njherr Posted January 17, 2017 Share Posted January 17, 2017 Greetings all, My wife and I were heading back to Altus AFB (where I am currently training), after a weekend away in Dallas. We decided to make a brief detour to Lake Texoma, and the famous "Ammonite Beach." Parking by the dam, we followed the southern coast west for a little over half a mile. We passed a few (what I believe were) fossilized shrimp borrows and a couple of oyster shells. After turning the corner around one of the points, it was quite clear that we had arrived! The location absolutely lived up to its reputation, and we quickly faced a paradox of choice, in terms of which ones to bring back with us. Unfortunately we were only able to spend an hour searching, as we didn't want to contend with the storm system that recently hit the central part of the country during our drive home. All-in-all, it was a very productive trip, considering how briefly we were there. We found a few fragments, and a couple of relatively complete specimens. For one of those, we were able to extract both the fossil and the negative, which is always fun to show to people. I'm hoping that the central portion of the ammonite is present on the far right specimen, but don't want to touch it until I build my fossil prep station (e.g. micro sand blaster, air scribe, etc) after I move up to WA, later this spring. We will definitely be going back once more, prior to departing Oklahoma, to search for that "statement piece" for our collection. That being said, I've also heard that various echinoids can be found in the vicinity as well. I didn't see any, but I honestly didn't spend too much time searching closely for them. If anyone has any recommended sites for echinoids at or near Lake Texoma for a subsequent trip, I would love to hear about it. Cheers! -Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ynot Posted January 17, 2017 Share Posted January 17, 2017 Nice finds! And just an hour looking! Thanks for the report. Tony Darwin said: " Man sprang from monkeys." Will Rogers said: " Some of them didn't spring far enough." My Fossil collection - My Mineral collection My favorite thread on TFF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted January 17, 2017 Share Posted January 17, 2017 Nick, Very cool finds. Glad you had a productive search. Thanks for the report. Regards, Tim - VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER VFOTM --- APRIL - 2015 __________________________________________________ "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~ ><))))( *> About Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PFOOLEY Posted January 17, 2017 Share Posted January 17, 2017 These are really cool...look at that suture pattern! Do you know what species of ammonite these are? Best of luck when you go back. "I am glad I shall never be young without wild country to be young in. Of what avail are forty freedoms without a blank spot on the map?" ~Aldo Leopold (1887-1948) New Mexico Museum of Natural History Bulletins Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-AnThOnY- Posted January 17, 2017 Share Posted January 17, 2017 They are Mortoniceras sp. Unfortunately, your far right specimen has the looks of one of the many 'pinched' ammonites that come from that area. Hopefully, there is more to it once you dig in but when pinched they tend not to preserve the inner whorls. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sixgill pete Posted January 17, 2017 Share Posted January 17, 2017 Fantastic!! Bulldozers and dirt Bulldozers and dirt behind the trailer, my desert Them red clay piles are heaven on earth I get my rocks off, bulldozers and dirt Patterson Hood; Drive-By Truckers May 2016 May 2012 Aug 2013, May 2016, Apr 2020 Oct 2022 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darktooth Posted January 17, 2017 Share Posted January 17, 2017 Nice finds! I like Trilo-butts and I cannot lie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpc Posted January 17, 2017 Share Posted January 17, 2017 Nice ammonites. I was there decades ago and found echinoids in the exact spot you describe. They are there, but maybe some local Texans have better info Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njherr Posted January 17, 2017 Author Share Posted January 17, 2017 (edited) Thanks for the feedback everyone. I'll definitely keep an eye out for echinoids on my next visit. I'd really like to find a nice Macraster specimen before I move up to WA. Anthony, thanks for the heads up about the likelihood of my specimens having been pinched. Not familiar with the term, but am I correct in assuming that this is a characteristic that occurs during the fossilization process (as opposed to how I extract the fossil)? Also, thank you for letting me know the genus. I'm trying to take my collecting a bit more seriously, and knowing exactly what I have is certainly the first step. Edited January 17, 2017 by njherr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-AnThOnY- Posted January 17, 2017 Share Posted January 17, 2017 Yes its a product of fossilization, presumedly the chambers didn't fill with sediment which caused the shell to fail under pressure. Although every one that is pinched seems to be exactly where my arrow is below. An easy way to judge is to look at the ammonite from the side and see if the thickness tapers off (pinches) towards the arrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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