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Help Needed! Klein Quarry (Ia) Fossil - Possible Trilobites?


TanaBanana

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After attending a field trip to the Klein Quarry in Coralville, IA, I've got several fossils that I'm not sure of. I'm fairly new to fossil hunting and my biggest fear is destroying something that would have been a nice find. This particular fossil has a lot going on on it, but I'm going back and forth on what. I've been gently removing the matrix with a soft brush on my dremel but I"m getting to delicate looking parts so until I can figure out what it might be and what the best course of action would be, I'm at a standstill. Any ideas on both possible identification and how to proceed with processing it? I tried to give an idea of size by adding a ruler but not sure how much it help. If more photos are needed, I can add more. I appreciate any feedback! Thanks so much!

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Update:

I got more aggressive with the Dremel and used a wire brush and things are starting to make more sense now. Of course, I have a habit of seeing Trilobites everywhere but never finding any, so I ask this cautiously; Am I thinking way too optimistically to think maybe I have not only one trilobite, but a whole party of them? Here are updated photos:

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Hello TanaBanana

How does one from Texas get to visit Klein Quarry? Assuming you were there last fall, I too had the pleasure of collecting there. If you have the chance to go again to any of the Coralville quarries, find Marv, the leader of the trips, and ask for advise on finding the trilobites. I learned from him what type of rock to look for and have been quite successful each time I visit since. Unfortunately the pictures you post do not allow me to zoom in and inspect closely. I do not see anything that gives me hope, though I am pretty much a novice collector. Hope you get a chance to revisit.

Mike

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MIke,

I moved to Des Moines about 5 years ago, but as much as I love it there, it never felt like home, so I moved back to my hometown in November. I truly love Iowa and, living in Urbandale, took advantage of my proximity to Saylorville and have a nice collection from that area. I"ll definitely be back, in fact I've got tentative plans for mid-May. If all of my family wasn't here in Texas, I could have lived happily ever after there.

And yes, I was there in the Fall. I actually shadowed Marv for quite a bit, specifically because of his trilobite knowledge, but didn't want to pester him too much, although I'm sure he didn't mind. Because I moved shortly after the visit to the quarry, I'm just now getting settled in enough to devote some time to my fossils. Were you there this Fall on the MAPS/Cedar Valley trip? If so, I was the rather chatty one with an awesome safety vest that I custom made with my last name across the back.

As far as this fossil goes. I'm 83% sure there's a distinct pygidium, but that's the only thing I feel mostly confident admitting to. I'll figure out how to add a couple of the photos in a larger format. Perhaps that's the reason I haven't really had much feedback (thank you for replying, I was getting discouraged).

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Hopefully those photos are a bit easier to see.

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The easiest way to resize your photos is through paint. Open the photo with paint, click resize change the top two numbers from 100 to 30 then save. I hope this helps with the identification.

Paul

...I'm back.

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Thanks, Paul. I think I might have resized the ones i just posted...I honestly don't know. I actually had to resize to make them smaller to post initially so for the later ones, I just posted originals. Let me know if they're any better. I'm trying! :blink:

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I'm afraid all I see in your photos are a variety of brachiopods. The three-lobed fossil you say you are fairly confident is a pygidium is also a brachiopod in my opinion; at least, it shows no segmentation ("ribs") that would be expected of a trilobite. There are some effaced ("smooth") trilobites with the segmentation obscured, but then generally the longitudinal division including the central axis is also greatly reduced (as in Bumasus or Isotelus).

Of course brachiopods are cool in their own right, but perhaps not as cool as trilobites.

Don

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I see a few "trilobits" in some of the pictures but most of what I see appear to be brachs.

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Very odd texture...

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"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!

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I edited your images a bit, and included my opinions.

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That's kinda what I was afraid of, but thanks to all of you for your feedback! As I stated in the original post, I have a habit of seeing trilobites everywhere-even in granite at times. I've still got a 5 gallon bucket full of mysteries from the quarry. I'm positive this won't be the last y'all see of me! Thanks again!

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MIke,

I moved to Des Moines about 5 years ago, but as much as I love it there, it never felt like home, so I moved back to my hometown in November. I truly love Iowa and, living in Urbandale, took advantage of my proximity to Saylorville and have a nice collection from that area. I"ll definitely be back, in fact I've got tentative plans for mid-May. If all of my family wasn't here in Texas, I could have lived happily ever after there.

And yes, I was there in the Fall. I actually shadowed Marv for quite a bit, specifically because of his trilobite knowledge, but didn't want to pester him too much, although I'm sure he didn't mind. Because I moved shortly after the visit to the quarry, I'm just now getting settled in enough to devote some time to my fossils. Were you there this Fall on the MAPS/Cedar Valley trip? If so, I was the rather chatty one with an awesome safety vest that I custom made with my last name across the back.

As far as this fossil goes. I'm 83% sure there's a distinct pygidium, but that's the only thing I feel mostly confident admitting to. I'll figure out how to add a couple of the photos in a larger format. Perhaps that's the reason I haven't really had much feedback (thank you for replying, I was getting discouraged).

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Hopefully those photos are a bit easier to see.

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Yes I was present then. Do not specifically remember your vest but will watch for it in the future or look for Texas license plates!!

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There might be hope yet Tana. My St.Paul trip I found most of my trilobites when I got home and cleaned a few pieces up. Other pieces took some persuasive manipulation...lol I always bring home extras to search through Just for this reason. Keep looking!

Best regards,

Paul

...I'm back.

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Hi, I'm not as knowledgeable as these guys who have been commenting because I'm new tho this too, but from what people advised me and what my Palentology society has taught me,you have lots of brachs but I do possibly see part off Trilobite as you do and the section I think I see is known as pygium which is tail section. I would suggest to keep getting advice on it for sure but also there is a wonderful book online thou can download for $5 called A pictorial guide to the order of trilobites, and its tells you the beginnings, anatomy,species etc. Hope I've been sine help and if I have any more ideas,I'll let you know

Best wishes

Scott >))))*>

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Congratulations on your find!

And wonderful to see MN Buckeye here!

I too think you have some trilobite molts in there. :-D I just put up two pictures that Caleb did to help us ID trilobites in hash plates here:

http://www.bluffcountryfossils.net/blog/trilobite-parts-species-refresher/

Trilobites come in an amazing variety of forms. That said, Caleb had identified 3 new species that had never been seen before. That flat out batwing shaped bit reminds me of a celtrinus... not spelling it correctly. The 3 lobe pygidium has lots of texture.

Wish Piranha would show up for this one. :-)

And now I will be a very naughty girl and share that I have found most of my trilobites in hash plates similar to this by dunking them in a diluted solution of muriatic acid - $5 at any hardware store, put in a plastic dish pan,only a few seconds, another for a clean water rinse to deactive, WEAR GLOVES! DON'T do it to crinoids! But trilobites can handle this for just short dips and it sure is fast and easy. Especially at this one where you are at the point of giving up - why not dip and see what you see then? And yes all of you purists can give me a thumbs down - but it works. Oh and use eye protection. :-D

The more I learn, I realize the less I know.

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most of what I see look like brach. pieces. The pix Auspex enlarged is interesting though.

"Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence"_ Carl Sagen

No trees were killed in this posting......however, many innocent electrons were diverted from where they originally intended to go.

" I think, therefore I collect fossils." _ Me

"When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."__S. Holmes

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Yes I was present then. Do not specifically remember your vest but will watch for it in the future or look for Texas license plates!!

Will you be at the one on the 17th? I haven't received confirmation from Marv yet that I'm in, but I've let him know I'd like to go. Coincidentally it falls right into the timeframe I'd already planned on being in Iowa!

To everyone else, thanks for the input! I actually have the hydrochloric acid but try not to use it much. And I definitely take safety precautions. My first experience with something like that involved hydrofloric acid and a lot of stupidity. Oh, and an emergency room visit and a lot of pain! I don't plan on using that again and I've equipped myself with gloves, goggles, and face mask that could withstand most anything! I spared no expense and learned the value of safety gear! That being said, I might experiment on another piece of same matrix.

I'm encouraged to hear that's still hope for this one! I had an insane day today and am about to finally get back to fossils. I took several potential specimens to my mom's today and it seems I've got several good prospects! If I need more help, should I start a new topic or just add it here? I've already got photos ready to post for one but don't feel like booting up my computer right now.

Thanks again for suggestions, possible identifications, useful resources, and just everything in general! I'll be posting next mystery piece soon!

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hydroflouric?? Where did you just pick some of that up? Nasty stuff.

I don't see anything that screams out trilobite either.

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Tanabanana,I have been following your posts and answers and just wanted to give you a little advice. Unfortunately, I'm very new too gross hobby which is wonderful and very rewarding. I wish I could give you more certain answers, but I'm too new yet to have the experience these guys have. I have also collected fuss recently which I thought were Trilobite parts and my wife and I joined our local paleontology society were they look at then and advise us. Sometime,just parts off trilobites are found and they explained to me About a post called hemotosa, which I'm sure I spelt wrong,but it's the lower jaw. Just last week,I connected a rock from my local menard limestone here inn southern Illinois and sure enough did have a pygidium (tail) l tail off a proetid Trilobite of the genus Paladin.

If your not sure out a identification,these guys here are wonderful and blogging your local paleontology society would also be useful as you will get to go on field trips with them and you will learn much. My wife and I went on 3 with ours and we gained much more knowledge that we started off with.As far as cleaning like with dreemel, I have been brave enough to try that,I just use a soft tooth brush and soapy water and gently clean and I I have used a stitching needle Rio remove any lose stone while looking under my magnifier but needful not to scratch your fossil. I have adapted the saying,if in dought of destroying the fossil,dint mess with it because if gets ruined,then then ruined, you will then feel bad.

That give I recommended is very useful and I suggest you download it A pictorial guide to the order of Trilobites, it's $5 download.

Good luck and if I can help,last me know

>))))*>

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I'm reading a book on Anti-Gravity and I can't put it down.

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I just had a nice reply all ready to post and something went wrong and I lost it all!!! So, instead of spending another 30 minutes on it, in a nutshell, Thank you all, here's one last photo update, going back to work on it, will decide whether to give up my crazy notion that I see several trilobites having fun crawling all over each other. I'm not doubting anyone, well, I"m doubting the part of my brain that keeps saying, "YES! They are there!" (Lost reply was much better!)

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I concede! I'm just going to get a couple of horseshoe crabs and tell them just how cute they are every day! Who needs a silly "rock" anyway!

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