Britton Formation: Site 1000

[Uncle Siphuncle]

During summer drought months I often scout for new sites, and this summer was no different.  I run all over the state for variety, and North Texas attracts a bit of my attention.  It can be fun retracing old sites by accessing old papers, but I get my kicks by developing my own hunches, then executing successful prospecting trips.  This site took me 2 long distance trips to pull together; one to scout and one to hunt.  New sites come at a cost, but in terms of lifestyle, the cost is well worth it.

 

Let’s cut straight to the action.  A few lone Sciponoceras gracile ammonites showed themselves early, followed by a sneaky little Ferroranina dichrous crab doing its best to hide in a siderite nodule.  But its carapace and claws gave it away.

[Uncle Siphuncle]

Next came an avalanche of ammonites dominated by Metoicoceras and punctuated by slabs of Sciponoceras logjams.

[Uncle Siphuncle]

A few more

[Uncle Siphuncle]

And what fossil party is not complete without bivalves, gastropods, and crustacean poop?

[RJB]

That one light colored ammo in the red rock is exceptional!  I would leave that just as it is.  Super nice that one.  and I think your crustation poop may be some kind of burrow?  The shrimps callianasa in the northwest would gather sand in their mouth parts and with some kind of 'spit' would make little balls and line their burrows with them making that pattern.  Something like that?

 

RB

[Uncle Siphuncle]

As mentioned, this marks my 1000th site logged in my lifetime collecting career, and a fitting one at that.  But with that milestone come some implications.

 

- Some sites are quarries, some gleaned from literature, some result from club trips or benevolent friends.  But 75% result from individual effort.

 

- Some of the sites logged in my nascent efforts I would not log now, due to paucity and/or condition of material. 
 

-  An overwhelming percentage of these sites no longer produce due to construction, access restrictions, internet chatter driving awareness, or to be honest, my own repeat visits.

 

- Some sites were only good the first visit, and weather so slowly that they won’t be worthwhile again for years.

 

- Some sites may still produce, but I’m not comfortable with access issues, so I’m content with first visit finds.  
 

- Fuel is expensive!

 

- So is having your truck stolen while collecting!

 

- So is a divorce from, in part, wandering the woods a bit too much.

 

So indeed, there is non trivial amount of investment (some involuntary) locked up in site log building.  

And I must say that since thrill of discovery dominates my paleo endeavors, other aspects have taken a back seat.  My ID skills could benefit from reinforcement as could my prep efforts, but those are things I can catch up on.  Dwindling site access is something that can’t wait, hence field time continues to get top focus from me. 

[Fossildude19]

Awesome report, and great finds, Dan!
Congratulations on the milestone, as it were.

[Top Trilo]

Awesome fossils, those ammonites are stunning. And congratulations on your 1000th site. A huge milestone.

[facehugger]

Over the years - I always learn so much from your posts. This formation is completely new to me. And those ammonites are beautiful. 

 

Pulling out the detective hat now...

[Uncle Siphuncle]

1 hour ago, RJB said:

That one light colored ammo in the red rock is exceptional!  I would leave that just as it is.  Super nice that one.  and I think your crustation poop may be some kind of burrow?  The shrimps callianasa in the northwest would gather sand in their mouth parts and with some kind of 'spit' would make little balls and line their burrows with them making that pattern.  Something like that?

 

RB

That shingle will get a hose blast before hanging on my wall at work, untrimmed.

 

Ophiomorpha may be the fecal pellet backfilled burrow, if memory serves.

[historianmichael]

Congratulations on the milestone! The red ammonites with white sutures are really pretty.

[jpc]

2 hours ago, Uncle Siphuncle said:

As mentioned, this marks my 1000th site logged in my lifetime collecting career, and a fitting one at that.  But with that milestone come some implications.

 

- Some sites are quarries, some gleaned from literature, some result from club trips or benevolent friends.  But 75% result from individual effort.

 

- Some of the sites logged in my nascent efforts I would not log now, due to paucity and/or condition of material. 
 

-  An overwhelming percentage of these sites no longer produce due to construction, access restrictions, internet chatter driving awareness, or to be honest, my own repeat visits.

 

- Some sites were only good the first visit, and weather so slowly that they won’t be worthwhile again for years.

 

- Some sites may still produce, but I’m not comfortable with access issues, so I’m content with first visit finds.  
 

- Fuel is expensive!

 

- So is having your truck stolen while collecting!

 

- So is a divorce from, in part, wandering the woods a bit too much.

 

So indeed, there is non trivial amount of investment (some involuntary) locked up in site log building.  

And I must say that since thrill of discovery dominates my paleo endeavors, other aspects have taken a back seat.  My ID skills could benefit from reinforcement as could my prep efforts, but those are things I can catch up on.  Dwindling site access is something that can’t wait, hence field time continues to get top focus from me. 

You and I have a lot in common, dude.  My record is very similar but without the stolen truck and divorce.   As I collect a lot of vert stuff, many of my numbered sites are single specimen/visit sites; if I find an oreodont skull (no post-cranials) I cannot expect to return in  future years to find more bones there.  The flip side of that is that in one ranch I number all sites; I have some ranches that have 50 plus sites on them.  (I am in the 1300's as of this summer).  

 

Congrats, Dan.  (My site 1000 was pretty piddly... I can't remember what it was but I remember thinking "do I not collect this and go find something better?")  

 

 

[Uncle Siphuncle]

3 minutes ago, jpc said:

You and I have a lot in common, dude.  My record is very similar but without the stolen truck and divorce.   As I collect a lot of vert stuff, many of my numbered sites are single specimen/visit sites; if I find an oreodont skull (no post-cranials) I cannot expect to return in  future years to find more bones there.  The flip side of that is that in one ranch I number all sites; I have some ranches that have 50 plus sites on them.  (I am in the 1300's as of this summer).  

 

Congrats, Dan.  (My site 1000 was pretty piddly... I can't remember what it was but I remember thinking "do I not collect this and go find something better?")  

 

 

My logging habits are similar.  Rather than logging a 2 mile stretch of such and such waterway as 1 site, I tend to log each producing bar and bluff separately.  I like precise records.

[BudB]

Wow, great finds! 

[Coco]

Congratulations Dan on your 1000th site! And thank you for your report and your informative information.

 

6 hours ago, Uncle Siphuncle said:

 

I don’t know anything about ammonites, I just admire them. But this one reminds me of those found by ...  I forgot his name ! Whoever has an ammonite as his purple avatar, he searches in a kind of desert.

 

Excuse me for having forgotten your name...

 

Coco

[Mainefossils]

@Coco, I think that @PFOOLEY is his user name - I also admire his collection, the ammonites he finds are beautiful. 

 

@Uncle Siphuncle, amazing trip! I particularly like the coprolite/burrow, its texture and color is really neat. And congratulations on your 1000th site, that is quite a record. I've only made it to six! 

Edited September 24, 2021 by Mainefossils

[Coco]

Yes Asher ! It is him ! So sorry PFOOLEY !

 

Are they the same ammonites ?

 

Coco

[Uncle Siphuncle]

24 minutes ago, Coco said:

Yes Asher ! It is him ! So sorry PFOOLEY !

 

Are they the same ammonites ?

 

Coco

 

24 minutes ago, Coco said:

Yes Asher ! It is him ! So sorry PFOOLEY !

 

Are they the same ammonites ?

 

Coco

I’ve hunted with Mike once, and he does find some of this approximate age, just not the same genera.

[Uncle Siphuncle]

A few cleanups.  First, Sciponoceras gracile ammonites.

[Uncle Siphuncle]

Next, Metoicoceras ammonites.

[Uncle Siphuncle]

Finally, a Metengonoceras that had all sutures hidden when found.  A nice surprise.

[Evans]

You did ok....... 

[PFOOLEY]

On 9/25/2021 at 1:26 PM, Uncle Siphuncle said:

...Metoicoceras...

 

 

...

 

[Jeffrey P]

Congratulations Dan on 1,000 sites. At the rate I'm going I don't know if I'll ever see that number. It's a testament to your desire/motivation to explore the new and the unknown. Glad you did so in the Britton, so far my favorite Cretaceous formation in Texas for the interesting fossils it produces. Your collection there echoes that. Those baculite hash plates I find especially interesting. 

[Uncle Siphuncle]

On 9/27/2021 at 4:48 PM, Jeffrey P said:

Congratulations Dan on 1,000 sites. At the rate I'm going I don't know if I'll ever see that number. It's a testament to your desire/motivation to explore the new and the unknown. Glad you did so in the Britton, so far my favorite Cretaceous formation in Texas for the interesting fossils it produces. Your collection there echoes that. Those baculite hash plates I find especially interesting. 

As a generalist with ADD, now I’m off in a different direction...