Brett Breakin' Rocks Posted January 30, 2021 Share Posted January 30, 2021 Woah ... ! .. this is where dedication and crazy do the dance in Winter. You sir, are a bit of both. Nice finds ! Cheers, Brett 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuMert Posted January 30, 2021 Author Share Posted January 30, 2021 10 minutes ago, jpc said: RuMert-inspired trip Sounds dangerous Here there are some people who actually visit abandoned quarries in winter and search under snow. It's more like personal challenge My sites & reports Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas.Dodson Posted January 30, 2021 Share Posted January 30, 2021 14 minutes ago, jpc said: Your post got me thinking... can I do a winter trip some of my favorite sites? It's frustrating, isn't it? This winter is the most mild here I've had in my life and I can't quite shake the idea of trying these winter trips as well. The ground is still solid so that limits a lot of it. The snow has been so light that it is borderline being able to surface collect. I was looking at this weekend originally but some additional snow showers have changed my mind. It's still close to doable though... I've been wondering about some bluffs and cuts on frozen rivers myself. The ones I'm thinking of are mostly filled with Fox Hills concretions which would probably stand out even amongst the snow. I wouldn't have access to any under the river ice though... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kane Posted January 30, 2021 Share Posted January 30, 2021 I have about a metre of snow atop 100+ metres of glacial till. If there was bedrock a bit closer to the surface, I'd be digging, too. 1 ...How to Philosophize with a Hammer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpc Posted January 30, 2021 Share Posted January 30, 2021 1 hour ago, Thomas.Dodson said: It's frustrating, isn't it? This winter is the most mild here I've had in my life and I can't quite shake the idea of trying these winter trips as well. The ground is still solid so that limits a lot of it. The snow has been so light that it is borderline being able to surface collect. I was looking at this weekend originally but some additional snow showers have changed my mind. It's still close to doable though... I've been wondering about some bluffs and cuts on frozen rivers myself. The ones I'm thinking of are mostly filled with Fox Hills concretions which would probably stand out even amongst the snow. I wouldn't have access to any under the river ice though... Let's go... I can be there in 6 hours. : ) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
traveltip1 Posted January 30, 2021 Share Posted January 30, 2021 That siphuncle is amazing 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossilis Willis Posted January 31, 2021 Share Posted January 31, 2021 I am simultaneously envious of your winter wonderland and thankful for the relatively mild winters here in western Washington. As far as the ammonites go, I feel pure envy. Thanks for sharing. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffrey P Posted January 31, 2021 Share Posted January 31, 2021 Really nice finds (as usual for you). Congratulations. Yes, there are a few of us crazy ones out there collected in harsh conditions. I and frankh8147 were standing in a stream last Saturday in 0 degrees Celsius wondering why we were cold. Oh, did I mention the wind chill factor? By the way, I love the ammonites and the Gramatodon. That siphuncle is quite amazing. I never saw one preserved like that before. Thanks for sharing and great photos. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allosaurus Posted January 31, 2021 Share Posted January 31, 2021 Wow, great trip report. And I'm definitely a smidge jealous you have such a cool site accessible in the winter haha. Really nice ammonites! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK hiker Posted January 31, 2021 Share Posted January 31, 2021 No fossil hunting this time of year here so thought enjoy seeing your finds. It will be late May before the snow in the mountains has melted enough to safely get back to the Cretaceous ammo beds. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Opuntia Posted January 31, 2021 Share Posted January 31, 2021 Whoa! Awesome finds 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sjfriend Posted January 31, 2021 Share Posted January 31, 2021 21 minutes ago, AK hiker said: No fossil hunting this time of year here so thought enjoy seeing your finds. It will be late May before the snow in the mountains has melted enough to safely get back to the Cretaceous ammo beds. Yep, my beach site is frozen solid for quite a while still lol. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuMert Posted January 31, 2021 Author Share Posted January 31, 2021 Thank you everybody! 24 minutes ago, AK hiker said: It will be late May before the snow in the mountains has melted enough I enjoyed the Alaskan reports, it brings another dimension to fossil hunting My sites & reports Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dimitris Posted January 31, 2021 Share Posted January 31, 2021 Amazing as usual! If you need a dig man, sign me up!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilNerd Posted February 1, 2021 Share Posted February 1, 2021 Nice report and finds! I always enjoy reading through your trip reports and this one did not disappoint. Thanks for sharing. 1 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) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EscarpmentMary Posted February 1, 2021 Share Posted February 1, 2021 Thankyou for your report. I like travelling vicariously with you, I might add, while I sip my coffee under an electric warming blanket The colors are striking on the ammonites! is this caused by the chemical makeup of the river bed gravel? also, and you may have answered these questions already, where in the world, say in relationship to the equator were the ammonites formed. Does anyone else think like me in terms of reproduction? Thankyou again, your photographs are excellent! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuMert Posted February 1, 2021 Author Share Posted February 1, 2021 1 hour ago, EscarpmentMary said: The colors are striking on the ammonites! is this caused by the chemical makeup of the river bed gravel? also, and you may have answered these questions already, where in the world, say in relationship to the equator were the ammonites formed Thank you very much! Such preservation is typical for the so-called "Jurassic clay" we have a lot here. This site also features pyritized fossils, which is not the case for example here, but the ammonites are also iridescent. Knowledgeable people blame it on aragonithic preservation. These ammos lived pretty much in the same location in relation to the equator which can be seen on the map below 1 My sites & reports Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Top Trilo Posted February 1, 2021 Share Posted February 1, 2021 Beautiful ammonites! @RuMert How many hours of sunlight do you have on the winter solstice? Unrelated question but how do you alaskans (@Sjfriend @AK hiker) get used to the 19+ hours of no sun a day? That's like the sun setting at 2:30 1 “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) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kane Posted February 1, 2021 Share Posted February 1, 2021 12 minutes ago, Top Trilo said: Beautiful ammonites! @RuMert How many hours of sunlight do you have on the winter solstice? Unrelated question but how do you alaskans (@Sjfriend @AK hiker) get used to the 19+ hours of no sun a day? That's like the sun setting at 2:30 Moscow had the shortest daytime at 7:00:17 on December 21. Here's a useful site where one can input city and date to determine length of day/night: https://www.timeanddate.com/sun/russia/moscow?month=12&year=2020 2 ...How to Philosophize with a Hammer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuMert Posted February 1, 2021 Author Share Posted February 1, 2021 12 minutes ago, Top Trilo said: Beautiful ammonites! @RuMert How many hours of sunlight do you have on the winter solstice? Thanks! 7 hrs. And 3 months under 9 hrs which is frustrating 1 My sites & reports Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kane Posted February 1, 2021 Share Posted February 1, 2021 24 minutes ago, RuMert said: Thanks! 7 hrs. And 3 months under 9 hrs which is frustrating It just means you work twice as hard in half the time! Efficient! 1 ...How to Philosophize with a Hammer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK hiker Posted February 1, 2021 Share Posted February 1, 2021 1 hour ago, Top Trilo said: Unrelated question but how do you alaskans (@Sjfriend @AK hiker) get used to the 19+ hours of no sun a day? That's like the sun setting at 2:30 Sleep now so can stay awake all summer Also important to have good winter hobbies. -17 F this am so I’m in the shop working on one of the airplanes. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpc Posted February 1, 2021 Share Posted February 1, 2021 1 hour ago, Top Trilo said: Beautiful ammonites! @RuMert How many hours of sunlight do you have on the winter solstice? Unrelated question but how do you alaskans (@Sjfriend @AK hiker) get used to the 19+ hours of no sun a day? That's like the sun setting at 2:30 At these latitudes (AK, Moscow) as the sun is swinging around the southern horizon it stays low in the sky so even at noon it is way down low, but the reverse is true, when it dips below the horizon, it is also going at a low angle so it is closeto the horizon for a good long time. Dusk lasts forever in these places, so when they have 7 hrs of sunlight, it is far from 17 hours of darkness. I have spent some time in Fairbanks in the dead of winter. That twilight has a certain magical glow to it. And then there is the Summer. I've done some field work near the equator and it is amazing how at 7 AM and 7 PM someone turns the lights on and off... zero twilight. That was shocking to me. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuMert Posted February 1, 2021 Author Share Posted February 1, 2021 13 hours ago, jpc said: 7 hrs of sunlight 7 hrs of cloudiness with clear sky coming with -20 C . 1 My sites & reports Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norki Posted February 1, 2021 Share Posted February 1, 2021 On 1/30/2021 at 12:36 PM, Thomas.Dodson said: I've been wondering about some bluffs and cuts on frozen rivers myself. The ones I'm thinking of are mostly filled with Fox Hills concretions which would probably stand out even amongst the snow. I wouldn't have access to any under the river ice though... Hey, I mean I found some Bearpaw concretions in the snow last winter, and they're basically the closest relatives to the Fox Hills stuff. I guess it all depends on the locality and the weather conditions more than anything, but I did find that it was still possible to find concretions near the cliff faces where there was less snow. In a sense, the snow actually made hunting a little easier, because the distracting gravels and erratics on the beach were covered, allowing me to instead focus my attention on the horizons near the cliff to make out the distinctive round shapes that I was looking for. These photos are a repost from another thread, but I think they show that snow doesn't always need to be an obstacle for finding fossils: 7 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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