimitris said: Some rearranging of my echinoids from Byala. Since I finished collecting there, I thought to display these urchins in a fancier way. I will soon make a label on the side with the species. First row, Cretaceous, the rest are Danian. 5 hours ago, RuMert said: Nice presentation, look like a museum Indeed! Awesome display! 1 'There's nothing like millions of years of really frustrating trial and error to give a species moral fibre and, in some cases, backbone' -- Terry Pratchett Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilDAWG Posted January 16, 2023 Share Posted January 16, 2023 What a unique and impressive display! Don 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now