Crabs, Crinoids, and Starfish Parts- Texas Cretaceous Del Rio Formation Micros

[JamieLynn]

The water level in a close by river has been the lowest I've seen in years... we're definitely experiencing a climate shift here in Central Texas. Even with some recent rains, the river is not regaining its normal levels. While that is indeed a sad state of affairs, it has made for some good fossil hunting....sooooo....Silver lining?  I have found 6 little tiny outcrops of the blue grey mud that I recognize as Del Rio Formation, a great surprise when this area is typically Georgetown Formation and Glen Rose Formation. So of course, I dug up ALL OF IT that I could. I've been back three times and I think I got it all!  Kinda sad that I got it all though. It has provided some great hours of Micro hunting! 

 

 

 

I finally bought myself a little camp shovel! It has proved invaluable! 

 

 

These little patches have yielded some amazing fossil.  They are chock full of the cormatulid crinoid Roveocrinus signatus. These are all around 3 mm or 3/16 inch

 

They are very varied:

 

 

 

My other favorite thing to find are the myriad of crab claws, and occasionally was lucky to find both digits together. 

All of these are around 1/8 inch

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another favorite is of course....starfish! While I have yet to find the actual central body of the brittlestar Ophiuria sp. , I have found LOTS of bits of legs and individual parts.  

 

 

 

 

Not much ammonite stuff, but I did find something quite special - this little fragment of Anisoceras sp. 

 

And this little unidentified ammonite. I did find one whorl of the heteromorph ammonite Mariella (which are common in other Del Rio outcrops) but it was not well enough preserved to merit adding.

 

Also a couple of not very well preserved shark teeth- probably Leptostyrax

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And of course, lots of tiny gastropods!

Probably a Fusus sp. 

 

Gyrodes biangulata

Nerinea volana

 Cerithium texana

 

Unknown Gastro  probably a Turritella of some sort

 

and not a fossil, but a nice little Pyrite rose

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[JohnJ]

How can you not love roveacrinids!  

 

  I hope you find a weathering patch with a perched brittlestar centrum, soon.

[FossilNerd]

Very neat finds JamieLynn! Of course I love the roveacrinids, and I’m a sucker for gastropods. Too bad about wiping out the exposures, but hopefully the river will be up again soon and expose a bit more for you to sift.
 

Every time I see your micro matrix posts I get the itch to start digging through my own bucket of dirt.

 

It’s on my bucket list (pun intended  ) to get a batch to sort through this year.