Mazon Creek Collection- Purchased

[Slow Walker]

Winged insect are my fav

[siteseer]

Ralph, I figure you need a break from posting so much stuff.  Anyone who doesn't post photos doesn't realize how time-consuming that can be even with just a quick line of description (organizing specimens, lining up/setting up shots, getting the lighting right, then organizing the photos and uploading them one at a time).  When you said you bought a collection, I thought that meant maybe a few examples of a variety of groups but it's more like a longtime collector's whole fossil collection.  We're all collectors here, each with our particular mix of what we've bought and what we've unearthed but some people have spent most to near all their collecting life digging a particular deposit with maybe a few trips to other places in the region.  It really is a mind-boggling gathering of Mazon Creek material and you're still unpacking.  I've never seen so many Mazon Creek fishes in one place before.  Also, it appears when you find something, it tends to be a shrimp of some sort. 

 

I read in "Richardson's Guide to The Fossil Fauna of Mazon Creek" that maybe two-thirds of the nodules found turn out to be "duds" - nothing inside or maybe there's a just a ghostly haze or scattering of fragments.  Who knows how many nodules your friend opened to build that incredible pile of interesting specimens.  I hope you find more surprises and mysteries.  With a collection that big, you're bound to overlook something now only to discover it some time in the future when you're putting everything away or looking for something. 

 

Thanks,

 

Jess

Edited August 1, 2022 by siteseer

[Mark Kmiecik]

Thanks for posting all the photos that you did!!! We all realize how much work went into doing that and we do appreciate it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 1, 2022 by Mark Kmiecik
fix typo

[jdp]

49 minutes ago, siteseer said:

I've never seen so many Mazon Creek fishes in one place before.

 

I have but never outside of a museum collection.

[IsaacTheFossilMan]

On 7/10/2022 at 11:47 PM, Meganeura said:

This post is gonna turn into another "Sometimes you have to whack it" in terms of length - and I'm very much excited by that.

 

On 7/10/2022 at 11:51 PM, Nimravis said:

Lol about what you said, I almost called this thread- “Sometimes You Have To Un-Rubber Band It”.

 

LOL! In the wise words of John Hammond (curator of our favourite not-so-current park), "spared no expense!".

[IsaacTheFossilMan]

On 7/30/2022 at 11:45 PM, Nimravis said:

For today, he is another Esconichthys apopyris- “Blade”, you can see an eye on the left hand side.

 

 

I may now confirm, the winner of "Isaac's favourite from this collection"!

[Nimravis]

I have been going through fossils almost everyday, and though I stated that I am not going to post any more pics, but I think I might do it from time to time. Here are some Cyclus americanus that I was dealing with tonight, I really do like thirds little critters.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[stats]

Wow!  The detail on some of them is stunning!  You can see the legs under the body on a couple!

 

Cheers,

Rich

 

[Meganeura]

Hooray, it’s not dead! (Well, the fossils are, but not this thread at least!) those are some really pretty horseshoe crabs though!

[Caverat]

2 hours ago, Meganeura said:

Hooray, it’s not dead! (Well, the fossils are, but not this thread at least!) those are some really pretty horseshoe crabs though!

They aren't actually horseshoe crabs.

[Meganeura]

1 minute ago, Caverat said:

They aren't actually horseshoe crabs.

Huh, closer to trilobites based on my quick reading?

Edited August 18, 2022 by Meganeura

[Caverat]

I have followed this thread with great interest as I did several collecting trips to the Mazon area in the late 1960's and early 1970's. To this day, I still have some specimens that I haven't identified (and probably a lot I've mis-identified!). Here is one specimen I collected at Essex 11 in June 1973. I'll also post my best Cyclus americanus from Essex 11 in August 1964. I would truly appreciate identification of the one, or at least suggestions...

[Mark Kmiecik]

My best guess is that it's cross-sections of a worm preserved in three dimensions as opposed to lying flat in one plane.

 

P.S. -- You should start your own thread in the ID section of the forum if you have any more that you might need help to identify.

[Mark Kmiecik]

Just some, Ralph? WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You've got more than the Field Museum does, I think. The two ventrals are stunning.

[Nimravis]

On 8/18/2022 at 11:00 AM, Caverat said:

I have followed this thread with great interest as I did several collecting trips to the Mazon area in the late 1960's and early 1970's. To this day, I still have some specimens that I haven't identified (and probably a lot I've mis-identified!). Here is one specimen I collected at Essex 11 in June 1973. I'll also post my best Cyclus americanus from Essex 11 in August 1964. I would truly appreciate identification of the one, or at least suggestions...

 

As you know with Mazon Creek fossils, it can be difficult to determine what some are. Your piece reminds me of the barnacle, Illilepas damrowi, but I am not positive. Maybe cleaning it up a bit might help.

 

 

 

[Nimravis]

Here are a couple more Cyclus- though there are a couple more types, I do believe that these are all C. americanus.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Nimravis]

A few Coprinoscolex ellogimus-

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Nimravis]

Here are a few more Coprinoscolex ellogimus-

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And a few Achistrum sp.-

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Nimravis]

I was just looking at a few of the “complete” concretions that came with this collection and I noticed the below concretion had a little plane line exposed, so I tape it with an Essexella asherae, and out popped this Tullimonstrum gregarium- Tully Monster. Too bad it did not open at the tail, but that is fine with me.

 

I have a number of nice concretions freezing, hopefully more come out.

 

 

Edited August 20, 2022 by Nimravis

[Nimravis]

Here are a few polychaete worms, all of what I believe are Fossundecima konecniorum.

 

 

 

Close up of its triangular jaws.

 

 

 

Jaws-

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Nimravis]

Didontogaster cordylina-

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Mark Kmiecik]

16 hours ago, Nimravis said:

 

This one's a beauty. You don't see too many that are complete. 

[Nimravis]

21 minutes ago, Mark Kmiecik said:

 

This one's a beauty. You don't see too many that are complete. 

I agree- it is very pretty.

[Nimravis]

Here are a couple more pieces-

 

This first one I believe is an Annularia, but has the preservation look of sea cucumber.

 

 

 

This one I put up in the ID section, it looks like an Octomedusa pieckorum , but I have never seen ones with orbs at the end of its tentacles.

 

 

 

I also have this piece up in the ID section, I am pretty sure that this is the lamprey, Mayomyzon pieckoensis. Unfortunately, when this thing opened by freeze / thaw, it did not split where you would want it.

 

 

 

I do love Essexella asherae, and this one is very pretty.

 

 

 

Shrimp molts can also be pretty and it is amazing that the are preserved in these concretions.

 

 

 

 

Here are a couple more Estacstis communis, or as they are commonly known as “Aitch” or “H”.

 

 

 

A nice long Didontogaster cordylina.

 

[Meganeura]

That's an absolutely gorgeous Essexella!