RJB Posted January 3, 2008 Share Posted January 3, 2008 Here is my very first fossil post here. I decided I may as well start with the common everyday clams that I use to find back in Norhtern California at a site we locals called 'Scotia Bluffs'. There are about 14.87 trillion clams at this site, but I was always after the much better ones. When the winter storms would come, we would get several inches of rain in just 2 or 3 days and lots of landslides would accure, and also the banks would errode away much faster exposing what I was looking for. In certain areas at scotia I would find these very round rocks called concretions. Most would not have anything in them and I often wondered what caused them, but some would have a clam or two in them. If they broke open right, it would make a common clam look purty dang cool!!! These clams are known as Clinocardium meekianum and are Pliocene in age. Found in the Rio Dell and Scotia Sandstone formations. RB 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roz Posted January 3, 2008 Share Posted January 3, 2008 Pretty dang cool. I decided at the last hunt I was on to take a few small concretions and try my luck at opening. Haven't done it yet. In your experience, about how many concretions would you have to open before finding something inside, like a crab or clam? I know there isn't a set number but just asking in general... Just if you noticed a ratio... Welcome to the forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJB Posted January 3, 2008 Author Share Posted January 3, 2008 Hey Roz, you are right about there not being a 'set number', but for the clams that I used to find in those concretions, if you could find 10 concs, you would get at least 1 good one, and if you were lucky, you would get maybe 3? For the crabs, you have to be in an area that has crab concs in the first place, and then if you were to find 10 crab concs, you would be lucky to get one decent crab. One time I found about 120 crab concs and got 3 very nice crabs and several of what I call B-Grade crabs. About 50% of the crab concs have nothing inside? At scotia there are two main areas of concs, one area is in the Rio Dell formation and you get much better clams out of those and more of them, but in the Scotia Sandstone formation you can find tons of concs, but its very dificult to find even one good clam or one good echinoid! Its really a matter of luck, but it also helps just to be out there and finding them and popping them open. The more you "pop" the more you find. RB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roz Posted January 3, 2008 Share Posted January 3, 2008 hey RB, that is an excellent general ratio for the clams! Harder to find the crabs then. I didn't take enough at the last hunt! Only 2 but I thought they were shaped right. They are small nodules like the crabs there. I guess I am ready to turn on the side and try to pop. I won't hold my breath though. Welcome to the forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJB Posted January 3, 2008 Author Share Posted January 3, 2008 hey RB, that is an excellent general ratio for the clams!Harder to find the crabs then. I didn't take enough at the last hunt! Only 2 but I thought they were shaped right. They are small nodules like the crabs there. I guess I am ready to turn on the side and try to pop. I won't hold my breath though. Hold on Roz. It depends on the concretion for deciding weather to 'pop' or not to 'pop'? If you can already see how the crab is situated, then you dont need to 'pop'! I break open the ones that I cannot see anything in. Once I 'pop' them, then I can see what is dorsal and what is ventral. then I glue the conc back together and prep. Once in awhile, with the crab concs I get, you will see an exposed crab claw, that will tell you how the crab is situated and not have to 'pop' it open and maybe destroy the specimen. Here is a pic of one just like that. RB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roz Posted January 3, 2008 Share Posted January 3, 2008 I see from your picture what you mean. I can safely pop as other than a general shape, the nodules I took have no indication of anything inside. I need practice anyway. The last thing I ruined was an ammonite that had matrix in the center. I took the hammer (gently, I thought), but it busted apart the whole thing. I was so mad at myself. I need practice! I like the crab claw on top of your concretion, then you know. Welcome to the forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJB Posted January 3, 2008 Author Share Posted January 3, 2008 Ok, back to the pelecopods. When I would hunt scotia for clams I would also hunt what we locals called 'pectin gulch'. Hard to find these, but once in awhile when lots of rain would cause landslides in this area, then it was always a good time to hunt for them. I always loved finging these! RB Oh, these are known as Patinopectin caurinus and found in the Rio Dell Formation and late Pliocene in age. and also please forgive me for my spelling, Im going by memory and I forget things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJB Posted January 3, 2008 Author Share Posted January 3, 2008 Here are a couple of photos of some very nice and very very large mussle shells. These pelecopods come from a little known formation called the Falore Formation up in the mountains about an hour east of Eureka California and are Miocene in age. The really cool thing is, they are super huge!! and they also occur with some really large barnacles! Barnacles being a crustacean, a very highly modified crab. But I just loved finding them. These guys are known as Mytilus californianus and are exstreamy hard to come buy!!! I found these in a creek bed with lots of sandstone banks that they fall out of. A really cool spot! Enjoy. RB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gatorman Posted January 3, 2008 Share Posted January 3, 2008 Wow! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roz Posted January 3, 2008 Share Posted January 3, 2008 Forgot they could be found that large and same with the mussle shells. Those pups are huge. I have only found one very small barnacle and I thought it was a nail of a large bird because of the shape and texture. Welcome to the forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJB Posted January 4, 2008 Author Share Posted January 4, 2008 Hey Roz, Im sure you have already seen this huge barnacle, but here it is for all these new folks. This giant was found at what is called the Moonstone Formation in Northern California. Very young materail. Pliestocene. My fingers are spread out underneath this big beauty. It is truly huge and the biggest that I have ever found. RB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gatorman Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 HOLY snarge THATS HUGE! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJB Posted January 4, 2008 Author Share Posted January 4, 2008 HOLY snarge THATS HUGE! Hey Anson, I do like your terminology of 'HOLY snarge', that puts it in perspective. I found this huge barnicle when I first started fossil hunting 15 years ago and thought at the time that I would find many, but Ive never even come close to finding any more like this one. But here is a series of photos of a clam called 'spisula' that I prepped out with some polishing. I knew when I saw the shape of it that it would turn out purty dam good. I found lots of these, but most that I found was missing shell or was not complete in some way. Its very hard to find a complete one, let alone one that will take a polish!!! this is one of the better ones. enjoy. RB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gatorman Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 Wow sure did turn out nicely, I'm not sure if I like polishing a fossil seems to me your kinda losing something when you do that. It sure does look pretty but it also seems unnatural, so i donno if i like it or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJB Posted January 4, 2008 Author Share Posted January 4, 2008 Wow sure did turn out nicely, I'm not sure if I like polishing a fossil seems to me your kinda losing something when you do that. It sure does look pretty but it also seems unnatural, so i donno if i like it or not. Hey Anson, Im like you, I realy dont like to ruin the integrity of a fossil, but you have to understand that I found 1000's of these clams and hundreds of others of the same species. I do have lots of all kinds of clams in my collection that ive not destroyed by polishing. I did take the best of the best and catologued them, but I found so many that I did some 'art work' on some. Believe me Anson, I would never ever ruin a rare fossil, and I found many at Scotia. Not only that, but when I moved, I donated most of my rare fossils to museums so that they could be studied and put out there for the public to see. I dontated many of my vertibrate fossils (and very rare indeed) to several places. You can check out the Arcata Natural Museum of Natural History in Arcata California and see some of my fossils, and you can also check out the Sierra Natural History Museum and talk to Dr Hilton for most of the rare Pliocene mammal fossils that took me most of 15 years to find and prep. Im one of those guys that was lucky enough to find some really rare stuff. I also donated alot of local stuff to the 'Chapmans Gem and mineral Rock shop' too. I just thought some of this rare stuff should be in the county that it was found in. They have a very nice local musuem in thier own right!! Oh, also, there is a county park at 'swimmers delight', along the Vanduzen River in Northern California that is building a natural history museum that I have also dontate some very very rare fossils too. Anyways, there ya go. Im just a guy who likes to dig in the dirt and prep fossils. RB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gatorman Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 Wow sounds like you've found a ton of stuff, I hope to find a ton of rare stuff one day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Nicholas Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 That Barnacle is HUGE, I've seen some big ones cleaning off the bottom of my boat but that one is massive! How much does it weigh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kauffy Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 Ok, back to the pelecopods. When I would hunt scotia for clams I would also hunt what we locals called 'pectin gulch'. Hard to find these, but once in awhile when lots of rain would cause landslides in this area, then it was always a good time to hunt for them. I always loved finging these! RB Oh, these are known as Patinopectin caurinus and found in the Rio Dell Formation and late Pliocene in age. and also please forgive me for my spelling, Im going by memory and I forget things. that slab in the back with 4 of them is AMAZING!!! GREAT FOSSILS! :lol: :lol: really nice condition and preservation aswell! "Turn the fear of the unknown into the excitment of possibility!"We dont stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kauffy Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 Here are a couple of photos of some very nice and very very large mussle shells. These pelecopods come from a little known formation called the Falore Formation up in the mountains about an hour east of Eureka California and are Miocene in age. The really cool thing is, they are super huge!! and they also occur with some really large barnacles! Barnacles being a crustacean, a very highly modified crab. But I just loved finding them. These guys are known as Mytilus californianus and are exstreamy hard to come buy!!! I found these in a creek bed with lots of sandstone banks that they fall out of. A really cool spot! Enjoy. RB all I have to say is WOW, very very very nice! "Turn the fear of the unknown into the excitment of possibility!"We dont stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kauffy Posted January 5, 2008 Share Posted January 5, 2008 again....your fossils are amazing! keep them coming!!!!!! Thanks for the pictures! regards Chris "Turn the fear of the unknown into the excitment of possibility!"We dont stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJB Posted January 5, 2008 Author Share Posted January 5, 2008 Thanks for all the compiments guys. But no, I have never wieghed that barnacle. Never thought of doing that? Here are a couple of pics of some of the better clinocardiums that I polished. Belive me, there are billions of these out there, but very very dificult to find them in this state of preservation. I would find about 12 per year, and only about half of those would make it through the polishig process. They really are beautiful though. And Dan, I do have lots of crabs, but will post some later, or emial me. I would love to see some photos of the crabs youve found and prepped! RB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MB Posted January 5, 2008 Share Posted January 5, 2008 Thanks for all the compiments guys. But no, I have never wieghed that barnacle. Never thought of doing that? Here are a couple of pics of some of the better clinocardiums that I polished. Belive me, there are billions of these out there, but very very dificult to find them in this state of preservation. I would find about 12 per year, and only about half of those would make it through the polishig process. They really are beautiful though. And Dan, I do have lots of crabs, but will post some later, or emial me. I would love to see some photos of the crabs youve found and prepped! RB Nice fossils RB !!! Look this , what do you think, male or female????? PS It is not form trade, I had only four of them... http://www.mbfossilcrabs.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kauffy Posted January 5, 2008 Share Posted January 5, 2008 Nice Clams, I really like the 'one side polished and the other natural :lol: ... seems like you find a lot of cool and interesting fossils "Turn the fear of the unknown into the excitment of possibility!"We dont stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJB Posted January 5, 2008 Author Share Posted January 5, 2008 Nice Clams, I really like the 'one side polished and the other natural :lol: ... seems like you find a lot of cool and interesting fossils Thanks Kauffy. I was hunting the same sites for 15 years so that helped, but I was one of those guys who would go out in the middle of HUGE storms and get soaking wet and super muddy and that is how I found lots of my fossils. Being the first fossil hunter out there while things were happining helped me to find many many good fossils. RB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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