Duck Creek formation ammonite ID

[KimTexan]

I have no idea what species this is, but I’d like to know if the outer portion is part of the ammonite or just matrix. Debating whether to haul it out of here or not.

 

[Ludwigia]

It's definitely part of the ammonite, but it looks rather corroded. Probably part of the living chamber and certainly worth trying to keep it, at least out of interest.

[KimTexan]

Ok thanks. I found one of those rare spots with ammonites every few feet. Most not in the best shape though, but cool. Freezing my tail off though. It’s in the 30s. I’m trying to figure out how I’m going to haul them all out of here.

[Ludwigia]

23 minutes ago, KimTexan said:

Ok thanks. I found one of those rare spots with ammonites every few feet. Most not in the best shape though, but cool. Freezing my tail off though. It’s in the 30s. I’m trying to figure out how I’m going to haul them all out of here.

How about in a surry with a fringe on top?

[Darktooth]

That one looks like a large one, can't wait to see it cleaned up! And Roger, you are 

[Tidgy's Dad]

2 hours ago, KimTexan said:

Ok thanks. I found one of those rare spots with ammonites every few feet. Most not in the best shape though, but cool. Freezing my tail off though. It’s in the 30s. I’m trying to figure out how I’m going to haul them all out of here.

Crikey! 

i'd help if I could. 

(fity-fifty!)

Good luck with that! 

[KimTexan]

@LudwigiaI think I need someone to carry me. I wore myself out.

[KimTexan]

This is the other side of the ammonite.

 

This is another one I found less than 2 feet away. Damaged, but still not too bad considering it’s basically whole. I found a dozen or more of mostly whole ammonites there, but I didn’t have the time to hammer them out. I worked for about an hour to get one out before dark, but I didn’t manage to get it out. I was not happy about leaving it there.

[Uncle Siphuncle]

Eos.  Cool preservation.  Don’t scrub too hard or those colors will wash off.

[caldigger]

4 hours ago, Ludwigia said:

How about in a surry with a fringe on top?

She lives in Texas not Oklahoma silly!

[BobWill]

Uncle Si is right with Eos. In the Duck Creek that makes it Eopachydiscus marcianus. What you need is

a mule willing to lie down so you can get it on his back

[ynot]

Nice finds Kim!

[KimTexan]

1 hour ago, Uncle Siphuncle said:

Eos.  Cool preservation.  Don’t scrub too hard or those colors will wash off.

Thanks for the tip.

I thought this would be a pretty cool water catch for catching rain off the roof/gutters to prevent erosion around the house foundation. My pack was already so heavy I couldn’t lift it and had to leave some ammonites behind.

[KimTexan]

1 hour ago, BobWill said:

Uncle Si is right with Eos. In the Duck Creek that makes it Eopachydiscus marcianus. What you need is

a mule willing to lie down so you can get it on his back

Or a man!  There is only one thing that ever makes me wish I were a man. It’s when I’m not strong enough to do something I know a man could do. I get pretty frustrated with that physical limitation at times. I replaced my alternator on my car once, but then wasn’t strong enough to get the belt tight enough to be able to get the car to run. I had to have a guy do it for me. Another time I repaired my dryer and had to lift out the drum, but then wasn’t strong enough to put it back in and get the belt in the right place while lifting. I had a similar problem with replacing my garbage disposal. Some of that could be lack of enough common sense though to figure out how to use fulcrum, leverage and torque to get the job done. But today there was no substitute for muscles in using the sledge hammer. I have a clear disadvantage there.

I found a real beauty of an ammonite. I hammered away for over an hour at the thing to get it out, but come sundown I still didn’t have it out. As it was I didn’t get back to my car until after dark. I had a little 4 lb short sledge hammer and chisels, but my forearms were hardly strong enough to use it properly. My forearms feel like jelly now. I’m going to be so sore tomorrow I won’t feel like moving to go finish the job. I was pretty upset to have to leave it there.

Also, my pack was too heavy for me to get on my back. I had to take an ammonite out and leave it behind. I also left my little sledge hammer. I’d rather replace the $5 sledge hammer than leave 3rd ammonite behind.

[KimTexan]

1 hour ago, ynot said:

Nice finds Kim!

Thanks.

[KimTexan]

I have a question(s) about the center of the ammonite. See how it is all rust? Would Rust Out take care of that? Would it harm to the ammonite? Should I try to clean out as much iron manually before treating it?

Would I have to follow the pyrite protocol and coat it with something afterwards? @Ptychodus04

I have yet to buy butvar or other coating.

 

[Nimravis]

@KimTexan I doubt that a man could have been any more successful than you. From what I read from all of your posts you give 110% to your Fossil collecting addiction and today you walked away with some nice additions to your collection. You can always go back refreshed and collect what you left behind. Keep up the good work and remember “Girl Power”.

[Ludwigia]

6 hours ago, KimTexan said:

 

This is another one I found less than 2 feet away. Damaged, but still not too bad considering it’s basically whole. I found a dozen or more of mostly whole ammonites there, but I didn’t have the time to hammer them out. I worked for about an hour to get one out before dark, but I didn’t manage to get it out. I was not happy about leaving it there.

 

Then you'll just have to go back there again, won't you? I'll visit the same site 100 times if need be.

 

5 hours ago, caldigger said:

She lives in Texas not Oklahoma silly!

If those Texan can drive the dogies up north, then surely the Okies can send a surry down south

[Kane]

7 hours ago, KimTexan said:

Or a man!  There is only one thing that ever makes me wish I were a man. It’s when I’m not strong enough to do something I know a man could do. I get pretty frustrated with that physical limitation at times.

Strength training does provide benefits, regardless of gender, or even age.  

[Ludwigia]

48 minutes ago, Kane said:

Strength training does provide benefits, regardless of gender, or even age.  

He can talk! Just look at the size of this guy

[KimTexan]

Regarding going back, this area is about 200 yards or meters to civilization, off a large business area.

I am on call this weekend and have to be within an hour’s drive of work. So I scoped out the area on Google maps thinking I might find echinoids in the ravine. I didn’t realize it was a creek till I got there the satalite image didn’t show water. Still it looked mostly untouched by fossil hunters.

There wasn’t an echinoid to be found though.

I did find a few small echinoids and other nice shells and a small ammonite earlier in the day in the Frederickburg Group, but it was in a largely open area and the wind was blowing pretty hard. At 39 degrees F the wind was chilling me to the bone so I decided to move on.

@Ludwigia I know! @Kane looks huge.

But I agree that strengthen training would benefit me greatly. I use to do weight training/lifting some in college. I played a lot of sports and ran almost everyday back then. I was a lot more fit in college. But I still wasn’t that strong. That was when I replaced my alternator and couldn’t get the belt tight. That day will forever be in my memory.

There was an American friend of mine from college who got her first job out of college in Geneva Switzerland working as a disk jokey at a radio station there. She got pregnant. She dropped everything and flew back to the US. 

She made a b-line to me and showed up on my doorstep unexpectedly one day and asked to stay a few days. I was 23 I think. She was going to have an abortion the next day, but didn’t have the nerve to tell me what was going on or that she was pregnant. I figured it out and got her to talk after 1 day. She knew I was very pro-life and didn’t want to have the abortion, but didn’t know what else to do so she came to me hoping I could help her. The next day I took her to a place where she could live and they’d take care of her and then she could adopt the baby out and she didn’t have to pay for anything. I told her if she didn’t like it I’d go with her to have the abortion and be by her side through it. She chose the home for unwed mothers.

I saw her every week of her pregnancy and was supposed to be with her in the delivery room when she had the baby. But my alternator went out and I couldn’t get there in time to be by her side during delivery, because I couldn’t tighten the belt on the alternator. 

It was a 2.5 hour drive to where she delivered otherwise I would have asked for a ride from other friends. I missed the moment of a lifetime and being by my friend’s side at a critical moment in her life, because I wasn’t strong enough. Regardless of that I made a lasting impact in a number of people’s lives, so I guess I need to focus on that rather than the loss of being there for that moment. It was all the other moments that I was there for her that really counted in her life. I did get to go and hold the baby girl and be with my friend immediately after the delivery though. I regret I wasn’t there for her, but at least I don’t regret that I wasn’t there at the most critical moment of her pregnancy.

Sorry, that’s not a fossil related commentary. I understand if you need to delete this particular post. It’s just telling the story of the first time I encountered major frustration with my physical limitations.

[Ptychodus04]

If the one you’re referencing is the one that has the big rusty hole in the center, there’s not much you can do about that kind of rust.

 

I would reccommend keeping it inside and high grading once you find a better ammonite.

[caldigger]

Um, not to disregard the story Kim, I really appreciate you posting it. 

I even being a man have had to leave some things behind to try and get another day, only to discover it was taken in my absence. You just do what you can. If you happen to be able to return with another person to assist in removal then all the better.

One reason a hunting buddy is a good idea, to help with the carrying.

[JarrodB]

Nice finds Kim. With that many ammonites in one area I"m sure plenty of male fossil hunters in your area would be glad to help you haul them out. 

[JarrodB]

I had to leave a nice 50 lb ammonite behind recently due to the distance and weight. I finally went back to get it it was gone.