Sunrise to Sunset; Jacksboro to Bridgeport

[Mikrogeophagus]

The Pennsylvanian of Texas is a strange and exciting place. Even though I've been going at this whole fossil hunting thing for about a year and a half, my experience in this age of rock is extremely limited. And yet, many of my most prized specimens have come from such hunts. I've had the pleasure of visiting a few of the more prominent Pennsylvanian sites to be had around Central Texas, but now that I'm back up North, I thought it would be prime time to check out a spot that many have put in good words about. Another local collector, @PaleoPastels, had also been dipping her toes in the Paleozoic, so we decided to go for a group outing along with her entomologist roommate to the famous Lost Creek Reservoir in Jacksboro and a couple of Bridgeport localities! Unfortunately, @BobWill couldn't make it for that day, but he was nevertheless very helpful with providing guidance and advice on hunting the Finis Shale.

 

Nothing beats first laying eyes on a distant exposure. The walk felt like an eternity!

 

The day started off early and, after a bit of confusion , we managed to make it by about 9 am. The air had yet to be warmed by the sun, so we were all feeling a little chilly as we walked to the bluffs, simultaneously exchanging gifts and introducing ourselves. I was relieved to find that Lari was just as nice as her online personality made her out to be and we got straight to chatting about, well, fossils. Cole wasn't as big on fossils as Lari, but he still showed good enthusiasm. We weren't expecting trilos here, but I was crossing my fingers that we'd get some in Bridgeport to fulfill his entomology interests.

 

Looking to the left and to the right on the Jacksboro slopes

 

Once we reached the grey base of the bluffs on the far right end, we were all immediately hunched over, gathering up bits and pieces of the wide diversity of fauna present at the site. The ground was literally covered in millions of brachiopods, cephalopods, and gastropods. Some of my favorite things to pick up were snails of the order Bellerophontidae. They've got such a unique look to them that drastically differs from the gastropods of the Mesozoic and Cenozoic.

 

A Pharkidonotus percarinatus gastropod still in matrix

 

We steadily made our way to the left, scuttling up and down the slopes over and over again. The initial excitement had waned and the pace of finds slowed; Now we were really trying to focus on getting some of the rarer/cooler stuff. Throughout the morning, I had been yapping away about conularids: How strange they are, how I was really hoping to find one, how this was the one place where they were almost common, etc. I thought we'd have found one a lot sooner, but the lack of results and recent rain got me a little nervous, I must admit. I was starting to regret talking about them so much, especially when Lari and Cole began getting more interested in them. Surely this place was so big, it couldn't run out of them, right?

 

A recreation of how I found the first conularid of the day

 

Well, I guess the place is big enough because the first conularid of the day was at my feet before I knew it. It's beat up, but the enigma surrounding this animal is enough put it on the top shelf. Throughout the day, I found a handful more. I offered some to Lari, but she would not be satisfied until she found one on her own, which I understand. To find out if she and Cole scored any, you'll have to wait for her side of the story .

 

Fimbrinia plummeri

 

Not so far from the first conularid, I picked up my favorite brachiopod of the day. This specimen was extra shiny and had some nice pointy spines, warranting placement in my rares/delicates ziploc. I thought I had reached the peak of the day when I was forced to stop mid conversation. Inches from my face, I spotted the subtle glint of wrinkled enamel attached to an inconspicuous pebble. If I hadn't seen one of these featured on the forum last Spring, I'd probably have moved right past it. The first fragment I gazed upon was the largest and very clearly belonged to the shark, Glikmanius occidentalis. I hurriedly gathered two more smaller chunks and tried to reassemble the tooth.

 

Glikmanius occidentalis cladodont shark. Don't worry, I figured out to flip that smaller fragment around by the time I consolidated everything!

 

Unfortunately, the tooth crowns and a piece of the base were nowhere to be seen. There was a little valley next to it, so the other bits may have been washed away for all I know. Nevertheless, these teeth are simply awesome. I have a soft spot for shark teeth, so a charismatic find like this will always be a trip maker! I wonder if ones with cusps still attached have ever been found?

 

Consolidated tooth. It's pretty, but I'll admit @historianmichael has me beat with his from earlier in the year!

 

We rounded off our time in Jacksboro checking out the far left side of the exposure, mostly around the flats. There, pyritic cephalopod micromorphs could be found in excess. Shown below is my best specimen from that area:

 

Wiedeyoceras pingue?

 

Thus, our time at Jacksboro had run its course and the path was set for Bridgeport. Lari was kind enough to share some turkey jerky and the best blueberry muffin I've had in a long time. We all had some nice finds out of it, but I'm sure the place is a lot more productive if caught right after a storm. This spot is definitely due for a return. After identifying everything at home, I now have a list of over 55 unique species to show for the hunt! Bob and DPS have pooled together some great resources for researching IDs, but it was nevertheless an exhaustive (and satisfying) process. 

 

Bridgeport

 

Prior to the trip, I did some recon and found a short list of cuts around Lake Bridgeport for us to visit. Since the day was already getting a bit late, I decided we should visit only the best two of the list which exposed what I believe to be the Bridgeport Shale. It was a pretty short drive and soon enough we were back together with our eyes glued to the ground at the first spot. We were on the look out for trilobites first and foremost. Within about 5 minutes, I found the first trilobutt!

 

First trilobutt of the day

 

I'm not sure if there is more trilobite within the nodule, but I will try to work it down and find out. Unfortunately, the trilobites did not start popping up like crazy as I had hoped. Instead, we were mostly collecting gastropods and the occasional horn coral. I did at least manage to find a pretty death assemblage of Trepospira snails.

 

 

Trepospira snails

 

I will say the red stone eventually gave me some bad flashbacks of Woodbine busts from the past. At times, it felt like I was hunting in a pile of unfossiliferous landscaping gravel. As we began wrapping up, I managed to pull a chunk of matrix with some trilobite material on top, but I wouldn't say it's anything too impressive. 

 

Trilobite material

 

We took a short drive over to the second and final cut which exposed the same sort of rock. I got skunked at this spot, but Lari and Cole each managed to snag their own trilobite and had success splitting the various nodules. I was happy we all came out of Bridgeport with some trilobite material to show for it! 

 

The day felt like it was gone in a flash, but my body was definitely calling it quits. It was fun to meet up with another forum member and explore some unknown territory. A future second get-together is for sure in the cards after some rainy weather .

 

Throughout writing this report, I've left out a lot of awesome finds so Lari can share them herself. So, keep an eye out for her side of the story!

 

Anyways, here is an overview of the finds:

 

Top L to R: Metacoceras sp., Gonioloboceras goniolobus, Brachycycloceras normale, and Euloxoceras greenei

2nd Row L to R: Pseudorthoceras knoxense, and Ephippoceras sp.

Bottom L to R: Rugobactrites jacksboroensis, Wiedeyoceras pingue?, and Domatoceras sp.?

 

Top L to R: Lophophyllidium spinosum, Paraconularia crustula, and Lophophyillidium plummeri

2nd Row L to R: Fusunilids, and Incrustospongia meandrica

Bottom L to R: Fenestella sp., and Tabulipora sp.

Note: Syringopora sp.? not pictured

 

Top L to R: Rhipidomella carbonaria, Neospirifer dunbari, and Punctospirifer kentuckyensis

2nd Row L to R: Lissochonetes geinitzianus, Wellerella osagensis, and Neochonetes granulifer

Bottom L to R: Meekella striatocoastata?, Crurithyris planoconvexa, and Hustedia mormoni

 

 

Top L to R: Hystriculina texana?, Echinaria semipunctata, and Kutorginella lasallensis

Bottom L to R: Composita subtilita, Kozlowskia splendens, Fimbrinia plummeri, Eridmatus texanus?, and Phricodothyris perplexa

Note: Differentiating between Hysticulina and Kutorginella was a bit of a challenge.

 

Top L to R: Glikmanius occidentalis, Archaeocidarid plate

Bottom L to R: Various crinoid parts including a regenerating spine on the far right. The spine left of it has strange circle impressions on it.

 

Top L to R: Nuculopsis girtyi, and Astartella concentrica

Bottom L to R: Yoldia glabra, and Allorisma costatum?

 

 

Top L to R: Cymatospira montfortianus, Knightites tennulieata, Pharkidonotus percarinatus, and Euphemites vittatus

2nd Row L to R: Euphemites multiliratus, Knightites tennulieata?, Trepospira illinoiensis, and Glabrocingulum grayvillensis

Bottom L to R: Worthenia tabulata, Soleniscus primigenius, and Strobeus paludinaeformis

 

Top L to R: Amphiscapha subrugosa, Donaldina sp.?, and unknown gastropod

Bottom L to R: Pseudozygopleura semicostata, and Meekospira choctawensis

 

Hashplates:

 

Bridgeport:

 

 

 

Thanks for reading!

Edited January 20, 2023 by EPIKLULSXDDDDD
Formatting

[Tidgy's Dad]

Great report, sounds like a lot of fun. 

And what a splendid variety of quality specimens! 

I love those brachiopods. 

Thanks for sharing. 

[Ludwigia]

Great report! Thanks for sharing.

[Doctor Mud]

I always like a well written trip report! And in situ shots very nice. Thanks for taking the time to write it.

I loved the reference to the beckoning distant exposure. I visit a site like that. The walk there gets the imagination running wild.

 

[PaleoPastels]

DUO TRIP REPORT- LET’S GOOO! 
 

First of all lovely report, as always, very happy to have finally met you! We definitely have to go back!!! Cretaceous marine is my focus where I shine my best but I had a LOT of fun poking around a Paleozoic site for a change. I learned so much out there hunting with you! Seriously such a pleasure. 

 

- Username changed btw! Formally, Ammonite Delight = now permanently PaleoPastels like my insta & email.  I also go by my name Larí anyone is free to refer to me as either.  

 

 So I left the house at about 6am and my roommate/personal driver got us lost and to the WRONG lake after giving them the coords- how does that work out!?  All of that will change of course when I get my own new car and I can go on more trips with friends! I made sure we were well packed and stocked up on supplies, overstuffed my paleo backpack and backseat with food because I knew this was a fun site to visit the whole day! I wore the coolest crinoid shirt, very appropriate for Pennsylvanian marine hunting! I only have 2 Paleozoic themed shirts and happy to have an excuse to wear it on a trip. 
 

 

New polarized sunglasses 

 

I was SO excited to meet another Texas TFF person that the night before I didn’t even attempt to try to sleep and despite being awake about 20 hours- full of energy! I was also sad Bob couldn’t join us but maybe next time. I met EPIK at the meeting point and I gifted him one of my Orthocanthus shark teeth from my Permian adventure and he gave me a tiny bag of fossils too as a surprise! (I immediately spied a stunning Engonoceras from his PawPaw outting in the mix!) This place was gorgeous in the middle of nature, a nice field with flats and the smell of wet dew morning grass. I loved watching the plants react to my warm touch as we trekked. Unfortunately for me it was still too cold for snakes or lizards… but there were ducks! Ducks and moo cows in the distance. 
 

InB4- sorry if I list a species and it had a taxon change. Sometimes my references are outdated- it’s a curse I have but I learn as I go! 

Graham Formation spoils

 

My first find was a turned-over Trepospira illinoiensis. These are everywhere here! 

 

Micro-sized  Fenestella sp. (or possibly a Polypora sp.) bryozoan piece and also tons of various species of crinoid “coins”

 

As far as crinoids go- I was having a literal field day picking up tons of Floricyclus “buttons.” They are the crinoids that have a flower-shaped hole! Very beautiful species and I’ve never had a chance to collect them before. 

EPIK was just telling me about how there’s conularids here- it sounded familiar as I recalled my best paleo bro @BrennanThePaleoDude and I looking at a Utah book the other day I got in the mail over chat, I think conularids were also in that book. When EPIK showed me a photo of what they looked like, I recognized them and knew I needed to find one and make Bren proud! Just then… EPIK finds one! I also wanted to find one so bad- the place is littered with brachiopods and crinoids so I scanned the dirt hard on my knees sinking in mud for that distinct linear pattern. 

I agree that one part of the site was just calling us like a siren or sixth sense and we kept going as far over as we could until we found the GOOD spot! Cole, my roommate who came with us because that’s my driver, fell right on a soft “hairy” cactus patch bare skin so most of the time during that trip he was pulling out micro red spines with tweezers and duct-tape. Poor guy has a date later and even now still finding & pulling out spines.   

 

When we got over to poke at this “sweet spot” EPIK found the COOLEST thing in our trip! CLADODUS! I knew there were shark teeth here but silly me walked right by it because I just came back from my weekly NSR run and had “Cretaceous shark goggles” still on. Oh my stars, it was SO BIG! In pieces and no  central cusp but I was SO happy one of us found one! 

Adrenaline now at peak levels- we kept scanning and crawled on the ground! Most of the fossils here are itty-bitty but occasionally there’s some bigger stuff.
 

A like prehistoric photograph here lay the remains of an ancient reef. Lots of broken Rhombopora l. spread out everywhere. 

After picking up tons of micro brachiopods & Archaeocidaris spine plates we went over to “that flats” to look for more Conularids. It took us a while to figure out where the rainwashed stuff was on the flats but we luckily found it! EPIK finds the most gorgeous rainbow one. 

 

Jealous that he found several already, I kept looking! He giggled and told me to “come look over here” in a hinting kind of way and YAY found one! He also then found a few more. 

 

One of my favorite finds was this adorable heart shaped brachiopod. 

I was hardcore looking at the ground trying to find micro cephalopods- cute Goniatite stuck out like a bright penny! 
Luckily I always bring cases for the little stuff. I would love an ID! I think it might be a tiny Gonioloboceras or Peritrochia but unsure. Sorry for the dry muddy dirt-dried hands. 

(I found a few more!) 

 

As we got closer to the bluffs again, I spotted something instantly on the side! A big cephalopod! 

Eoasianites… is that you!? 

We then broke out the celebratory car snacks. Muffins and ENTIRE bags of turkey jerky, skinny pop, Ozarka, and energy drinks to pass around. I camp a handful of times a month and Im always loaded on snacks for impromptu star gazing. 
 

After picking up more fossils we decided to head out to Bridgeport. Lots of red rocks in that formation and nodules, fossils seemed far and few between compared to where we were just at. Luckily we all came home each with a trilobutt (pygidium). Species are most likely all Ditomopyge s. I actually found mine inside a nodule! I had a lot of fun throwing little rocks on bigger rocks despite having a $40 geological hammer. xD 

 

I had to go back into work that same night but it was amazing although I was fatigued! A fun experience to remember for sure! What is HILARIOUS is that during the first half of my Jacks trip- I seem to have left a ziplock bag of finds AT the site of fossils! On no! xD Luckily- all the good stuff from that later half of the day was there in my paleo-pack. 
 

Finds: (too lazy to label- but EPIK seems to have already done most of the ID’s) 

 

Jacksboro: 

*Still working on cleaning up that Eoasianites (?) there seems to be a bivalve in the limestone and Im at the point too far in the center of the “swirl” that I have to use hand tools & warm diluted acids only. 
 

 

I LOVE the variety of cephalopods at this locality. 

 

Archaeocidaris pieces- I thought I was going to find enough plates to assemble my own urchin. 
 

Favorite brachiopod finds! I love the pearly ones. 
 

Bridgeport:

 

 

Thanks for reading our adventure! 

Also: Im not going to talk up muffins and NOT share! Blueberry poptarts & muffins are my favorite sweet food ATM. I also really love peanut butter cookies- especially P.Terrys cookies…. but here are those muffins. 
Delicious evil. 

Edited January 20, 2023 by PaleoPastels
Muffins

[PaleoPastels]

On 1/20/2023 at 12:00 AM, EPIKLULSXDDDDD said:

I was relieved to find that Lari was just as nice as her online personality made her out to be and we got straight to chatting about, well, fossils.

Awe thank you so much omg… I’m still just so sorry you got super exhausted! I’m high-energy and could have easily done another 8 hours if the sun allowed it, despite being awake for so long. Hopefully you got some good sleep that day! I’m still so proud & stoked you found that Cladodont. Next time we’ll find a complete one!
 

 

Ah yes! Good ole’ fossils. Fossils and… delicious food.  

Edited January 21, 2023 by PaleoPastels

[Mikrogeophagus]

I made sure not to spoil that giant cephalopod find of yours! That thing is soooo cool. On the cidarid plate front, you had me beat pretty good. I only found one that was chipped . Definitely have to make a return some time soon !

[Doctor Mud]

Great to see people meeting up and sharing their paleo passion through the forum. That nautiloid is sweeet! 

[Wrangellian]

18 hours ago, Doctor Mud said:

I always like a well written trip report! And in situ shots very nice. Thanks for taking the time to write it.

I loved the reference to the beckoning distant exposure. I visit a site like that. The walk there gets the imagination running wild.

I was going to say something very similar to this... I'll never make it to sites like these, so the trip reports are great, and when the writer includes their thoughts and impressions along with the shots of the site and the fossils found, so much of it rings true from my own collecting trips up here that I do almost feel like I'm there.

 

And I concur on that big nautiloid... Not too often we see nice big Paleozoic ones like that.

Edited January 21, 2023 by Wrangellian

[jpc]

Fun double report you guys.  Thanks.

 

[Wrangellian]

On 1/19/2023 at 10:00 PM, EPIKLULSXDDDDD said:

Top L to R: Glikmanius occidentalis, Archaeocidarid plate

Bottom L to R: Various crinoid parts including a regenerating spine on the far right. The spine left of it has strange circle impressions on it.

 

 

I don't mean to nitpick but there's something off about your scale... there's not quite that much difference between an inch and a centimeter! 

[Uncle Siphuncle]

On 1/20/2023 at 1:00 AM, EPIKLULSXDDDDD said:

The Pennsylvanian of Texas is a strange and exciting place. Even though I've been going at this whole fossil hunting thing for about a year and a half, my experience in this age of rock is extremely limited. And yet, many of my most prized specimens have come from such hunts. I've had the pleasure of visiting a few of the more prominent Pennsylvanian sites to be had around Central Texas, but now that I'm back up North, I thought it would be prime time to check out a spot that many have put in good words about. Another local collector, @PaleoPastels, had also been dipping her toes in the Paleozoic, so we decided to go for a group outing along with her entomologist roommate to the famous Lost Creek Reservoir in Jacksboro and a couple of Bridgeport localities! Unfortunately, @BobWill couldn't make it for that day, but he was nevertheless very helpful with providing guidance and advice on hunting the Finis Shale.

 

Nothing beats first laying eyes on a distant exposure. The walk felt like an eternity!

 

The day started off early and, after a bit of confusion , we managed to make it by about 9 am. The air had yet to be warmed by the sun, so we were all feeling a little chilly as we walked to the bluffs, simultaneously exchanging gifts and introducing ourselves. I was relieved to find that Lari was just as nice as her online personality made her out to be and we got straight to chatting about, well, fossils. Cole wasn't as big on fossils as Lari, but he still showed good enthusiasm. We weren't expecting trilos here, but I was crossing my fingers that we'd get some in Bridgeport to fulfill his entomology interests.

 

Looking to the left and to the right on the Jacksboro slopes

 

Once we reached the grey base of the bluffs on the far right end, we were all immediately hunched over, gathering up bits and pieces of the wide diversity of fauna present at the site. The ground was literally covered in millions of brachiopods, cephalopods, and gastropods. Some of my favorite things to pick up were snails of the order Bellerophontidae. They've got such a unique look to them that drastically differs from the gastropods of the Mesozoic and Cenozoic.

 

A Pharkidonotus percarinatus gastropod still in matrix

 

We steadily made our way to the left, scuttling up and down the slopes over and over again. The initial excitement had waned and the pace of finds slowed; Now we were really trying to focus on getting some of the rarer/cooler stuff. Throughout the morning, I had been yapping away about conularids: How strange they are, how I was really hoping to find one, how this was the one place where they were almost common, etc. I thought we'd have found one a lot sooner, but the lack of results and recent rain got me a little nervous, I must admit. I was starting to regret talking about them so much, especially when Lari and Cole began getting more interested in them. Surely this place was so big, it couldn't run out of them, right?

 

A recreation of how I found the first conularid of the day

 

Well, I guess the place is big enough because the first conularid of the day was at my feet before I knew it. It's beat up, but the enigma surrounding this animal is enough put it on the top shelf. Throughout the day, I found a handful more. I offered some to Lari, but she would not be satisfied until she found one on her own, which I understand. To find out if she and Cole scored any, you'll have to wait for her side of the story .

 

Fimbrinia plummeri

 

Not so far from the first conularid, I picked up my favorite brachiopod of the day. This specimen was extra shiny and had some nice pointy spines, warranting placement in my rares/delicates ziploc. I thought I had reached the peak of the day when I was forced to stop mid conversation. Inches from my face, I spotted the subtle glint of wrinkled enamel attached to an inconspicuous pebble. If I hadn't seen one of these featured on the forum last Spring, I'd probably have moved right past it. The first fragment I gazed upon was the largest and very clearly belonged to the shark, Glikmanius occidentalis. I hurriedly gathered two more smaller chunks and tried to reassemble the tooth.

 

Glikmanius occidentalis cladodont shark. Don't worry, I figured out to flip that smaller fragment around by the time I consolidated everything!

 

Unfortunately, the tooth crowns and a piece of the base were nowhere to be seen. There was a little valley next to it, so the other bits may have been washed away for all I know. Nevertheless, these teeth are simply awesome. I have a soft spot for shark teeth, so a charismatic find like this will always be a trip maker! I wonder if ones with cusps still attached have ever been found?

 

Consolidated tooth. It's pretty, but I'll admit @historianmichael has me beat with his from earlier in the year!

 

We rounded off our time in Jacksboro checking out the far left side of the exposure, mostly around the flats. There, pyritic cephalopod micromorphs could be found in excess. Shown below is my best specimen from that area:

 

Wiedeyoceras pingue?

 

Thus, our time at Jacksboro had run its course and the path was set for Bridgeport. Lari was kind enough to share some turkey jerky and the best blueberry muffin I've had in a long time. We all had some nice finds out of it, but I'm sure the place is a lot more productive if caught right after a storm. This spot is definitely due for a return. After identifying everything at home, I now have a list of over 55 unique species to show for the hunt! Bob and DPS have pooled together some great resources for researching IDs, but it was nevertheless an exhaustive (and satisfying) process. 

 

Bridgeport

 

Prior to the trip, I did some recon and found a short list of cuts around Lake Bridgeport for us to visit. Since the day was already getting a bit late, I decided we should visit only the best two of the list which exposed what I believe to be the Bridgeport Shale. It was a pretty short drive and soon enough we were back together with our eyes glued to the ground at the first spot. We were on the look out for trilobites first and foremost. Within about 5 minutes, I found the first trilobutt!

 

First trilobutt of the day

 

I'm not sure if there is more trilobite within the nodule, but I will try to work it down and find out. Unfortunately, the trilobites did not start popping up like crazy as I had hoped. Instead, we were mostly collecting gastropods and the occasional horn coral. I did at least manage to find a pretty death assemblage of Trepospira snails.

 

 

Trepospira snails

 

I will say the red stone eventually gave me some bad flashbacks of Woodbine busts from the past. At times, it felt like I was hunting in a pile of unfossiliferous landscaping gravel. As we began wrapping up, I managed to pull a chunk of matrix with some trilobite material on top, but I wouldn't say it's anything too impressive. 

 

Trilobite material

 

We took a short drive over to the second and final cut which exposed the same sort of rock. I got skunked at this spot, but Lari and Cole each managed to snag their own trilobite and had success splitting the various nodules. I was happy we all came out of Bridgeport with some trilobite material to show for it! 

 

The day felt like it was gone in a flash, but my body was definitely calling it quits. It was fun to meet up with another forum member and explore some unknown territory. A future second get-together is for sure in the cards after some rainy weather .

 

Throughout writing this report, I've left out a lot of awesome finds so Lari can share them herself. So, keep an eye out for her side of the story!

 

Anyways, here is an overview of the finds:

 

Top L to R: Metacoceras sp., Gonioloboceras goniolobus, Brachycycloceras normale, and Euloxoceras greenei

2nd Row L to R: Pseudorthoceras knoxense, and Ephippoceras sp.

Bottom L to R: Rugobactrites jacksboroensis, Wiedeyoceras pingue?, and Domatoceras sp.?

 

Top L to R: Lophophyllidium spinosum, Paraconularia crustula, and Lophophyillidium plummeri

2nd Row L to R: Fusunilids, and Incrustospongia meandrica

Bottom L to R: Fenestella sp., and Tabulipora sp.

Note: Syringopora sp.? not pictured

 

Top L to R: Rhipidomella carbonaria, Neospirifer dunbari, and Punctospirifer kentuckyensis

2nd Row L to R: Lissochonetes geinitzianus, Wellerella osagensis, and Neochonetes granulifer

Bottom L to R: Meekella striatocoastata?, Crurithyris planoconvexa, and Hustedia mormoni

 

 

Top L to R: Hystriculina texana?, Echinaria semipunctata, and Kutorginella lasallensis

Bottom L to R: Composita subtilita, Kozlowskia splendens, Fimbrinia plummeri, Eridmatus texanus?, and Phricodothyris perplexa

Note: Differentiating between Hysticulina and Kutorginella was a bit of a challenge.

 

Top L to R: Glikmanius occidentalis, Archaeocidarid plate

Bottom L to R: Various crinoid parts including a regenerating spine on the far right. The spine left of it has strange circle impressions on it.

 

Top L to R: Nuculopsis girtyi, and Astartella concentrica

Bottom L to R: Yoldia glabra, and Allorisma costatum?

 

 

Top L to R: Cymatospira montfortianus, Knightites tennulieata, Pharkidonotus percarinatus, and Euphemites vittatus

2nd Row L to R: Euphemites multiliratus, Knightites tennulieata?, Trepospira illinoiensis, and Glabrocingulum grayvillensis

Bottom L to R: Worthenia tabulata, Soleniscus primigenius, and Strobeus paludinaeformis

 

Top L to R: Amphiscapha subrugosa, Donaldina sp.?, and unknown gastropod

Bottom L to R: Pseudozygopleura semicostata, and Meekospira choctawensis

 

Hashplates:

 

Bridgeport:

 

 

 

Thanks for reading!

Your Bridgeport bug may be whole.  I'd recommend finding out through alternating light work with a utility blade and baking soda microblasting.  Scrape, inspect, blast, inspect, repeat as needed.  This is a high potential find.

[PaleoPastels]

On 1/20/2023 at 1:00 AM, EPIKLULSXDDDDD said:

Looking to the left and to the right on the Jacksboro slopes

LOL my purple backpack xD 

[Mikrogeophagus]

@WrangellianOops! That's embarrassing on my part. I only drew half a centimeter. On the bright side, maybe I fooled some of the metric folk into thinking I had found much larger fossils .

 

@Uncle Siphuncle Thanks for pointing this out! I was wondering the same thing and have already gone at it a bit with a needle and some extra brushing. I don't have blasting equipment at my disposal unfortunately. I can see some bits of similarly shaded grey parts sticking out, but they are seemingly arranged randomly. I may try reaching out to a local prepper. It's certainly suggestive, but a bit difficult for me to make sense of.

 

 

 

[cngodles]

One name to note, Soleniscus primigenius is actually Strobeus primigenius.

 

Harper, J. A., 1981, The use: and misuse: of Ianthinopsis Meek and Worthen, 1866 (Mollusca: Gastropoda), Journal of Paleontology, v. 55, no. 1, pp. 180-185

[erose]

On 1/21/2023 at 12:59 AM, Wrangellian said:

 

I don't mean to nitpick but there's something off about your scale... there's not quite that much difference between an inch and a centimeter! 

An inch equals 2.54 centimeters.  We don't know which of the two. is wrong. But that line for a centimeter looks to be a quarter of the inch.  You might try printing* out a scale to photograph against.

 

*double check the printout. Printers and drivers are notorious for not being "to scale".

 

BY THE WAY really nice report from both of you.  That large Goniatite that Lari found and your shark tooth were excellent finds.

[Mikrogeophagus]

2 hours ago, erose said:

An inch equals 2.54 centimeters.  We don't know which of the two. is wrong. But that line for a centimeter looks to be a quarter of the inch.  You might try printing* out a scale to photograph against.

 

Yeah for some reason I only drew the line to the half centimeter mark. I'll use being tired from finishing up identifications as my excuse . I'll be more cognizant next time, although maybe I like having all of the metrically-inclined folk thinking my fossils are double the size than they really are .

[Wrangellian]

10 hours ago, EPIKLULSXDDDDD said:

Yeah for some reason I only drew the line to the half centimeter mark. I'll use being tired from finishing up identifications as my excuse . I'll be more cognizant next time, although maybe I like having all of the metrically-inclined folk thinking my fossils are double the size than they really are .

I figured it was more likely that you as an American had gotten the inch correct, and that the cm line looked more like a half cm. 

It's a good idea though, quick and easy to just draw the lines on a blank piece of paper to photo your fossils on. Don't know why I never thought of it but my mind is often in neutral these days and only does things by habit.

Anyway, again, nice report and nice fossils... I wish I could collect at that spot just for one day, or however long it took to find a conularid. I'll never make it there but it would be near the top of my bucket list. Such a lot of diversity, and easy pickings, unlike the splintery shale I get up here which sticks to the fossils and when you try to remove it it takes part of the fossil with it!

[DPS Ammonite]

56 minutes ago, Wrangellian said:

Such a lot of diversity, and easy pickings,

Jacksboro has several hundred varieties of known fossils. I vaguely recall 200+.  I suspect that @BobWill has a decent number. 

https://www.dallaspaleo.org/Jacksboro-Study-Group

 

I wonder what site has the most fossil varieties?

[Mikrogeophagus]

43 minutes ago, DPS Ammonite said:

I wonder what site has the most fossil varieties?

In Texas, I would probably put money on that being Jacksboro !

[DPS Ammonite]

1 hour ago, EPIKLULSXDDDDD said:

In Texas, I would probably put money on that being Jacksboro !

A book claims to have described 220 fossils from the Eocene Stone City Bluff locality along the Brazos in Texas.

 

Emerson, J., and Barbara Emerson, 2000, Middle Eocene Claiborne group invertebrate fossils from Stone City Bluff, Burleson County, Texas: J.H.Emerson, Publisher, Houston, Texas, pp. 138.

https://hgms.org/product/middle-eocene-claiborne-invertebrate-fossils/

Edited January 23, 2023 by DPS Ammonite

[Jeffrey P]

Wonderful reports, pics, and finds. Big congratulations and thanks for posting. I visited Jacksboro in September 2018 with Bob Will and I still rank it as one of my absolute favorite fossil sites. The biodiversity, preservation, and ease of collecting make this an outstanding place to experience. Your report certainly brings back positive memories. Glad to hear it's still accessible. Love your spiny Fimbrinia plummeri, the Trepospira nodule, the tiny goniatite, and the huge Eoasianites. I found a much smaller one. Great going both of you.   

[Uncle Siphuncle]

On 1/21/2023 at 9:47 PM, EPIKLULSXDDDDD said:

@WrangellianOops! That's embarrassing on my part. I only drew half a centimeter. On the bright side, maybe I fooled some of the metric folk into thinking I had found much larger fossils .

 

@Uncle Siphuncle Thanks for pointing this out! I was wondering the same thing and have already gone at it a bit with a needle and some extra brushing. I don't have blasting equipment at my disposal unfortunately. I can see some bits of similarly shaded grey parts sticking out, but they are seemingly arranged randomly. I may try reaching out to a local prepper. It's certainly suggestive, but a bit difficult for me to make sense of.

 

 

 

Yeah since I can't do fine detail blasting with my basic setup, the careful scratching keeps me from overblasting exposed areas when trying to reveal adjacent obscured areas.  Always good to blast as little as needed, as your prepper probably knows better than I do.

[BobWill]

So sorry I missed this trip, y'all did great! Be sure to call me next time and I'll show you some more Bridgeport sites. The paper where Dr. Barbara Suess named the Jacksboro site as one example of a new type of lagerstatte listed 292 species and I don't think that included the smallest microfossils. Her "Liberation Lagerstatte" is so-named because of how easy the material is to liberate from the matrix. We do the prep with a toothbrush instead of a jackhammer  Dr. Ben Neuman who put together the "Pictorial Guide" estimated there will be close to 400 by the time everything is included and new species we are hearing about get published.

 

Tyler, since you drove up from the south you passed a lot of other great Penn sites on the way. Join the Austin paleo group to get in on their field trips to those sites. Lari, if you haven't already, join the Dallas Paleontological Society to get on their trips to those sites and the many other ones closer to home.

Edited January 23, 2023 by BobWill

[Mikrogeophagus]

2 minutes ago, BobWill said:

Tyler, since you drove up from the south you passed a lot of other great Penn sites

Don't worry, I've already moved back to DFW, so it was just a quick 1.5 hour drive for me! Austin paleo is going back to Jacksboro pretty soon, so it looks like I'll be meeting up with them again shortly. It's on feb 25th, in case you are interesting in joining! Those penn sites in central TX are pretty great. I've visited a few so far with PSoA and every trip was legendary. And yes, I am double dipping a bit with DPS . I'm gonna try to make it to the upcoming Midlothian trip, so maybe I'll see you there if you are into Atco formation hunting.

 

I know whiskey bridge has some insane gastropod diversity, but my gut agrees in saying Jacksboro wins over. Its got lots of gastropods too, plus all those brachiopods and cephalopods dangling over the eocene's head.