Fossil hunting trip to Lompret (Devonian of Belgium)

[ziggycardon]

Hi everyone! 

 

Around 2 months ago on the 16th of october 2021 I went on a fossil hunting trip with the BVP to the stone quarry of Lompret in Belgium. 

https://www.paleontica.org/locations/fossil/654

The rocks in this quarry are Devonian in age and date back to the Frasnian (382.7 million years ago to 372.2 million years ago) with the finds mostly being from both the Neuville and Matagne Formations. According to Tom our excursion leader this quarry exists out of what used to be coral reefs and islands that formed around atolls. 
The fossils that you can find in this quarry are Brachiopods, Bivalves, Gastropods, Corals, Bryozoans, Cephalopods like Goniatites and Othocone Nautiloids and in very rare cases Placoderm and trilobite material (although no one was that lucky during the excursion). 
The quarry is also very rich in minerals like Baryte, Calcite, Quartz, Galena, Fluorite, etc...

I have long looked forward to visiting this quarry, so I was very happy to finally be able to go and it did not dissapoint!  

 

It was quite foggy in the morning when we arrived which both looked eerie and cool at the same time, luckily it later cleared up! 

 

There where quite a lot of other people in the quarry (mainly people looking for minerals like Byrite and Galena) but our club headed straight to higher plateau of the quarry where some of the black Matagne Shales where with very nice Pyritized fossils and to where the waste heaps were to look for fossils.

 

 

That's me looking for Brachiopods and pyritized Goniatites and Bactrites.

 

A large Hexagonaria coral which was a little to heavy to bring home   

 

 

 

 

We also found some Pyrite cubes which (although very exhausting) we managed to extract

 

Edited December 9, 2021 by ziggycardon

[Ludwigia]

Very cool pyrite! Did you take some home?

[ziggycardon]

30 minutes ago, Ludwigia said:

Very cool pyrite! Did you take some home?

Yes I did, although it was very exhausting to extract them from the hard rock they were in. But I managed to get some nice cubes home  

 

I also found some Galena on Baryte

 

Some Calcite I believe

 

The largest of the Pyritized Bactrites we found and a small pyritized Gephuroceratidea from the Matagne Shales. 
We found quite some other smaller Bactrites specimens but I haven't had the time yet to photograph them. 

 

 

A Pyritized Brachiopod (Whidbornella productoides) from the Matagne Shales

 

Some more Whidbornella productoides from the Matagne Shales

 

 

An anaptychus

 

 

One of my favorite finds a piece with multiple Bactrites and Gephuroceratidea

 

 

Edited December 9, 2021 by ziggycardon

[ziggycardon]

We did find a lot of corals this time as well, something which was a lot more scarce during our hunts in other Devonian quarries.

 

The largest we found, an Favosites coral?

 

 

A gorgeous coral colony which I haven't been able to ID yet.
Tom suspected Favosites but wasn't sure.

 

A nice solitary rugose coral embedded in a reef multi block with many other corals, bryozoans and brachiopods in it.

 

Another well preserved coral

 

Another small coral but I have no ID on this one unfortunately. 
Could it be a small Favosites?

 

 

A small Hexagonaria coral

 

Also Hexagonaria corals?

 

A nice Bryozoan

 

Some small coral and Bryozoan pieces.

 

[ziggycardon]

Some of the Brachiopods I've managed to find:

 

A Brachiopod that I haven't managed to get ID'd

Perhaps @Tidgy's Dad might want to take a look at this one.  

 

Some Brachiopods which were ID' as Waiotrypa aff pluvia

 

Some small Brachiopods ID's as Neptunathyris buxi

 

My favorite of the bunch a Cyrtina douvillei

 

A Brachiopod ID' as Cleiothyridina davidsoni

 

 

A brachiopod

 

Some gastropods (Euomphalus sp.) found in the Matagne Shales

 

A Bactrites sp.

 

Dolorthoceras cf.

 

 

My favorite find a small Manticoceras  

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Lovely report and great finds. 

I love the brachiopods! 

Your mystery brachiopod is an atrypid, several species are found in the formation, but the most likely from what is exposed would be Costatrypa variabilis. 

[RuMert]

Cool report! With that big amounts of pyrite pity that no specimens were pyritized

[RJB]

Not quite my cup of tea but I find the large coral pieces quite interesting.  Thanks for the report.  Oh, nice pyrite cubes too.

 

RB

[ziggycardon]

On 12/9/2021 at 7:24 PM, Tidgy's Dad said:

Lovely report and great finds. 

I love the brachiopods! 

Your mystery brachiopod is an atrypid, several species are found in the formation, but the most likely from what is exposed would be Costatrypa variabilis. 

Thank you very much Adam, I think you might be correct about the brachiopod!  
 

On 12/10/2021 at 4:45 AM, RuMert said:

Cool report! With that big amounts of pyrite pity that no specimens were pyritized

I have found a couple of pyritized Bactrites and Goniatites but most still needs lot of prep or are too small to post.

But since I don't have the right tools and experience I am still leaving them as they are until I am confident enough in my skills to get started on them  

 

On 12/10/2021 at 12:59 PM, RJB said:

Not quite my cup of tea but I find the large coral pieces quite interesting.  Thanks for the report.  Oh, nice pyrite cubes too.

 

RB

Corals aren't my specialty either, probably one the fossils groups I know the least of.

But I still love finding them as some pieces can be very aesthetically pleasing

 

 

 

 

[Manticocerasman]

I somehow missed your post Ken 

Great finds

 

as for the determination of  Whidbornella productoides, those are actualy bivalves : Buchiola palmata but I think the name has been revieuwd, I have to check.

Buchiola are often reffered to in publications of the Matagne schales as typical for those deposits.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 24, 2022 by Manticocerasman

[Manticocerasman]

On 12/9/2021 at 6:42 PM, ziggycardon said:

Some Brachiopods which were ID' as Waiotrypa aff pluvia

as for those brachiopods they are Ryocarhynchus tumidus 

[ziggycardon]

On 1/24/2022 at 3:54 PM, Manticocerasman said:

as for those brachiopods they are Ryocarhynchus tumidus 

Thank you Kevin! I'll change their names in my database and on the cards.