Show Us Your Fossils In Flint

[donckey]

Hi

In Europe there are lots of places where flint (silex, feuerstein, vuursteen) can be found.

Insitu it can be found in limestone from Jura, Cretateous and Tertiair. Secundairy in riversediments, beachpebbles and glacious deposits.

The most common not micro-fossil in flint are echinoidea, often beautiful preserved. But one can find many other fossils in flint.

This one I found in the middle of France in the Touraine, near Les Grandes Pressigny, some 150 km south of Tours. This area is famous for its high quality honeybrown silex from the Late-Cretaceous. and for its prehistoric silex mining some 4000 years ago.

It was found on a field and surfaced by ploughing the field.

In this flint we see a peace of driftwood and this is a rare fossil in flint.

I hope somebody can give me some id of this wood athough I know it is not easy!

Plz show your fossils in flint

Edited January 7, 2013 by donckey

[Coco]

Hi,

This one I found in the middle of France in the Touraine, near Les Grandes Pressigny, some 150 km south of Tours. This area is famous for its high quality honeybrown silex from the Late-Cretaceous. and for its prehistoric silex mining some 4000 years ago.

The real name is "Le Grand Pressigny".

You have to know that in France it is forbiden to search prehistoric silex ! All which was made by prehistoric men, and even eaten by them, are protected and you haven't right to take them. For example, in caves, fossilized bear bones are also protected, because prehistoric men ate them...

These rules can seem stupid, but it is like that ! Those who break them risk big financial punishment !

Coco

[donckey]

Hi Coco

Thanks for correcting my spelling, should be more careful with that.

You told me before that it is forbidden to search for prehistoric silex.

I knew it is forbidden in some places (local rules) and I always respected that. But I did not know it is forbidden in the whole of France!

Till about 2000 I search a lot (for over 20 years) in France. I know many people in places I went, including landowners,maires and gendarmerie (police). They also knew what I was looking for and I showed them my finds. I was never told in those years it was forbidden to search.

I also had permission from the landowners and I was always welcome. I do not think laws like that are stupid. But there is a difference in searching on ploughed fields, where, if not picked up, artefacts will be gone forever, or really digging for it. Can you tell me how long this law excist, cause now you got me worried in case I go to France again!

( That reminds me of the first described Mosasaurus Hoffmannii. That beauty was robbed by the french army in 1794 and brought to France and despite many attemps never has returned to Holland )

Anyway I did not start this topic to get in this discussion. I only wanted to show a nice fossil in flint and would like to see some more from other collectors.

Hope i will get to see some!

Peter

Edited January 7, 2013 by donckey

[Coco]

Can you tell me how long this law excist, cause now you got me worried in case I go to France again!

This law exists for more than 30 years because it already existed when I began to be interested in fossils.

Coco

[Kosmoceras]

Here are a couple of flint echinoids from the Norfolk coast.

Regards,

[donckey]

Thanks for showing.

Today I saw a peace of flint with a sharktooth inbedded.

Not many reactions on this forum though