Lower Greensand Ammonite ID

[TXV24]

Hi, 

 

Whilst collecting yesterday along the coast between Bonchurch and Luccombe, I was searching around on some accessible parts of the cliff face and came across this very nice, nearly intact ammonite in a scree slope of clay like material (@Ludwigia you were right!). The cliff is divided up between the Sandrock Fm. and the Monk's Bay Sandstone Fm. which are the upper parts of the Lower Greensand group, dating to the Albian stage of the Cretaceous. As far as I can tell it's a likely a member of the Hoplitidae, which is a very common family in the Albian strata here, however considering the fairly nice and nearly whole condition of the specimen would it be possible to ID it further to a genus or even species level? The closest match I can find is Euhoplites bucklandi but even then there are some differences. I've attached images below showing the specimen and it's keel. Any help would be appreciated. 

 

Thanks,

 

Theo 

 

 

 

 

[TXV24]

[RJB]

A rather cool lookin ammonite.   Are you going to prep out the center?

 

RB

[Fossildude19]

Very nice find!  

Thanks for posting it!

[westcoast]

Very nice find. A bit of careful prepping should reveal all, however it will remove what appears to be a chondrites trace fossil on the first image...collatoral damage.

[Ludwigia]

Like the others say, freeing up the center of matrix will make identification much simpler. Like I said, I'm no great expert on cretaceous ammonites, but it looks like you have enough experience yourself for determination. Are the layers above the scree accessible? It sure would be nice to find some directly in the exposure. That also narrows down the possibilities for id when you know which layer it's from.

[Fossil-Hound]

Very nice ammonite.

[TXV24]

@RJB@westcoast Yeah I've attempted to remove some of the matrix, although it turns out that it was keeping a large portion of the septal sections on the outer 'whorl' together so I've had to glue them back on and stop for a bit to rethink how to remove it without further loosening the fossil. 

 

@Ludwigia The layers above are of near vertical sandstone from the Sandrock Fm. so I can access the base but not the entire unit, the matrix does seem to match the formation. I'll be back in the area tomorrow morning though so I'll investigate the sandstone as best I can and see if there's more where this came from!

[Ludwigia]

9 minutes ago, TXV24 said:

 

@Ludwigia The layers above are of near vertical sandstone from the Sandrock Fm. so I can access the base but not the entire unit, the matrix does seem to match the formation. I'll be back in the area tomorrow morning though so I'll investigate the sandstone as best I can and see if there's more where this came from!

 

Then good hunting once more.

[JohnBrewer]

That's a stunner Theo, great find! 

[fossilman14]

Hi,

nice find!i think that ammonite is hoplites maritimus. It is a gault clay ammonite roughly 7cm in diameter. I have collected one from the gault clay at luccombe before.

Nice find!