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Jurassic Wave Runners


Missourian

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Trace fossils

Carmel Formation, Jurassic

San Rafael Reef, Utah

post-6808-0-53216500-1329551359_thumb.jpg

Close-up of one end:

post-6808-0-03387200-1329551380_thumb.jpg

And the other end:

post-6808-0-18713400-1329551397_thumb.jpg

I'm not sure what made these trails, but they seem to have liked to play along the sand ripples.

I found this while hiking through Bell Canyon within the San Rafael Reef, which is the erosional expression of an enormous monocline. As I was hiking down through a slot within the Navajo Sandstone, I reached a drop-off with a pool of muddy water at the base:

post-6808-0-70179800-1329551716_thumb.jpg

As there were cobbles and boulders scattered along the canyon bottom, I wasn't about to jump into that pool. Instead, I climbed up the canyon wall until I reached a bench within the overlying Carmel Formation. As the beds were dipping at a pretty steep angle, I just followed the ramp back down to the level of the canyon wash. Along the way, I found the slab within the colorful layers of mudrock and sandstone. It was so cool, I had to take it home with me.

Context is critical.

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I like how the ripple plate shows that the "crawlers" were staying in the bottoms of the ripples; maybe feeding on trapped detritus?

(Make a negative; it will be clear what I mean).

"There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant

“Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley

>Paleontology is an evolving science.

>May your wonders never cease!

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And here's the other side of the slab:

post-6808-0-09207800-1329640666_thumb.jpg

A few trails are present, but because of a lack of ripples, they follow a straighter path.

The intense maroon color and desiccation cracks are probably due to the surface being exposed to air at one point.

Context is critical.

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  • 1 year later...

Trace fossils

Carmel Formation, Jurassic

San Rafael Reef, Utah

02-Jurassic-trace.jpg

Close-up of one end:

02-Jurassic-trace-half-1.jpg

And the other end:

02-Jurassic-trace-half-2.jpg

I'm not sure what made these trails, but they seem to have liked to play along the sand ripples.

I found this while hiking through Bell Canyon within the San Rafael Reef, which is the erosional expression of an enormous monocline. As I was hiking down through a slot within the Navajo Sandstone, I reached a drop-off with a pool of muddy water at the base:

Bell Canyon trap.jpg

As there were cobbles and boulders scattered along the canyon bottom, I wasn't about to jump into that pool. Instead, I climbed up the canyon wall until I reached a bench within the overlying Carmel Formation. As the beds were dipping at a pretty steep angle, I just followed the ramp back down to the level of the canyon wash. Along the way, I found the slab within the colorful layers of mudrock and sandstone. It was so cool, I had to take it home with me.

Hi Missourian,

While looking through some papers I stumbled across the ID for these mystery traces: Scolicia isp.

post-4301-0-90216500-1364957239_thumb.jpg post-4301-0-53142700-1364957224_thumb.jpg

image.png.a84de26dad44fb03836a743755df237c.png

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Thanks for the ref, Scott. It's always nice to have a name to a face. :)

Context is critical.

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  • 3 weeks later...

That is exactly what I have. Very curious - I am wondering about the small spur that these have at their mid point. I have not been able to find any more instances of these trace fossils on the web anywhere. You are the only one. I was quite excited when I found it. It is a strata above some shales.

thanks

Larry Leonaitis

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Hi Missourian,

After seeing these again my best guess at this point is Spirophycus.

Sorry for the previous incorrect ID and any confusion / wasted labels! :P

image.png.a84de26dad44fb03836a743755df237c.png

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Nice finds.... I do like ripple slabs... I got one on the wall from the carboniferous....

Cheers Steve... And Welcome if your a New Member... :)

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