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Ordovician In Anti-Atlas Mtns. Area, Morocco


mcduff

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I would very much like to learn of the collecting experiences and about the fossils that other collectors may have obtained from the Lower and Upper Ordovician sites in southeast Morocco.

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I haven't been there myself but I have an orthoceras fossil from the Atlas Mountains of around the same age.

I'm CRAZY about amber fossils and just as CRAZY in general.

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I'd like to know more about those fossils/sites as well! I have a few of the more easily obtained things from each Fezouata and Ktaoua (if you do a Forum search for Eldonia you'll find my examples from the latter)..

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I too have not been to Morocco but I have a large collection of Cambrian thru Devonian trilobite material. I will go thru my iphoto where I keep my trilobite catalog with annotated/metadata images and post what I have for the Ordovician Ktaoua and Fezouata (Upper and Middle to Lower Ordovician)

russ

Phacopida Salter, 1864
Suborder: Cheirurina Harrington & Leanza 1957
Super-family: Cheiruroidea Hawle & Corda, 1847
Family: Cheiruridae Hawle & Corda, 1847
Genus: Actinopeltis Hawle & Corda, 1847
Species: Actinopeltis globosus (Barrande, 1846)
Upper Ordovician
Ktaoua Formation
Bordj, Morocco
Chlustinia cf. keyserlingi (Barrande, 1846)
Upper Ordovician (probably Sandbian-Katian stage, such as in Czech Republic) of the Ktaoua formation
Bordj in the Tafilalt region in Errachidia province, west of Erfoud
Including its pygidial spines, the trilobite is about 5 to 5.5cm in length.
Cyphaspides sp
Order Proetida, Family Aulocopleuridae
Middle Devonian
Jorf, Morocco
Has small diagentic offset of the left genal and plueral spines
Order Asaphida
Suborder Asaphina (Salter 1864),
Superfamily Cyclopygoidea (Raymond 1925),
Nileidae (Angelin 1854)
Platypeltoides sp (according to Richard Fortney) with antennae
Upper Fezouata Formation,
lower and middle Arenig
Lower Ordovician,
Oulad Slimane, Near Zagora Dra Valley , Morocco
Lehua w antennae
Schistes supérieurs des Fezouata Formation (Upper Fezouata)
Arenig/Floian Age
Lower Ordovician
Dra Valley, near Zagora Morocco
Order LICHIDA Moore, 1959
Superfamily LICHOIDEA sensu Fortey (Fortey in Kaesler 1997)
Family LICHIDAE Hawle & Corda, 1847
Subfamily LICHINAE Hawle & Corda, 1847
Tribe DICRANOPELTINI Phleger, 1936 Genus Parvilichas n. gen.
Parvilichas marochii Corbacho and Vela (2013)
Schistes supérieurs des Fezouata Formation (Upper Fezouata)
Arenig/Floian Age
Lower Ordovician
Dra Valley, near Zagora Morocco
Platillaenus sp
Order Corynexochida, Family Illaenidae
Fezouata Formation Middle Ordovician
Zagora Region of Morocco
Pradoella tazzarinesis
Upper Fezouta
Lower Ordovician , Arenig Age
Tansirht, Kissane, Morocco
Eccoptochile mariana
Order Phacopida, Family Cheiruridae
Ktaoua Formation
Upper Ordovician
Zagora , Morocco
Harpides sp
Order Harpetida, Family Harpididae
and Asaphellus fezouataensis
Lower Fezouata. Fm., Lower Ordovician.,
Beni Zoli, Draa Valley, Morocco
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Ok ran out of room on the first thread above for image space, here are more Ordovician trilobites from the Atlas Mts

Dikelokephalina brenchleyi

Family DIKELOKEPHALINIDAE Kobayashi, 1934 Genus DIKELOKEPHALINA Broegger, 1896

Ordovician. Fezouata Formation,

at Ouled Slimane, SW of Agdz, Draa valley, Morocco

Cyclopyge sp.

Lower Kataoua Fm
Upper Ordovician
Jebel Tijarfaiouine
El Kaid Errami Morocco
Symphysops stevaninae
Lower Kataoua Fm
Upper Ordovician
Jebel Tijarfaiouine
El Kaid Errami Morocco
Selenopeltis sp.
Lichida, Odontopleuroidea, Selenopeltidae
Ktaoua Formation
Upper Ordovician
Mount Boutschafrin Alnif Morocco
Selenopeltis debuchii (Barrande 1846a
Late Ordovician (Ashgillian Stage)
Upper Ktaoua Formation
Mount Boutschafrin, Alnif, Morocco
Lonchodomas sp (Lower Right over a Foulonia) (Order Asaphida, Family Trinucleidae)
Foulonia sp. -(left edge and right edge under Lonchodomas) -(Order Phacopida, Family Cheiruridae)
Asaphid unknown, (Order Asaphida, Famili Asaphidae)
Upper Ordovician Ktaoua Formation ,
Mt. Ouled Slimane, Zagora, Morocco
Placoparia sp.
Upper Ordovician
Ktaoua Formation
Mt. Ouled Slimane, Zagora, Morocco
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I used to have some echinoderm material but have traded it, now just have my trilobites as focus, so this is my Atlas Ordovician contribution to your question and thread. Enjoy. time for bed....... zzzzzzzzz

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Very impressive, Russ!! Doesn't that Symphysops stevaninae have any eyes? Never seen anything like that before.

They have eyes just like the two Cyclopyge I posted, big eyes with many lenses. This one has a remnant of the eyes on it but like a number they are missing. Suppose it might have been a molt?

Here are a couple which are not mine. (one just a head, other is one Malek used to have for sale) showing the eyes, they look just like my first specimen of Cylopyge I posted.

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I would very much like to learn of the collecting experiences and about the fossils that other collectors may have obtained from the Lower and Upper Ordovician sites in southeast Morocco.

It's rough going, no running water, heat, sudden haboobs, hard limestone etc. Some people camp out at the sites, others trek out from the closest towns for day trips. However the digging is fruitful if you put in your time, time being more key in the Ordovician sites in Morocco.

Aside from trilobites, you find a wide fauna including corals, brachiopods, bryozoa. Some of the localities are more of a mudstone clay, others are incredibly dense limestone.

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