Briggs Road Trilo hunt.

[Darktooth]

I went on a quick, 2 hr hunt this morning. I gi t up around 5am hit the road by 5:30 ,and after a stop at McDonalds for an ever so nutritious breakfast, arrived at Briggs Road at 7. I haven't hunted at Briggs too much because I have devoted a lot of my time to Deep Springs. But I swung by there the other day for a few minutes just to scope things out. I noticed right away someone had put a lot of work into the lower level of the pit. Upon inspection of the debris pile, I found quite a few trilo parts with very little evidence of other fossils. BINGO! I knew this had to be the trilo layer. So todays plan was to get a couple hours of digging into this layer, before I had to be home to start my wife's Honey -do list. I was pleasantly surprised when I found a complete Eldredgeops right off the bat.The body broke right at the cephalon, but it was a clean break and I glued at as soon as I got back home and you can't even tell. I could not believe how many parts and pieces I was finding. I found a small complete roller that I didn't even know was whole till I got it home and trimmed it up and then it popped out of the matrix. And then I found one last keeper, I decent size body with pygidium exposed. I can't tell if the cephalon is hidden, I may attempt to prep this with a dremel. I really need and want to learn how to prep. I didn't keep all the parts and pieces as they where many. But here are pics of the site and the better finds. This site happens to be pretty small. If you look beyond my car, almost in line with the front end you can see where I was digging. I need to spend a whole day there! And maybe I could find myself a gazillion trilobites like some people. Cough cough (Kane) cough cough!

[aerogrower]

Nice man looks like a good trip.

[Kane]

That area looks promising! Definitely go back, since if there are a few trilos... 

 

you could use the freeze/thaw method for now to see if it will free up from the matrix.

[Fossildude19]

You did OK there, Dave! 
Nice finds and report. 
Thanks for posting it. 

Regards,

[Fossil-Hound]

@Darktooth nice finds. That near prone looks complete as the thorax dips right into the matrix. There appears to be a cephalon down there. Excellent finds. Just walk around PD. You'll find a bunch of E. rana that @Kane and I left on the ground.  My trunk was so jam packed, by the last day I started getting really picky and would just pass E. rana's by.@DevonianDigger went to PD with @Umbro and his brother the weekend after we all blasted through tons of shale and it looks like they were picking up a lot of rollers that were left behind.  Were is the location (state) that you were digging at or is this a secret?

[Darktooth]

56 minutes ago, Kane said:

That area looks promising! Definitely go back, since if there are a few trilos... 

 

you could use the freeze/thaw method for now to see if it will free up from the matrix.

I have found the the matrix from Deep Springs and Briggs will turn flaky and split on its own sun from being exposed to the sun for a couple days. 

[Darktooth]

14 minutes ago, Fossil-Hound said:

@Darktooth nice finds. That near prone looks complete as the thorax dips right into the matrix. There appears to be a cephalon down there. Excellent finds. Just walk around PD. You'll find a bunch of E. rana that @Kane and I left on the ground.  My trunk was so jam packed, by the last day I started getting really picky and would just pass E. rana's by.@DevonianDigger went to PD with @Umbro and his brother the weekend after we all blasted through tons of shale and it looks like they were picking up a lot of rollers that were left behind.  Were is the location (state) that you were digging at or is this a secret?

It is located near Morrisville in my home state in New York.  I think it is considered Earlville (town).

[Fossil-Hound]

Just now, Darktooth said:

It is located near Morrisville in my home state in New York.  I think it is considered Earlville (town).

 

I'm jealous of all the members who live up in NY or ON. Lots of Devonian trilobites to find. Check out this book entitled Trilobites of New York by Whiteley and Kloc:

 

https://wordery.com/trilobites-of-new-york-thomas-e-whiteley-9780801439698?currency=USD&gtrck=aE00RGFpSHVJLzNSNW0yWkdCWkM1RzRMdHFsdVpDOGR0c0IreHRGM2w1VTBreW9ESnNhWm1yUGVtVDhjbkNqNi92VkZkMXozZDFuaTZ3N3U2d1h4emc9PQ&gclid=CK-d1OPFzdMCFcSNswodHPILCA

 

That book is an illustrated guide and will assist you in identifying future trilobites.

 

 All I have down here in Maryland are shark teeth and the occasional Megalodon tooth, though the largest one I've ever found was a real heart breaker (only half). 

[Darktooth]

 

4 minutes ago, Fossil-Hound said:

 

I'm jealous of all the members who live up in NY or ON. Lots of Devonian trilobites to find. Check out this book entitled Trilobites of New York by Whiteley and Kloc:

 

https://wordery.com/trilobites-of-new-york-thomas-e-whiteley-9780801439698?currency=USD&gtrck=aE00RGFpSHVJLzNSNW0yWkdCWkM1RzRMdHFsdVpDOGR0c0IreHRGM2w1VTBreW9ESnNhWm1yUGVtVDhjbkNqNi92VkZkMXozZDFuaTZ3N3U2d1h4emc9PQ&gclid=CK-d1OPFzdMCFcSNswodHPILCA

 

That book is an illustrated guide and will assist you in identifying future trilobites.

 

 All I have down here in Maryland are shark teeth and the occasional Megalodon tooth, though the largest one I've ever found was a real heart breaker (only half). 

I used to own that book. I regret selling it in an auction at my local Rockhound club. I have debated on getting another one now that I am back into trilos again. I have actually thought about putting sharkteeth on the backburner for a few months. 

[Darktooth]

Oh and yes you are right it is absolutely a great book!

[snakebite6769]

Yes is that the correct layer I was digging in lol. I was there last week and left with probably 20 from here Darktooth. I can't wait to get back there  nice finds sir 

[jpc]

5 hours ago, aerogrower said:

Nice man looks like a good trip.

Yes, darktooth is a nice man.  As a bonus he looks like a good trip. 

[steelhead9]

11 hours ago, Darktooth said:

I went on a quick, 2 hr hunt this morning. I gi t up around 5am hit the road by 5:30 ,and after a stop at McDonalds for an ever so nutritious breakfast, arrived at Briggs Road at 7. I haven't hunted at Briggs too much because I have devoted a lot of my time to Deep Springs. But I swung by there the other day for a few minutes just to scope things out. I noticed right away someone had put a lot of work into the lower level of the pit. Upon inspection of the debris pile, I found quite a few trilo parts with very little evidence of other fossils. BINGO! I knew this had to be the trilo layer. So todays plan was to get a couple hours of digging into this layer, before I had to be home to start my wife's Honey -do list. I was pleasantly surprised when I found a complete Eldredgeops right off the bat.The body broke right at the cephalon, but it was a clean break and I glued at as soon as I got back home and you can't even tell. I could not believe how many parts and pieces I was finding. I found a small complete roller that I didn't even know was whole till I got it home and trimmed it up and then it popped out of the matrix. And then I found one last keeper, I decent size body with pygidium exposed. I can't tell if the cephalon is hidden, I may attempt to prep this with a dremel. I really need and want to learn how to prep. I didn't keep all the parts and pieces as they where many. But here are pics of the site and the better finds. This site happens to be pretty small. If you look beyond my car, almost in line with the front end you can see where I was digging. I need to spend a whole day there! And maybe I could find myself a gazillion trilobites like some people. Cough cough (Kane) cough cough!

Nice report and nicer trilobites. I might suggest if you are going to learn to prep them that you bring home some incomplete specimens to practice on. 

[JarrodB]

Nice finds buddy. 

[Darktooth]

4 hours ago, steelhead9 said:

Nice report and nicer trilobites. I might suggest if you are going to learn to prep them that you bring home some incomplete specimens to practice on. 

That seems like excellent advice! Thanks!

 

22 minutes ago, JarrodB said:

Nice finds buddy. 

Thanks Jarrod!

[Pagurus]

Thanks for posting your trip, Dave. You made some good finds there. Congratulations.

Mike

[belemniten]

Really nice finds Darktooth !

Congrats 

[Angie]

Very nice finds :) NY looks like a great place to search for trilobites!

[Jeffrey P]

Congratulations Dave,

Briggs Road can be real finicky in terms of finds. Looks like you scored a few nice ones in just a short time. Interesting how it's mostly Eldredgeops there and mostly Greenops at Deep Springs Road despite being only a couple of miles apart. They are different formations; Briggs is Upper Ludlowville and DSR is Moscow Formation. Generally the faunas are very similar.

 

 

 

[snakebite6769]

I found a Greenops at this location. 

[Darktooth]

1 hour ago, Jeffrey P said:

Congratulations Dave,

Briggs Road can be real finicky in terms of finds. Looks like you scored a few nice ones in just a short time. Interesting how it's mostly Eldredgeops there and mostly Greenops at Deep Springs Road despite being only a couple of miles apart. They are different formations; Briggs is Upper Ludlowville and DSR is Moscow Formation. Generally the faunas are very similar.

 

 

 

Thanks  Jeff. I noticed the same thing about the sites having more of t one soecies then the other. But at Deep Springs I found there is a layer that seems to produce mostly Eldredgeops sprinkled with some Dipleura in the upper part of the quarry.  I almost forgot I did find a Dipleura cephalon at Briggs yesterday as well. Some how I lost track of where I put it.

[Darktooth]

1 hour ago, snakebite6769 said:

I found a Greenops at this location. 

Nice score Rob!

[Jeffrey P]

That's a real nice Greenops, Rob. Congratulations. I have a Greenops from Briggs Road and some nice Eldredgeops from DSR, but from what I have seen, one species of trilobite generally predominates over the others at each location.

[Darktooth]

14 hours ago, snakebite6769 said:

Yes is that the correct layer I was digging in lol. I was there last week and left with probably 20 from here Darktooth. I can't wait to get back there  nice finds sir 

Hey Rob somehow I missed this post.I had a feeling it was either you or Jeff. Well you left a nice trail of bread crumbs! Until now I had focused on the second level whichhasnt produced alot and is hard to get into. Let me know when you are in the area.

[snakebite6769]

1 hour ago, Darktooth said:

Hey Rob somehow I missed this post.I had a feeling it was either you or Jeff. Well you left a nice trail of bread crumbs! Until now I had focused on the second level whichhasnt produced alot and is hard to get into. Let me know when you are in the area.

Will do. I'm hoping it will be soon. But not as soon as I would like because I'm stuck in illinois until the end of May working.