Lonewuff Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 (edited) I just aquired this nice 'peltomorphites' (correct spelling) ammonite from a collector in the UK. I just had to show it off since I beleive it to be fairly rare I'm told. I'm thinking pretty fantastic myself! I've obtained quite a few pyritized ammonites from the UK lately but this one is an outstanding specimen. it measures 3.618" across. The info included with the ammonite says it is a peltamorphites subtense from the Oxford clay deposits near Oxford. Callovian stage, middle Jurassic and 162 million years old. Does anyone else have any of these? Edited July 1, 2011 by Lonewuff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Dactyll Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 Lonewolf... Very nice ammonite but I have never heard of it lol...It doesnt look like Charmouth type preservation to me but thats nothing definate to go off...did you get any more specific scientific details with it on a label?. Cheers Steve... And Welcome if your a New Member... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 (edited) The name does sound authentic, but the only place you can find it in google is right here. It's not listed in the Treatise or any of my ammonite literature and the Paleobiology Database gives no results to that name. I'm afraid someone has had a good imagination or else doesn't know his ammonites. It looks like it might be a Peltoceras, perhaps caprinum(Quenstedt 1847) from the uppermost Callovian/lower Oxford, which brings us perhaps to the southern jurassic coast in Dorset or the area near Scarborough in Yorkshire. If you want to be more certain, you could ask Byron Blessed to have a look at it: http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php/user/4989-fossils-uk/ Anyways, it is a nice looking ammonite, although it may be difficult to trace the site where it was found. Good luck, Roger Edited June 30, 2011 by Ludwigia Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lonewuff Posted June 30, 2011 Author Share Posted June 30, 2011 The name does sound authentic, but the only place you can find it in google is right here. It's not listed in the Treatise or any of my ammonite literature and the Paleobiology Database gives no results to that name. I'm afraid someone has had a good imagination or else doesn't know his ammonites. It looks like it might be a Peltoceras, perhaps caprinum(Quenstedt 1847) from the uppermost Callovian/lower Oxford, which brings us perhaps to the southern jurassic coast in Dorset or the area near Scarborough in Yorkshire. If you want to be more certain, you could ask Byron Blessed to have a look at it: http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php/user/4989-fossils-uk/ Anyways, it is a nice looking ammonite, although it may be difficult to trace the site where it was found. Good luck, Roger Thanks for your input! I added the rest of the label info to the discription above. I think the collector found it himself in the UK. I've traded for quite a few Uk ammonites lately and have gotten some super specimens from this mate. Thanks Doc! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 Thanks for your input! I added the rest of the label info to the discription above. I think the collector found it himself in the UK. I've traded for quite a few Uk ammonites lately and have gotten some super specimens from this mate. Thanks Doc! You're welcome! Glad to have been of help. Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 Bingo! I've just found it in one of my reference books on the Oxford clay. Your ammonite belongs to the subspecies Peltomorphites. Fullname: Peltoceras (Peltomorphites) subtense (Bean in Leckenby) I'll take that back about somebody not knowing his ammos. That was rather a displaced vowel. This ammo is quite a rarity. Congratulations on the aquisition! Roger Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lonewuff Posted July 1, 2011 Author Share Posted July 1, 2011 Bingo! I've just found it in one of my reference books on the Oxford clay. Your ammonite belongs to the subspecies Peltomorphites. Fullname: Peltoceras (Peltomorphites) subtense (Bean in Leckenby) I'll take that back about somebody not knowing his ammos. That was rather a displaced vowel. This ammo is quite a rarity. Congratulations on the aquisition! Roger Roger, Thanks so much for your help. I'll have to look and make sure I did not spell it wrong myself. *S* I've been trading fossils with this fellow and have gotten some very nice ammonites from him. My collection has expanded with his help. I hunt cretaceous ammonites in Central Alabama but I think there are Jurassic ammos a bit farther north. Let me know if you've seen pictures of any Jurassic ammos in Alabama. I'm still looking for a photo of some of the larger ammonites I've seen in the rivers and creeks. No less than 6' across on some. There are bid mushroom shaped rocks in the banks with ammonites in them. I have a shot somewhere of my partner standing in front of a broken ammonite which is longer than his walking stick. I'll post it as soon as I come across it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 6 feet is very impressive for jurassic ammos. Never heard of one that large as yet. The cretaceous is however the champion. Ever seen this one? http://www.tonmo.com/forums/showthread.php?2647-Image-The-Largest-Ammonite-In-the-World Roger Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amaltheus Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 Wow!! thats a whopper,Mr dactyl likes em big but i bet even he would struggle getting that off the beach!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lonewuff Posted July 1, 2011 Author Share Posted July 1, 2011 Roger, That is an impressive ammonite. *S* I was speaking of cretaceous ammonites being 6 feet or more. I'm dying to find the photo I took of a gent standing in front of the edge of a broken one in a creek bank. The problem I have getting one is extracting it and getting it out without the weight breaking it apart. I'm not sure as to what kind it is though. I'm thinking it's a gigantus alabamus. I'll find those pictures for you and hopefully that will help with an ID. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Dactyll Posted July 2, 2011 Share Posted July 2, 2011 Roger...Well identified with the rare ammonite and congratulations on the aquisition Lonewuff... Awsome, it really is the large ammonite... Imagine finding that and then realising you havent packed the JCB... I would have nightmares thinking about tourists chiseling chunks out of it... (a little story) I once found a shell I had to leave as I couldnt budge it and went back to collect it with help a month later... In the meantime a commercial collector had spotted it and pulled the stone over face down in readiness to come back for it... It took me well over an hour to 're find' it... and its one of my best specimens I reckon the calcite Arietites... Cheers Steve... And Welcome if your a New Member... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted July 2, 2011 Share Posted July 2, 2011 (edited) Roger, That is an impressive ammonite. *S* I was speaking of cretaceous ammonites being 6 feet or more. I'm dying to find the photo I took of a gent standing in front of the edge of a broken one in a creek bank. The problem I have getting one is extracting it and getting it out without the weight breaking it apart. I'm not sure as to what kind it is though. I'm thinking it's a gigantus alabamus. I'll find those pictures for you and hopefully that will help with an ID. If you follow the above link on for a few pages, there are some pictures of huge ones from Canada as well which are also unfortunately not nearly as well preserved as the monster from Münster. That one's been sitting in the museum for a good 100 years and was a real celebrity in its day. One of the biguns from Canada was left in situ and was unfortunately destroyed by wind, weather and souvenir hunters. @Steve: Thanks for the laurels. That involved a bit of detective work. Roger Edited July 2, 2011 by Ludwigia Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilDAWG Posted July 5, 2011 Share Posted July 5, 2011 Roger, Thanks so much for your help. I'll have to look and make sure I did not spell it wrong myself. *S* I've been trading fossils with this fellow and have gotten some very nice ammonites from him. My collection has expanded with his help. I hunt cretaceous ammonites in Central Alabama but I think there are Jurassic ammos a bit farther north. Let me know if you've seen pictures of any Jurassic ammos in Alabama. I'm still looking for a photo of some of the larger ammonites I've seen in the rivers and creeks. No less than 6' across on some. There are bid mushroom shaped rocks in the banks with ammonites in them. I have a shot somewhere of my partner standing in front of a broken ammonite which is longer than his walking stick. I'll post it as soon as I come across it. Unfortunately there is no fossiliferous Jurassic exposed anywhere in Alabama, or anywhere in the Southeastern US. There are some freshwater lake deposits of very early Jurassic age in North Carolina/Virginia/Pennsylvania and northeast from there, but the closest marine Jurassic is in Cuba and Mexico I think. Both are problematic for a collecting trip! I'd love to see your photo of a 6 foot Cretaceous ammonite. I know of a few Alabama sites that yield ~1 foot diameter specimens, and I've seen one 3 foot specimen in the Mooreville Chalk, but I've not seen anything approaching 6 feet. Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lonewuff Posted July 6, 2011 Author Share Posted July 6, 2011 Roger...Well identified with the rare ammonite and congratulations on the aquisition Lonewuff... Awsome, it really is the large ammonite... Imagine finding that and then realising you havent packed the JCB... I would have nightmares thinking about tourists chiseling chunks out of it... (a little story) I once found a shell I had to leave as I couldnt budge it and went back to collect it with help a month later... In the meantime a commercial collector had spotted it and pulled the stone over face down in readiness to come back for it... It took me well over an hour to 're find' it... and its one of my best specimens I reckon the calcite Arietites... Terry, I'm glad you found it again. *S* By the way people are talking about you I take it you like your ammonites? I've got to find those pictures of the larger ammonites. My larget retreived so far is 35 lbs and 20" across. I'm restoring one at the momment that is going to be a favorite as well when finished. The sutures and nodosites are crazy nice in detail. They are cretaceous. There is quite a bit of ammolite color left on a few. They are similar to the western found USA ammonites in nodules. Thanks ahead of time for any help with the ammos! Marty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lonewuff Posted July 6, 2011 Author Share Posted July 6, 2011 Unfortunately there is no fossiliferous Jurassic exposed anywhere in Alabama, or anywhere in the Southeastern US. There are some freshwater lake deposits of very early Jurassic age in North Carolina/Virginia/Pennsylvania and northeast from there, but the closest marine Jurassic is in Cuba and Mexico I think. Both are problematic for a collecting trip! I'd love to see your photo of a 6 foot Cretaceous ammonite. I know of a few Alabama sites that yield ~1 foot diameter specimens, and I've seen one 3 foot specimen in the Mooreville Chalk, but I've not seen anything approaching 6 feet. Don Don, Thanks so much. I checked and you are correct about the Jurassic ammonites. Or should I say we haven't found any yet. *S* I was thinking of weiss lake but it is Cambrian. Got a lot of trilobites there. I really want to go there and hunt for some mud bugs. Nothing like getting out and seeing where and how they come from. That's the best part of collecting. I'll get back on the pictures of the large ammonites this evening. I know I saw one in a creek bank in situ not long ago in a folder and I do have another where a fellow collector is standing in front of a broken half at least 6 feet across. I went collecting last month and some of the sections I saw were huge. I was looking at some large sections of pyritized ammos as well. What's the largest pyritized ammonite you've seen? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Dactyll Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 (edited) Terry, I'm glad you found it again. *S* By the way people are talking about you I take it you like your ammonites? Marty Marty... Yes I do like my ammonites... I collect specifically the geological layers I do (lower jurassic) because of the crystal calcite preservation you find on them... I think that takes them asthetically to a new level especially if you can save the layer intact when you clean them from the rock... I have some USA ammonites that have shell that I got in a trade many years ago...they are in a thread called Ammonites USA... Edited July 7, 2011 by Terry Dactyll Cheers Steve... And Welcome if your a New Member... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lonewuff Posted July 7, 2011 Author Share Posted July 7, 2011 Marty... Yes I do like my ammonites... I collect specifically the geological layers I do (lower jurassic) because of the crystal calcite preservation you find on them... I think that takes them asthetically to a new level especially if you can save the layer intact when you clean them from the rock... I have some USA ammonites that have shell that I got in a trade many years ago...they are in a thread called Ammonites USA... Terry, Nice collection you have there. I'll have to take a few shots of my scaphite collection. I don't think I've found any but I did buy some very nice specimens. I love your prep job on your ammonites. Maybe you can help me drag one of those big boys out of the Alabama creeks one day. I did find a picture of an ammonite still in it's rock tomb in one of the creek banks in Alabama. I have another shot I'll find of an exposed ammonite in the creek which is over 6" across very close to this one. I'll post it as well when I find it. Marty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnJ Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 Terry, Nice collection you have there. I'll have to take a few shots of my scaphite collection. I don't think I've found any but I did buy some very nice specimens. I love your prep job on your ammonites. Maybe you can help me drag one of those big boys out of the Alabama creeks one day. I did find a picture of an ammonite still in it's rock tomb in one of the creek banks in Alabama. I have another shot I'll find of an exposed ammonite in the creek which is over 6" across very close to this one. I'll post it as well when I find it. Marty Marty, what features in your photo lead you to believe this is an ammonite? The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true. - JJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lonewuff Posted July 8, 2011 Author Share Posted July 8, 2011 Marty, what features in your photo lead you to believe this is an ammonite? John, Doesn't look like much as it is but if you've seen the other large ammonites in the area you'd see why. They are in these large mushroom shaped rocks. The other one in the creek close by is broken in half but the concretion around the ammonite is the same as the rock you see here. There are others in the creeks as well. A few ammonites have broken and fallen into the creek with some large peices collected and some left behind (very large peices). Quite a distance from these are ammonites which are in nodules in the creek banks in the Ripley formation. They look similar to the Pierre shale nodules or Fox hills nodules. Even some nice ammolite in some. These seem familiar to those but the rock is less compacted. I'll find the large ammonite picture so you can check these out yourself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Dactyll Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 Matty...''Maybe you can help me drag one of those big boys out of the Alabama creeks one day.'' If those are the nodules they come in you will have a serious job on your hands lol... Its possible to collect one in a few pieces and then reassemble it when you get it home... You will need a little luck breaking one down with a sledge hammer for 'clean breaks' but it is possible Ive done it myself... Cheers Steve... And Welcome if your a New Member... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnJ Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 John, Doesn't look like much as it is but if you've seen the other large ammonites in the area you'd see why. They are in these large mushroom shaped rocks. The other one in the creek close by is broken in half but the concretion around the ammonite is the same as the rock you see here. There are others in the creeks as well. A few ammonites have broken and fallen into the creek with some large peices collected and some left behind (very large peices). Quite a distance from these are ammonites which are in nodules in the creek banks in the Ripley formation. They look similar to the Pierre shale nodules or Fox hills nodules. Even some nice ammolite in some. These seem familiar to those but the rock is less compacted. I'll find the large ammonite picture so you can check these out yourself. Looking forward to the photos. The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true. - JJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ravenblackwolf Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 Hi everyone, hope I'm not reviving a dead thread, but I have a very similar 'Peltomorphite' ammonite I found in Charmouth area, I researched Ammonite species and localities and this one fits the 'peltomorphite' lable pretty well, it's big, looks very like yours and at the 'mouth' the fossil appears to be white clay or limestone beneath the pyritized layer. A lot of 'Hildoceras' Ammonites come from the Whitby and Dorset areas of UK, I have seen loads of them in big rocks on Whitby bay beach, these 'peltomorphic' things are quite different, let me know if you are any the wiser about tem yet, as I am very nosey and Ammonites are one of my great loves. I will take some pics of my 'Hildocerus' and the 'peltomorphic' to post Raven x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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