A successful trip to Villa de Leyva, Colombia

[ColombianFossils]

Hi all, some of you may remember a while back I took a trip to Villa de Leyva to see the Kronosaurus and have a little go at finding some fossils myself. The town is renowned for its ammonites and other fossils, and you can find them in the streets and walls all over. I've included some pictures of these 'load bearing' ammonites here and the main square. The first time around I was close, finding a tiny imprint of an ammonite in a round nodule. This got me excited but I was ultimately left disappointed.

 

This second trip was a total departure and more successful than I could have hoped for. After four hours of searching in the blazing sun, I finally found the spot i'd been looking for. More details below.

 

 

[Titan]

Beautiful, thank you for sharing!

[ColombianFossils]

To set the scene, here are some pics of the area in which these ammonites can be found. There are scores of these beautiful foothills around, though the majority are now private property. They are filled with Septarian nodules (also pictured).

I'll stop teasing and post what I found now! Loads of partial ammonites and a large block with multiple imprints(edit: also see below I found a complete one while I was cleaning them!). I'm so pleased as they are a lot larger than any I found when I used to live in the UK

Edited May 17, 2021 by ColombianFossils
A hidden discovery in my finds!

[ColombianFossils]

6 minutes ago, Titan said:

Beautiful, thank you for sharing!

Thanks Titan! 

[Ludwigia]

Very interesting! What are the chances of finding complete ammonites?

[Tidgy's Dad]

Fascinating and congratulations on your finds. 

It's not often we see Colombian locations and fossils so this is a treat.

[ColombianFossils]

4 hours ago, Ludwigia said:

Very interesting! What are the chances of finding complete ammonites?

I think it's very doable just a bit more of an invasive process that would involve scraping back the loose layers on top to reveal untouched rock underneath. The site is by the side of a 'road' so I've just been picking bits up by eye so far. I'll definitely be trying this next time I can make it up there and will report back here with the results! 

[ColombianFossils]

3 hours ago, Tidgy's Dad said:

Fascinating and congratulations on your finds. 

It's not often we see Colombian locations and fossils so this is a treat.

Thank you! I will definitely be posting more after my next trip  I've been invited to a dig in the Tatacoa desert

[Tidgy's Dad]

1 hour ago, ColombianFossils said:

Thank you! I will definitely be posting more after my next trip  I've been invited to a dig in the Tatacoa desert

[jpc]

Nice finds, and thanks for sharing.  Now you need to build a rock wall.  

[ColombianFossils]

16 minutes ago, jpc said:

Nice finds, and thanks for sharing.  Now you need to build a rock wall.  

Haha I do! I just realised I did find a (very near) complete ammonite in the end, it surprised me when I was cleaning it up

10 hours ago, Ludwigia said:

Very interesting! What are the chances of finding complete ammonites?

Speaking of... Turns out I did find one! 

[ColombianFossils]

I had an incredibly exciting day today. I decided to tap into the large block of ammonite imprints, having felt like there was more to it. Luckily I was right, check it out! You can see the block it came out of and me being very excited about it 

[RJB]

love all the pictures and a very interesting stone wall too!

 

RB

[ColombianFossils]

2 hours ago, RJB said:

love all the pictures and a very interesting stone wall too!

 

RB

Thanks RB, yes they love making walls o ammonites here. At the local museum, Él Fósil, the entire wall of the car park is made from ammonites which is a sight to behold in itself