Oklahoma Trilobites - Theisen Quarry

[trilobyter]

I was sent to Dallas, Texas for work this past weekend, and after looking at the map, realized that it wasn't all that far from Oklahoma, where some of the nicest trilobites in the US can be found.  I did some research on where to collect, and it seemed that access to Black Cat Mountain through Bob Carroll was iffy, so the other alternative was the Theisen Quarry, where it looked like a few TFF members had collected before, although there was sparse information on the quarry other than TNGray's nice trip report.  I contacted Leon the week before and arranged for a trip this past Sunday.  The weather looked a bit iffy with potential rain, but I took the gamble and drove the 2 hours up to Clarita, and met Leon bright and early Sunday morning at 7 AM.  

 

The weather was cold, windy and drizzly in the morning, but it cleared up and ended up being a fantastic day with spring-like weather after lunch.  The collecting was easy - at least compared to my prison labor like experience in Morocco earlier this year.  The exposures have been exposed by an excavator several years ago and tons of the productive strata are available for you to browse through.  I'm generally a lazy collector and don't like doing hard quarrying and splitting so this was right up my alley.  Here's a view of the Bois D'Arc Formation exposures at the quarry:

 

 

I didn't even bring (or need) my brick hammer, although I brought a small rock pick to break down the larger pieces.  There were signs of life everywhere, almost every piece of rock contained some signs of life - brachiopods, crinoids, Huntonia tails, and other trilobite fragments.  

 

 

Before long, I started finding trilobites - the most common ones are Paciphacops, which look almost exactly like the ones I found in Morocco, except they are a nice caramel color.  Most are only partially exposed and will take some prep work to fully reveal, so it takes a sharp eye and some experience to know what to look for.  Here's a typical Phacopid as found - they should prep out nicely:

 

 

The find of the day was a matter of pure luck.  I found a small Phacops in a rather large piece of rock, and asked Leon to help whack it down to a more reasonable size as I had to fly back to San Francisco that evening with all my finds.  Here is the piece as found with the Phacops tail peeking out in the lower right corner of the rock.  

 

 

And this is what popped out...

 

 

A beautiful 2" Huntonia!  Leon had hit the rock in just the right spot.  We were both in shock.  It's missing a bit of the left cheek but should otherwise be complete and should prep out beautifully.  Later in the afternoon, I found another smaller Huntonia just laying there in the rubble piles.  Unfortunately it has some damage from weathering and is missing a cheek, but still should be a nice specimen.

 

 

Later in the day, I was looking through the rubble piles and all of a sudden starting hearing a loud rattle and saw a huge rattlesnake crawl out from in between the rocks, staring right at me.  It got the adrenaline rushing even more than finding the Huntonia, and I ran back to Leon and told him about the snake.  He came over the spot and caught the snake for me to see, and eventually released it back to its den unharmed.  Apparently there are a ton of them out there so be careful!

 

 

I ended up collecting for almost 10 hours straight, and we stopped around 5 PM just as it started getting dark.  Leon was a fantastic host and his enthusiasm for fossils was infectious, and he was out collecting with me the whole day from 7 AM to 5 PM and was in no hurry to get you off his quarry at a specified time.  The price was a bit steep, but I had a fantastic time and would absolutely return again.  That being said, if you're not a trilobite fanatic, and don't have the equipment to prepare them, this site is probably not for you, as most of the bugs will take considerable prep work (unlike the ones from U-Dig in Utah for example).  All in all, I ended up with around 50 complete Phacopids, the two Huntonia, and a few partial Ketternaspis, in addition to a bag full other other assorted brachiopods.  A memorable trip indeed.  

 

The finds.  Every piece should contain a complete trilobite (mostly Phacopids, but maybe some other types if I'm lucky!):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Fossildude19]

Great report and finds!  

Thanks for sharing with us. 
Regards,

[caldigger]

Great report and pictures. Apparently Leon was prepared for the snakes since he had the snake hook. Glad you were able to squeeze in the trip. You will have to post shots of the trilos when you get them prepped.

[trilobyter]

After practicing on a smaller partial Phacops last night, I felt comfortable enough to start prep on a nicer complete specimen.  The matrix was nice and soft, since most of the rock has been out there weathering for years, so the prep was fairly straightforward.  The bug probably still needs a bit more blasting, but I had a flight to catch to Boston early this morning so it'll have to wait.  Here's a sequence of the prep so far:

 

The starting rock:

 

 

Starting out with a bit of "landscaping" with the CP scribe:

 

 

Starting some of the finer detail work with the ARO:

 

 

Exposing some of the head going into the matrix:

 

 

Following the head around:

 

 

Bug now completely exposed, ready for air abrasion:

 

 

After about 30 minutes of air abrasion work.  Still probably needs another hour or so of blasting to clean out all of the matrix between the segments.

 

 

[FossilDAWG]

Thanks for a great trip report.  That place is definitely on my bucket list.  Can you give an idea of how big a piggy bank I'm likely to need to start saving, since you mention the price is a "bit steep"?

 

Don

[trilobyter]

Leon charges $200 for the day, and you're allowed to keep $500 worth of material (unprepped value).  I think he's quite generous with the assessed value, but you probably won't be able to take home a 5" Huntonia or anything else that's super rare, similar to the Green River formation quarries.  Although if you do find something big/rare, he would likely give you the trip for free and even give you some bugs to compensate you for the find.  

[digit]

Great trip report--and officially added to my fossil bucket list. Thanks.

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

[ynot]

Great report and pictures!!

Waiting to see some prepped pieces

 

Tony

[Darktooth]

Congratulations on a great trip and even greater finds!

[mmaley]

Thank you for the very nice report on your visit to the Theisen Trilobite quarry. In June of 2014, I had the pleasure to fossil hunt with Leon and thoroughly enjoyed it. I found him to be a very good host, and, an enthusiastic fossil hunter. The best find for me that day was the first trilobite that I found. It was a Kettnerapsis. Since I have never prepped fossils before, I had Leon prep it for me for an added fee and was very pleased with the result. I too, had the added bonus to be introduced to one of the rattlesnakes that live on the premises. It was a great day and a highlight of a personal fossil hunting trip I was taking.

 

Edited December 14, 2016 by mmaley
Misspelling

[digit]

Sweet trilobite! Yup. This place is definitely on my short wish list now. Only been hunting for trilobites in the Wheeler Formation in Delta, UT many years ago and have a single Flexicalymene I picked up from an Ordovician road cut in Indiana. Given the incredible biodiversity of trilobites, I need to visit other areas to see what other types I might find. My wife Tammy loves trilobites with spiny appendages and she'd go nuts if she found something like that Kettnerapsis. I too would definitely choose to have it professionally prepped. I'd also enjoy seeing a rattlesnake (from a respectable distance). We have Eastern Diamondback and Dusky Pygmy Rattlesnakes here in Florida but (thankfully) have not run across either on any of my fossil hunting excursions--now Florida Cottonmouths (aka Water Moccasins) I have come across (and given a wide berth) while out on the Peace River.

 

I'm hoping to make it out to Texas in 2017 and it looks like a side trip to Theisen is in order. Anybody else out there been to this quarry and care to show their finds?

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

[Nimravis]

Great report and pics. The snakes would also be a highlight of the trip.

[Shamalama]

Leon is a great guy to collect with and while he is a bit pricy, he makes sure you go away with plenty. I was there last year and only looked at a fraction of his exposure. It was a warm day so no rattlers were around at that time.   I never got a report up onto the Forum but I did put up a series of blog posts that started with a description of the quarry:  http://viewsofthemahantango.blogspot.com/2016/02/the-bois-darc-formation-of-oklahoma.html

 

And here is a listing of all the posts I wrote about the many fossils I found:

http://viewsofthemahantango.blogspot.com/p/bois-darc-fossils.html

[trilobyter]

Nice Kettneraspises mmaley and Shamalama!  

[Malcolmt]

Nice report Green with envy.... definately on my bucket list..... you hould have nice stuff to prep for a while

[Fossildude19]

Excellent report and finds!

Great prepping so far, too. 

Thanks for posting this. 
Regards,

[TNGray]

I was wondering how it went and I can see you did well! The Huntonia's are beautiful. What media and pressure do you blast with? 

 

[trilobyter]

TNGray, I'm using dolomite @ 40 PSI.  Seems to work OK, but Leon told me he uses limestone which is a bit softer and less harsh.  

 

I noticed you prepped a number of your Phacopids...they look nice.  What media and pressure did you use?

 

 

[Jeffrey P]

Congratulations on some great finds and excellent prep work. Looks like you had a spectacular day- wildlife included. Theisen Quarry is definitely on my short list of places to visit. Your report only reinforced that.

[TNGray]

I hand picked mine with a pin vise to about 95%, then a light blast. I have baking soda in one tank and Aluminum oxide in the other and both will burn the bug in seconds. I don't recall the pressure I was using but it was too high!

 

Something softer is in order if air abrasion is the primary method. 

 

Does anyone have a hardness chart of available blast media?

 

[trilobyter]

Baking soda should be fine...I believe its softer than dolomite so should not be burning through the trilobite unless you're using way too much pressure.  Aluminum oxide is definitely a no go on these bugs and is way too harsh.

 

I prepped the smaller of the two Huntonia yesterday.  Unfortunately it has some weathering damage but is still pretty cool.

 

The bug as found

 

 

After prep

 

 

I know this might be against some people's philosophy, but I'm thinking of doing some restoration to the missing areas but have never done it before.  Anyone have any tips on how to go about it?  What do people use for the missing parts of the shell? And paint?

 

 

[Malcolmt]

A good place to start if it is your first restoration is the modelling putty (tamiyama) that they use when making model plastic planes and cars. It is relatively easy to work with and can be sanded. You can use acrylic artist paint that comes in small 1 ounce jars. They blend real pretty easily. You can add paint to the putty to get a closer match then do a final paint and blend. The putty is super delicate and cannot take any blasting at all even after it has set, but it does set super fine. If you take your time and do it in layers you can get some pretty decent results without the bubbles you see in many of the Moroccan restorations.

 

There is also an epoxy modelling compund that is called green stuff that you can get on the internet that people use to make finely detailed toy soldiers and Warcraft characters. 

 

You can also grind up to a fine powder any dolomite matrix  and add to white glue to make artificial matrix.

[Fossil-Hound]

@digit I think I might hit this spot up in the winter as Oklahoma is relatively mild during the winter. I'll probably drive from 6:00 am in Alpine, UT to Oklahoma an 18 hr drive. Should get there around 12:30-1:00 am. I'll stay at a nearby hotel and be at the site by 7:00 am the next day. Where do you live? Would you be up for a trip sometime around next Nov-Dec? I'll probably drive down on a Wednesday, hunt all day Thursday, Friday, and Saturday then drive back on Sunday.

[digit]

December might be doable if the weather cooperates. I've got a busy rest of the year lined up already. I'm off to Idaho next month to see the total solar eclipse and while there will spend several days rockhounding and fossil fossicking around Idaho. September will find Tammy and me in Colorado crossing over into Wyoming to visit some TFF friends and go fishing at Seth's Green River quarry. In October we'll likely be up in Canada for our anniversary trying to take in the Aurora Borealis (and possibly some Polar Bears during the daylight hours) in Churchill, Manitoba possibly extending the trip out to Seattle to attend the Geological Society of America meeting/conference where I've been invited to give a talk (lucky me). November will probably include a trip to Chicago to visit family and stuff ourselves silly at the preordained holiday time toward the end of the month. December may be our first available. Drop me a PM when you are thinking about hitting Oklahoma. We've been wanting to go to Texas and the summertime is apparently too hot to be kicking around the western part of the state so we might be able to combine Oklahoma and Texas into yet another out-of-state trip.

 

Always fun to meet-up with TFF members (makes the trip extra special to put a face behind the avatar) so we'd make an effort to coordinate our schedules.

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

[Fossil-Hound]

@digit Ken I'll let you know and we'll play it by ear. Where are you going in Idaho? I'm from Burley, Idaho and will be up there early next month for an Island Park and Yellowstone trip. It would be fun to meet up with you in my home state.