JamieLynn Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 (edited) Finally made it out to the Pennsylvanian beds of Mineral Wells! I've been wanting to go for a long time, since it is totally different fauna than my usual Cretaceous hunting grounds! I went twice- Sunday evening and Monday morning and I'm glad I did.....the first time I was trying to find a trilobite but didn't REALLY know what I was looking for except general morphology....and I thought they would be bigger! So I was looking for thumb size critters when I found out I should really be looking for BB size.....which I found two. I think. I hope, anyways. Tell me if I am wrong! Big Stuff Little Stuff Trilobites Anyone know what this is? oops, I forgot size indicators. This one is about nickel sized- the odd striated area, not the whole rock. Edited September 23, 2014 by JamieLynn www.fossil-quest.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoreBack Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 Beautiful finds! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ptychodus04 Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 Those are certainly trilobites. Well done. The mystery piece looks like a partial brachiopod. Regards, Kris Global Paleo Services, LLC https://globalpaleoservices.com http://instagram.com/globalpaleoservices http://instagram.com/kris.howe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 Those are certainly trilobites. Well done. The mystery piece looks like a partial brachiopod. Or conularia maybe? "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...
Katfish61 Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 Great finds, glad you finally made it. I really like that site!! Kathy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobWill Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 (edited) BB sized bugs! No wonder I never find them, I need to get my nose closer to the ground Edited September 24, 2014 by BobWill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ptychodus04 Posted September 24, 2014 Share Posted September 24, 2014 Maybe Conularia but the overall shape looks wrong to me. I'm going to err on the side of diagnostic caution and stick with brachiopod. Regards, Kris Global Paleo Services, LLC https://globalpaleoservices.com http://instagram.com/globalpaleoservices http://instagram.com/kris.howe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanNREMTP Posted September 24, 2014 Share Posted September 24, 2014 Glad you had a good time and managed to find some trilos. As for the last picture, no clue. I've never seen anything like it from there before. You can always try posting on the Mineral Wells Fossil Park's Facebook Page. It doesn't get the traffic like it should but Lee or someone else might recognize it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamieLynn Posted September 24, 2014 Author Share Posted September 24, 2014 well, Ryan, it was thanks to your postings that I realized what I should really be looking for with those trilos! Thank goodness for the Fossil Forum! www.fossil-quest.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanNREMTP Posted September 24, 2014 Share Posted September 24, 2014 Glad to be of service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmaier Posted September 24, 2014 Share Posted September 24, 2014 I think that last one is a plant. You've posted the same fossil in this thread. http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/topic/49727-need-ids-for-mineral-wells-finds/ Nice haul of beautiful fossils. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamieLynn Posted September 25, 2014 Author Share Posted September 25, 2014 thanks for your post on the ID. I am thinking it might be a calamite! www.fossil-quest.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobWill Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 That could be right but I haven't heard of anyone finding a verified calamites (the "s" is part of the name not the plural form) fragment at Mineral Wells. The time period would be right and it could have floated out and sank there so it's possible. It would be great if you could remove any of the matrix to see if there's more material that might help with an ID. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamieLynn Posted September 25, 2014 Author Share Posted September 25, 2014 I've never attempted a clean up before!!! Scared! www.fossil-quest.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobWill Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 Don't be skeered! It's probably not a museum piece anyway Or you could practice on a scrap of similar matrix to see how the material comes off. It's different for every material. You can do a lot of simple work without elaborate tools. Put the fossil on a sand (or rice) bag to absorb some of the shock and tap on a small (1/4" or so) chisel with a mallet. Point the tool away from the fossil when possible and hold back on the chisel so the follow-through doesn't let it nick the fossil. Another cheap alternative to air tools is a simple $15 engraving tool. It's like a tiny jack-hammer and not good for long term cleaning because it will get too hot and it's hard on your fingers but it will remove small bits of matrix. Mostly just be patient. The process can be very slow but the results will surprise you if you've never tried. Soon you'll be buying all the fancy gear and then the dust will really fly! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamieLynn Posted September 25, 2014 Author Share Posted September 25, 2014 Thanks BobWill! I will give it a go. I am a jeweler by training, so I have tools....just never used them for fossils! www.fossil-quest.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobWill Posted September 26, 2014 Share Posted September 26, 2014 It may not be necessary. I believe Kris was right with brachiopod. Look here on page 289, figure 7. http://pubs.usgs.gov/bul/0544/report.pdf 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanNREMTP Posted September 26, 2014 Share Posted September 26, 2014 Jamie, is that an imprint of a fossil or the fossil itself? If that is matrix from Mineral Wells then water it self should do the trick. That grey shale stuff is basically compressed mud. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ptychodus04 Posted September 26, 2014 Share Posted September 26, 2014 Her specimen looks to be in one of the hard mudstone concretions from the site. If that's the case, it will require an air scribe or plenty of patience with a hammer and punch to prep. Regards, Kris Global Paleo Services, LLC https://globalpaleoservices.com http://instagram.com/globalpaleoservices http://instagram.com/kris.howe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ptychodus04 Posted September 26, 2014 Share Posted September 26, 2014 It may not be necessary. I believe Kris was right with brachiopod. Look here on page 289, figure 7. http://pubs.usgs.gov/bul/0544/report.pdf At the Mineral Wells site, when in doubt, think brachiopod... They're everywhere out there. Regards, Kris Global Paleo Services, LLC https://globalpaleoservices.com http://instagram.com/globalpaleoservices http://instagram.com/kris.howe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamieLynn Posted September 26, 2014 Author Share Posted September 26, 2014 BobWill....that looks to be what I found. A small section of just the right part of the brachiopod shell where the striations have joined. All the others are so straight and regular that this particular fossil find did not seem to be shell like. But that illustration definitely shows the same kind of "fusing". Thanks everyone!!! www.fossil-quest.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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