hitekmastr Posted December 27, 2013 Share Posted December 27, 2013 Merry Xmas and Happy New Year to all of our Fossil Friends! We took a December getaway trip to Mexico - our annual Yucatan vacation - no fossil hunting, but to my surprise, we did see a fossil sign and rock while doing a pedal-zipline through the canopy at a jungle theme park called Xel-Ha. You can see the fossil sign and a closeup of part of the rock face which has 67 million year old marine fossils - mostly coral and some shells. On previous trips we've seen some spectacular marine fossils on the roofs of caves we explored (mixed in with the bat colonies that live in the caves). Thought you might find this to be a fun and quirky trip report, in keeping with the holidays. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamieLynn Posted December 27, 2013 Share Posted December 27, 2013 I've been to Xel-ha! Beautiful place! Did not see the fossil park, Quite possibly was not in existence when I was there over 25 years ago..... www.fossil-quest.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffrey P Posted December 27, 2013 Share Posted December 27, 2013 Looks like prolific shell life just prior to the comet impact. I'm trying to imagine what it must have looked like back then. Sounds like a perfect December getaway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hitekmastr Posted December 28, 2013 Author Share Posted December 28, 2013 I've been to Xel-ha! Beautiful place! Did not see the fossil park, Quite possibly was not in existence when I was there over 25 years ago..... The overhead bicycle zipline is a new addition at Xel-Ha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scylla Posted December 28, 2013 Share Posted December 28, 2013 Xel-ha is beautiful under water too! I thought the deposits of limestone in the Yucatan were younger than the impact crater and overlaid the crater? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hitekmastr Posted December 29, 2013 Author Share Posted December 29, 2013 All I know is that the sign and commentary at the site placed this dating on the rock - they could be wrong of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scylla Posted December 29, 2013 Share Posted December 29, 2013 (edited) I think the sign is mistaken unless there is a local anomaly in surface geology. The impact crater is 65-66 million years old and is over 1 killometer below the surface. This link gave a good summary. Maybe that block of fossils comes from a different area? Anyway wonderful place to visit isn't it? PS. Next time I visit, I might try to take this tour Edited December 29, 2013 by Scylla Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted December 29, 2013 Share Posted December 29, 2013 Playa del Carmen is on the eastern edge of the Yucatan, outside the impact zone (and off track for the low angle of impact). The strata in Xel-Ha could easily predate the impact. "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! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hitekmastr Posted January 2, 2014 Author Share Posted January 2, 2014 (edited) Playa del Carmen is on the eastern edge of the Yucatan, outside the impact zone (and off track for the low angle of impact). The strata in Xel-Ha could easily predate the impact. There is SO MUCH EXPERTISE on this forum! Appreciate the clarifications about the fossil rock at Xel-Ha. Xel-Ha is our favorite place in the world to visit. We always stay at an all inclusive resort called Barcelo Maya Riviera (they have 4 separate resorts in the same complex). I highly recommend it. Best time to go is in May since prices drop immediately after Easter. We've seen quite a few fossils, and also lots of coral impressions/imprints in rocks although it's hard to tell if the coral imprints are fossils or recent. Here is a photo that we took of ourselves with a large rock on the beach with deep imprints - I'm assuming these are recent/contemporary. There are a lot of corals/rocks on the shore. Unfortunately parts of the world's second largest coral reef (Yucatan) are dying like most coral reefs around the world. Another victim of global climate change and new future fossils being created! ALSO - just for fun - here is a photo I snapped of a 4 foot long Bejuquilla Vine Snake that fell (or jumped) out of a tree a foot away from a chair where I was sitting. This was at Xel-Ha. I grabbed my camera in time to get a photo but I wasn't fast enough to catch the snake (although I tried). This beautiful snake has an emerald green head that shimmers in the sun like a jewel. Edited January 2, 2014 by hitekmastr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scylla Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 The area of Playa del Carmen is outside the impact zone, but the impact is more than 1 Km below the surface. Here is some better geological info: http://www.oztotl.com/ps/reports/QR_hydrology.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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