Fun Looking For Eurypterids

[Malcolmt]

For the past number of weeks I have been having some fun looking for Eurypterids. Finding one is hard work and a lot of luck. When you arrive at the site it is somewhat desolate and picking the right spot is a bit of a roll of the dice.My theory is that one spot is almost as good as the rest. Though I do try to find a spot where the bedding plain of the rock is starting to take a bit of a dip. My theory being that gives me the best chance of finding a Windrow where things will have collected.The other thing I tend to do is tap the rock with my mini sledge if I find an area with a bit of a hollow sound I know that it will be easier to split that an area which is just a solid thud. Have not at this point figured if this bias is hurting my chances of finding something. There are however sections of this quarry where the rock is extremely hard and it is far more difficult to split. I tend to avoid those spots.... leave them to the guys with the rock saws......

Another picture of the general area. Pretty barren especially when you have the whole site to yourself as was the case for me yesterday.

This is typical of the ground surface that you are looking in. You will not find much in the talus that has been left behind, perhaps a tergite or a bit of tail but if it is broken up on the ground it means that someone else has already taken it out looked at it and then tossed it. Where you sometimes get lucky is when it splits after being tossed and it exposes something the original finder never got to see. One of our good friends on the Board here has had pretty good luck in the spoil piles. Me not so good...

The Eurypterids are not just sitting there all pretty looking just waiting to be found

You have to excavate. You have to split you cannot leave till you ache...... If you are not stiff the next day you did not work hard enough

Seriously though the 2 pound mini sledge that I use is really the biggest that I can wield hour after hour. I have a 5 pounder but cannot use it for any length of time. Also the size of a 2 pounder maked it easy to use the chisel on your hands and knees at ground level. By the way only ever use the chisels with the plastic protector on the top. You can see mine with the yellow protector in oneof the pictures below. Can't tell you the number of times I have hit that protector and thought to myself "That would have hurt"

After a few hours work you will have something that looks like this. This was all done by hand , some use a rock saw which makes the whole process easier. Me I am not so lucky a) I do not own one and I am pretty much to much of a wimp (scared) to use one. As you can see I work very methodically creating a square excavation area then I try to split off matrix about 1/4 to 1/2 thick across the entire surface.If there is something in the area I am looking I will find it. Unlike some I am not much of a wanderer I tend to pick a spot and just stay with it. My family calls me OCD. I think that helps a whole lot when it comes to hunting fossils. I have a lot of patience and it is no big deal if I get skunked.... theres always tomorrow. Any day in the field is better than no day in the field. I worked this particular spot about 6 hours and by the end was about 4 inches deep. Found one partial eurypterid seen in picture with chisel and a few tails and many tergites and two phylocarids. I like phylocarids a lot, I would really like to find one that has the tail attached to the carapace. So far no luck 4 tails, 2 carapaces, 6 pieces of matrix..... Interesting in this area I did not find any partial Eurypterid heads. Previous time out, the area I picked I was only finding heads , tergites and paddles. Definately like type material Size & shape) tends to cluster together at this location.

From a Different Direction. As you can see I do cheat a little bit I have a Stihl gas leaf blower which works absolutely great for clearing all the crud away. Makes it much easier to see and cuts down big time on the rock dhards in the knees. This matrix splits very easily but it has supersharp pieces . I have already worn out a leather work glove on the left hand tossing split pieces that are extremely sharp.

Although not real clear to see there is a Eurypterid to the left of the chisel. Would have showed up better if I had wet it with some water. Some people take spray bottles of water so that they can see whats in the matrix better.

Here are some of my recent finds from this location

The tail is typical of the detail in these fossils and the nice chocolate color of the area where I am collecting. Some in this same site come out more of a charcoal color.

Here is a phylocarid tail section from there

Will be Back there again next week for sure , Weather permitting.........

Edited April 29, 2012 by Malcolmt

[Missourian]

You're right. It is fun.

Few things are more beautiful than a vast expanse of eurypterid-bearing rock.

[piranha]

That is not an easy dig site by any stretch of imagination. Seeing your photos and knowing how difficult a complete and articulated eurypterid is to find anywhere is all the justification I needed years ago to make mine a 'store-bought' example. That was no walk in the park either as I waited patiently over a few years until the right one appeared on the radar screen. I'd say you did extremely well considering how desolate and barren that quarry looks... Congrats Malcolm

[Auspex]

All that potential....pretty exciting, if you ask me (but I'm not the one wearing out work gloves)!

Seriously, I really appreciate seeing the endeavor from the collector's perspective.

[Shamalama]

I've been there once and can confirm how difficult it is to excavate there. It's all flat floor so you have the make yourself a pit or find one someone else started. I'd like to hit that quarry again, perhaps at the end of may I can make another trip up.

[Pagurus]

Wonderful report. Thank you. I've become interested in the relationship between eurypterids and horseshoe crabs (just to satisfy my own curiosity, and I'm just beginning to learn about eurypterids). It's interesting to read about your collecting techniques. Maybe one of these days I'll have the chance to find my own. Good luck with your search.

Mike

[Lloyd]

Great report with terrific pictures.

[Malcolmt]

Pagarus, there are also small horsehoe crabs found at ths site though I have never seen one. I think Pleecan may have one If I recall. Some people believe that Eurypterids are closely related to horse shoe crabs while others think they are more closely related to scorpions or spiders. (hence the name sea scorpion). I don't know which are the closer relatives but regardless they are real fun to look for. Every split of the rock is like Xmas. You just don't know what you are going to find.Or as Forrest would say "Life is like a box of Chocolates"

Edited April 28, 2012 by Malcolmt

[Northern Sharks]

Great report Malcolm. While I'd love a complete specimen, that set of pics just reminds me how much work it involves, not to mention missing a days pay for the "priveledge" of waking up sore the next day

[Sinopaleus]

Where was this at?

Lovely finds

[Malcolmt]

Eurypterid site near Niagara Falls , Ontario , Canada

[jpc]

great report... this is a site I would love to go to someday... just to give it a try. And uerypterids are cool. Maybe someday before I get too old for a hard' day's work..,.

[glacialerratic]

Excellent report! Thanks for letting us look over your shoulder!

Are you familiar with the Wizard Wrecking Bar? Seems like they would be a good tool for that quarry:

http://geo-tools.com/bars.htm

I used one out in UT., on the Green River Shale, and it worked like a charm, pulling up big slabs.

[Malcolmt]

I am familiar with the wizard wrecking bar. I am not sure it would work that well as for the most part you are down on your hands and knees. I like using a combination of my plastic protected chisel and two pound sledge along with my eastwing geology hammer which I can use as a bit of a lever. I have the hammer with the point on one end, others I have seen at the site have the one that looks more like a masons hammer (not pointed). The slabs here seem to come out at a maximum weight of say 50 pounds. The most typical are under 20 pounds so you do not need a super amount of leverage. Because of our winters up here (freezing thaw cycles) there are lots (as in too many) natural fractures in the rock.

[squalicorax]

Hey Malcolm NICE WORK! man those are amazing.

[Ludwigia]

Hi Malcolm and thanks for the detailed description. Looks like you sweat just as much there as I do at Geisingen in a different way taking 2 layers of boulders apart, but it's well worth the effort and patience when the finds start to show themselves.

[pleecan]

Wonderful report Malcolm! You have done extremely well...

This I first thought was a horse shoe crab...

But it is not... instead

Bunaia Fossil ( recently Id for me by Dr. Dave Rudkin) collected a few years ago, from Silurian Bertie Formation imaged with Nikon 995 direct coupled to 60mm German Microscope objective. Fossil imaged under a film of water.

PL

Edited April 29, 2012 by pleecan