A Return to the Brazos

[Mikrogeophagus]

Finding the three-toed horse tooth from my first trip really inspired me, so I made the long drive back to a spot I found along the Brazos River. Despite the treacherous route down the bank and mile long journey to the far end of the sandbar, I was not discouraged. I don't usually look for things from this time period, so almost anything I'd find would be a personal first which added an extra layer of enthusiasm to the hunt. The weather was nice and various recreational planes flew about in the sky. Although the Brazos water isn't the prettiest sight to behold, the carved cliffs and southeastern greenery made up for it in terms of aesthetics. Using the information I had gathered from my first trip, I didn't waste any time in heading straight for the far end of the sandbar, where heavier materials seemed to accumulate. The hunting was a bit sparser than I would have liked, but I think that's probably just how it is around this area. Though I didn't find anything too crazy, I still managed to gather an assortment of interesting pieces that I would like to learn more about. I believe most of my specimens are on the more common side of things. I probably won't come back for a long time due to my temporary moving back to DFW for the summer, but I do plan on once again making a return in the future as I feel like this site has potential for amazing things. By the way, the exposures in the area include the Beaumont Clay and Lissie Formation along with various things washing down from Miocene strata upriver. Anyways, here is an overview of my best finds from the trip:

 

 

And here are some closeups and descriptions:

 

A: Definitely a horse tooth, probably Equus. It's got some hard matrix attached to the chewing surface and other parts of it. I tried to pick it off with a needle, but with little success. I'm guessing it's about Pleistocene in age. Not the coolest of finds, but I still like it quite a bit since it's my first Equus ever. Not sure if it's IDable given the matrix covering it.

 

B: I'm really hoping this is a piece of mastodon tooth, but I'm about 90% sure it isn't. Superficially, I think there is a resemblance in terms of shape. It is conic and filled with crystal in the center. Visually looks like the point of a mastodon tooth got sliced in half. However, the outer part, which should be enamel, just seems like some other material. The outside reminds me of some sort of shell from a Cretaceous deposit. In pic 3, there is an interesting pattern on the left side of the fragment (like boxes). I'm not sure what the significance of such patterning is, but I think this may be recognizable to someone out there.

 

C: A little mineralized lower jaw fragment. I believe it to be deer.

 

D: I think this is a bit of turtle. It's got a bit of sandstone matrix on the bottom side.

 

E: Deer astragalus?

 

F: Strange black piece of bone. It's unlike the mammalian stuff I've seen before. Could it be reptilian or amphibian? In pics 2 and 4, there seems to be a rugose texture on one side.

 

G: Don't know if this is IDable. It is mineralized and has some unique features that might make it diagnostic. 

 

H: Deer metatarsal?

 

As always, let me know if you would like any extra closeups. Thanks for reading!

 

 

Edited May 8, 2022 by EPIKLULSXDDDDD
Removed extra pic

[GPayton]

Unfortunately, B isn't a piece of mastodon enamel, rather it's a fragment of fossil coral - the last picture shows the chambered structure really clearly. You're right about A, C, D, and H - A is an upper Equus tooth, C does seem to be part of a deer mandible, D is a neural portion of a turtle carapace, and H also seems to be a deer metatarsal. Nice finds! 

[Mikrogeophagus]

@GPayton Shame that B was just a coral fragment... ya can't win em all. Guess I'll just have to look harder next time! Thanks for the insights!

[Lorne Ledger]

nice pix and nice finds!