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Shoal Creek, Austin TX Micro Fossils


JamieLynn

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I grew up in Austin, going to Shoal Creek and Barton Creek and my local backyard creek, picking up the odd fossil or rock and stashing it away. It has only been recently (within the last 8 years) that I really got interested in Paleontology and finding out about the formations and proper fossil names etc....so it's been fun to revisit a lot of the places I went as a kid and see them in a whole new light.  When the Paleontological Society of Austin used to hold meetings in person, I'd go up to Austin early and go fossil hunting in Shoal Creek - it has easy access and is a hop skip and a jump from the meeting house. And I've found a lot of great stuff there - ammonites, echinoids, etc..

 

But....now I have discovered the world of Microfossils! So I got myself a gallon baggie of creek matrix, not really knowing what to expect aside from the ever present Ram's Horn Oysters (Illymatogyra arietina) which are found in the millions there. And WOW.....I was astounded! Lots of great stuff from the various formations that make up Shoal Creek - Buda, Georgetown, Eagle Ford and Del Rio/Grayson.  Some of the fossils I can pinpoint to specific formations, others, not so much. So here are my favorite Shoal Creek Micro Fossil Finds!

 

First up- The Crab Claws! So many little tiny crab claws of all kind of species. These are all 3-5 mm

1118034321_CrabClawUnknownAShoalCkDelRio(KTXCRU0501)(1).thumb.jpg.c5138b9be9f0db3a2f203e3d4091a086.jpg

836567443_CrabclawUnknownDShoalCkKTXCRI053(1).thumb.jpg.fe9c2924b2340f7efb4c2b6e70caf06f.jpg

815318427_CrabClawUnknownCShoalCkDelRioKTXCRU052(1).thumb.jpg.2c2743ee0077b3fc996f4c11e0f9366d.jpg

 

And the Brittlestar arm segments! Ophiuria sp. I found the first one and was so excited...and then I found an even longer segment! 6mm

171426054_StarfishOphiuraspBrittlestarDelRioShoalCkKTXSTA016(2).thumb.jpg.14b80b0ae81e96858447e01d6d19b7d4.jpg

890728750_StarfishOphiuraspBrittlestarDelRioShoalCkKTXSTA016(3).thumb.jpg.cdd536b2aab928b127117837e0d13503.jpg

 

The first segment I found (thanks to @erose for the ID)

 

1765583593_StarfishBrittlestarOphiuraShoalCkDelRioKTXSTA015(6).thumb.jpg.e524f1d0abf0fc89bd05b3c2ac67de2d.jpg

849388084_StarfishBrittlestarOphiuraShoalCkDelRioKTXSTA015(1).thumb.jpg.28b866cfca7f111cc42f98e6e9af009f.jpg

 

Next favorite - Floating Crinoids! 

 Roveacrinus signatus   3mm

504930077_CrinoidRoveacrinussignatusAShoalCkKTXCRI025(1).thumb.jpg.bbc86d37a9851597b72ef3e707902d38.jpg

 


Another one, but with more goblet shape : Roveacrinus signatus   3mm

 

566134814_CrinoidRoveacrinussignatusCShoalCkKTXCRI026(3).thumb.jpg.9a0ae3b532b3ee082b01b7fd4addd880.jpg

Plotocrinus spiculatus  2mm

712330327_CrinoidPlotocrinusspiculatusCKTXCRI023.thumb.jpg.70552cc36519262a3d27aedbc5ae69ea.jpg

Not completely sure about the ID on this one. I think it's Drepanocrinus paroculus 3mm

703275434_CrinoidDrepanocrinusparoculusShoalCkDelRioKTXCRI022(1).thumb.jpg.b0b0aec9b9605ec4cda6a9a2521047aa.jpg

 

Some little tiny teeth. I did find ONE broken shark tooth, just the blade, but it's my first Shark Tooth from Shoal Creek! 

My most exciting tooth find - Ray Pseudohypolophus ellipsis  3mm

68804299_RayPseudohypolophusellipsisShoalCk(1).thumb.jpg.3df12ab3ae93d3b0237e3e6293cc4ebe.jpg

807849972_RayPseudohypolophusellipsisShoalCk(3).thumb.jpg.450a3a9f793a5c5cf722e0ba2b640502.jpg

 

A couple of unknown Fish Teeth 2mm

1342628532_toothb.thumb.jpg.626cc37bd2aba16fb9fa2b2aaa27fd61.jpg

 

534639273_ToothShoalCk(2).thumb.jpg.676e77425b43967e08cfca2b4dd7b01c.jpg

 Not sure if this is a denticle or tooth: 3mm

444921728_SharkShoalCk(3).thumb.jpg.0beab9075e4cc7b10ae136bb5c19779e.jpg

A couple of little vertebrae:  4mm

2037427554_vertaa.thumb.jpg.b2d2eb586c79e0bf344d85f641fdf781.jpg

 

982687696_VertShoalCk.thumb.jpg.54f381c94f4489b1be34f733c15df237.jpg

Some funky little Foraminifera: Nodosaria sp.

Size 4mm

964143415_ForamNodosariaShoalCkKTXFOR010(1).thumb.jpg.baa90d21423cc500fde00010adc77fea.jpg

3mm

611420394_ForamNodosariaShoalCk.KTXFOR011.thumb.jpg.eceeff130d070c77b41b087a08ff1dee.jpg

An interesting chunk of what I think is Bryozoan. 

Size 2mm

98295206_BryozoanAShoalCkKTXBRY006(1).thumb.jpg.675b28bd0d0984b69833195f456ec981.jpg

And finally, some little gastropods.

6mm

1233749895_GastropodUnknownDelRioShoalCkKTXGAS160(3).thumb.jpg.d708d7de6709afda48f6020298bfe6f4.jpg

 

1395405373_GastropodBShoalCkDelRio(2).thumb.jpg.64c3475cffe29f41aed7f63038997ff4.jpg

 

I can't wait to go back and get another baggie full of matrix! 

 

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Sweet! What was your methodology here? Did you sift and look at what drained out from sifting? I have a bucket that I lugged up from walnut creek that's full of gravel and matrix, and it's a little intimidating to start

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“Not only is the universe stranger than we think, it is stranger than we can think” -Werner Heisenberg 

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Awesome finds! Thank you for sharing. The brittlestar arm segments and floating crinoids are really cool. Great work with the micros!

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Follow me on Instagram (@fossil_mike) to check out my personal collection of fossils collected and acquired over more than 15 years of fossil hunting!

 

 

 

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8 minutes ago, Jared C said:

Sweet! What was your methodology here? Did you sift and look at what drained out from sifting? I have a bucket that I lugged up from walnut creek that's full of gravel and matrix, and it's a little intimidating to start

 I wash it all in a big bucket and then strain through a screen to get all the dirt and silt off. Let that dry really well and then start viewing under my microscope camera (it's a Celestron that plugs right into my computer, so visual is on the computer screen).  I do usually chuck out the bigger rocks, but do look at them first, because you never know when somethings in there! 

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Awesome work, Jamie! 

 

Caution!  Roveacrinids are a "rabbit hole" of delicate beauty...your camera can become addicted.  :D

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

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8 minutes ago, JohnJ said:

Awesome work, Jamie! 

 

Caution!  Roveacrinids are a "rabbit hole" of delicate beauty...your camera can become addicted.  :D

oh my gosh yes!!! I admit, my camera is indeed addicted! 

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39 minutes ago, JohnJ said:

Awesome work, Jamie! 

 

Caution!  Roveacrinids are a "rabbit hole" of delicate beauty...your camera can become addicted.  :D

Beware the hungry hungry camera! 

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Nice photos and interesting post, Jaimie! :)

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    Tim    VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER

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  • 6 months later...
On 9/16/2021 at 1:41 PM, JamieLynn said:

Not sure if this is a denticle or tooth: 3mm

444921728_SharkShoalCk(3).thumb.jpg.0beab9075e4cc7b10ae136bb5c19779e.jpg

If you still have this, can you please post more angles of it? No worries if you don't have more photos, I know it must be a hassle to take photos of these micro fossils. Also, did you find this in Eagle Ford or Del Rio?

Edited by Jared C

“Not only is the universe stranger than we think, it is stranger than we can think” -Werner Heisenberg 

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@Jared C - Pretty sure this is Eagle Ford. Being in a creek with Del Rio, Buda, Georgetown and Eagle Ford all exposed upstream, I can't be 100 percent sure. I THINK it's a broken cusp of a larger tooth.  Here are other angles.
1476936073_SharkShoalCk(1).thumb.jpg.9c60227188d94aff30df73cbd2ae906a.jpg

1694668117_SharkShoalCk(2).thumb.jpg.aa16567463088e8df7e75ce8a6e981c9.jpg

153145843_SharkShoalCk(3).thumb.jpg.619a65fbc186f84ff67e9823d023aee8.jpg

736010976_SharkShoalCk(4).thumb.jpg.b5f6ddd4c0e84d3c31e3cd5ba5feb837.jpg

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2 minutes ago, JamieLynn said:

I THINK it's a broken cusp of a larger tooth

 

I think you are right.

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