RuMert Posted May 1, 2021 Share Posted May 1, 2021 (edited) Hi all! Those who follow my reports know I was planning another trip to Ulyanovsk in spring. Well, here is the report, in continuation of 1, 2 and 3. This time I was on the shore for 3 days. In short, the weather was fine, the ice abundant, the competition high and the finds scarce. The trip felt more like an extravagant outing than a productive fossil hunt Edited May 1, 2021 by RuMert 5 My sites & reports Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuMert Posted May 1, 2021 Author Share Posted May 1, 2021 (edited) The hunt this early is determined by the water level in the reservoir. In April the ice still stands while the snow has mostly melted (not in the woods). Melting of the ice cover creates lots of creeks and landslides and the water level, which is low in the beginning, is promptly lifted (naturally and on purpose) Edited May 1, 2021 by RuMert 6 My sites & reports Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuMert Posted May 1, 2021 Author Share Posted May 1, 2021 (edited) Wildlife Edited May 1, 2021 by RuMert 7 My sites & reports Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilDAWG Posted May 1, 2021 Share Posted May 1, 2021 Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuMert Posted May 1, 2021 Author Share Posted May 1, 2021 (edited) Much less empty shore than I expected, lots of live landslides, lots of thick mud, guys looking for fossils Edited May 1, 2021 by RuMert 1 6 My sites & reports Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuMert Posted May 1, 2021 Author Share Posted May 1, 2021 (edited) Now we have the same conditions as in the Jurassic Coast. The site is picked over and all what's left are worse ammonites and bivalves, small belemnites, worn fossils in big blocks not worth the time extracting (including vertebrate material) Edited May 1, 2021 by RuMert 2 6 My sites & reports Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuMert Posted May 1, 2021 Author Share Posted May 1, 2021 (edited) I still managed to find stuff, but less than I thought. Mostly worn ammos, aptichi which are of no interest to anyone, overlooked verts most of the finds two associated ichthyosaur verts the biggest aptychus I've seen a nice belemnite^^ a pliosaur cervical vert a sizable ichthyosaur atlas-axis complex, the 1st I found some other finds Edited May 2, 2021 by RuMert 4 6 My sites & reports Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuMert Posted May 1, 2021 Author Share Posted May 1, 2021 Thanks for reading! 1 6 My sites & reports Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClearLake Posted May 1, 2021 Share Posted May 1, 2021 Very nice! Sorry the pickings weren’t better but you still came away with several nice items. I like that big ammonite still in the rock, that would be a chore to haul out of there! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crusty_Crab Posted May 1, 2021 Share Posted May 1, 2021 45 minutes ago, RuMert said: I still managed to find stuff, but much less than I thought. Mostly worn ammos, aptichi which are of no interest to anyone, overlooked verts most of the finds 2 associated ichthyosaur verts biggest aptych I've seen a nice belemnite^^ a pliosaur cervical vert ichthyosaur atlas-axis complex, the 1st I've found Glad to see a little ice and snow is no deterrent to fellow fossil hunters! Nice "belemnite" is it some sort of anchor for a footing that came loose? Where I typically hunt in the desert, a cylindrical object with a metal pin sticking out of it would be cause to back away slowly, since much of the area was used as munitions and live fire training. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuMert Posted May 1, 2021 Author Share Posted May 1, 2021 It was definitely used as a sinker, but what is it in the 1st place I don't know. Something for industrial use My sites & reports Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpc Posted May 1, 2021 Share Posted May 1, 2021 Thanks for the fun report. I always enjoy vicariously fossiling in Russia with you. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted May 1, 2021 Share Posted May 1, 2021 Great scenery and I love that belemnite Pity the excursion didn't live up to your expectations. Thanks for sharing anyway. 1 Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Praefectus Posted May 1, 2021 Share Posted May 1, 2021 Great finds! Thank you for the trip report. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted May 1, 2021 Share Posted May 1, 2021 I really love these reports. Thank you. But I'd be very happy to find some aptychi, never have............. 1 Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuMert Posted May 1, 2021 Author Share Posted May 1, 2021 (edited) 4 hours ago, Ludwigia said: Pity the excursion didn't live up to your expectations. Mainly because I expected an easy walk and wasn't ready enough. The site showed it still had aces up it's sleeve. I'm sure the next time will bring the final resolution of this case, but unfortunately waiting for it can take years.Well, that's the point of smart fossil hunting. Edited May 2, 2021 by RuMert My sites & reports Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuMert Posted May 1, 2021 Author Share Posted May 1, 2021 (edited) 12 minutes ago, Tidgy's Dad said: I'd be very happy to find some aptychi, never have. Depends on the period, ammo type and preservation. These big pyritized aptychi are unique for this site and connected to Aspidoceratidae ammonites. In most other families the aptychi are not preserved. But they sometimes can be found in body chambers if various small ammonites. BTW they are better preserved there than the ammos themselves Edited May 1, 2021 by RuMert 1 My sites & reports Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilDAWG Posted May 1, 2021 Share Posted May 1, 2021 Thanks for taking us along! I'd find it hard to resist some of those big ammonites. Perhaps a boat could get you to where people on foot couldn't reach? Don 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted May 1, 2021 Share Posted May 1, 2021 51 minutes ago, RuMert said: These big pyritized aptychi are unique for this site and connected to Aspidoceratidae ammonites They are also unique in many sites where Aspidoceratidae occur, like at my Kimmeridgian site in the Danube Valley for instance. I've always wondered why they are so common there, although a lot of other ammonites at different stratigraphical levels had them, but they don't occur nearly so often. 1 Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aek Posted May 1, 2021 Share Posted May 1, 2021 Hey, nice trip report and fossils. I typically only find one or two good fossils per trip...if I'm lucky. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilcrazy Posted May 2, 2021 Share Posted May 2, 2021 Fun seeing other member's hunting grounds. Nice vurtual tour. Don't be surprized of someone visits your super remote secret collecting site. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuMert Posted May 2, 2021 Author Share Posted May 2, 2021 3 hours ago, FossilDAWG said: Perhaps a boat could get you to where people on foot couldn't reach? An icebreaker then:) I could access all I wanted but sometimes it wasn't that easy My sites & reports Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuMert Posted May 2, 2021 Author Share Posted May 2, 2021 2 hours ago, Ludwigia said: they don't occur nearly so often Probably Aspidoceratidae had a thicker calcite layer (btw you can hunt for aptychi with UV light). Aptychi are also common here in Upper Oxfordian (Euaspidoceras, relatives), but not that common and not pyritized as in Kimmeridgian (while the ammonites are often pyritized). They look like thin paper 1 My sites & reports Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuMert Posted May 2, 2021 Author Share Posted May 2, 2021 (edited) 11 hours ago, fossilcrazy said: Don't be surprized of someone visits your super remote secret collecting site Well, the site is well-known among scientists and general public, there are locals collecting regularly so secrecy is of no use. I have a few thoughts for the next trip though Edited May 2, 2021 by RuMert My sites & reports Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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