Uncle Siphuncle Posted October 25, 2007 Share Posted October 25, 2007 Guys Here are some of my favorite finds from TX last week. I am especially fond of the Sphenodiscus ammonite, the best example of that genus in my collection. It is 12 inches in diameter and virtually perfect from all angles. Good suture detail too. It comes from the Escondido fm (Maastrichtian or Upper Cretaceous, 65 MYA). I took it on a 4 mile exploratory kayak trip after researching old references and then tracking down current landowners. I try to put a good percentage of my overall efforts into nailing down new-to-me, virgin or long forgotten sites. Sometimes I hit dead ends, this particular time I didn't. I got 9 ammonites total, the others not as spectacular but still cool. I recommend that you treat these landowners well. This one seemed interested in fossils when I first spoke with him so I brought along a 10 inch Mortoniceras ammonite for him just for letting look around on his land. I gave him a big Sphenodiscus at the end of the trip, much better than the river washed ones he had found on his gravel bars. He seemed pleased with the outcome. The Phyllobrissus and Hardouinia echinoids are from the Anacacho fm, about 72 MYA. These are sort of rare statewide so I love grabbing a few from time to time. The Hardouinia is undescribed but the pending species is bowlesi. The big echinoid is the Echinocorys I had to repair as 5-10% of the test was missing. The bones shown are in a matrix of sand, clay, and gravel. To those new to the Pleistocene I show these as a lesson in not relying only on color as indication of age. These bones haven't been in the river so they have no stain. I found them in situ in the bank. I scribed some of the sandstone matrix off the larger one. Pretty cool "proof seal" of age, eh? Ah, the points. 3 in 4 miles of river is pretty good in my book. The down side is that my buddy found them all! On the upswing, they are now all in my collection! Enjoy the images. Grüße, Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas "To the motivated go the spoils." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Owens Posted October 25, 2007 Share Posted October 25, 2007 Excellent trip! What river were you on? -----"Your Texas Connection!"------ Fossils: Windows to the past Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Siphuncle Posted October 26, 2007 Author Share Posted October 26, 2007 Mike This was actually 4 trips in one week. On 2 days I took the curator of the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science plus a couple of my buddies to a quarry and several ranches west of San Antonio plus explored a stretch of the San Antonio River via kayak. We hit several creeks as well. The other couple days were solo trips. Again, take care of the landowners and quarry operators and they will take care of you. These trips were a mix of proven and exploratory sites. Grüße, Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas "To the motivated go the spoils." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gatorman Posted October 26, 2007 Share Posted October 26, 2007 Sweet Finds Dan :Thumbs-up: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebrocklds Posted October 26, 2007 Share Posted October 26, 2007 nice finds Dan. i like the big ammonite as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
worthy 55 Posted October 26, 2007 Share Posted October 26, 2007 Great finds!!!! :cool: It's my bone!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Siphuncle Posted October 26, 2007 Author Share Posted October 26, 2007 PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT To anyone thinking about hitting the San Antonio River please beware. I picked up a nasty staph infection in my ankle as a result of this trip. I picked up some burrs in my socks while dragging the kayak, standard procedure really. Apparently one poked a pinhole through my skin which was enough to allow the maligned staphococcus bacteria into my system as I sloshed in and out of the water. I'm still on antibiotics and doing much better. I was lucky to have a wife who prodded me to go to the doctor on the first day of symptoms as normally I'm too lazy and cheap to do what's best for me. If left untreated, these infections can go below the skin, infecting the fascia, lymphatic system, and/or blood stream, becoming systemic. Untreated, this can require long term intravenous antibiotics and an expensive hospital stay or worst case, DEATH. They were some pretty good finds though. I enjoy walking through my house gazing fondly upon each specimen, recounting the perils, speeding tickets, wild hogs, wild dogs, irate livestock, broken glass, rusty sharp metal, inclement weather highway driving, discomfort and human suffering involved in specimen acquisition. See why I become so attached to my finds? Hehehe Grüße, Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas "To the motivated go the spoils." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gatorman Posted October 26, 2007 Share Posted October 26, 2007 wow staph sucks man i got it once when i was younger nearly killed me i didnt have insurance so my parents waited till i was really sick to bring me to the hospital oh well i lived Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve71 Posted December 20, 2007 Share Posted December 20, 2007 COOL FINDS I'LL HAVE TO POST SOME FINDS FROM CORPUS CHRISTI AREA. NOT THE SAME AS YOUR FINDS BUT FOSSILS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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