Show your trace!

[Nimravis]

@snolly50 those are really some beautiful tracks. I have a fellow collector friend that has, from what I remember a very large and thick trackway section. I always want to get my hands on it and maybe someday I will trade him some buckets of unopened Mazon Creek concretions that he has always wanted. If a trade line that does take place, In my opinion, I will be on the winning side. 

 

Thanks for posting those plates.

[Malone]

17 minutes ago, snolly50 said:

Several years back I had contact with the collector. He revealed that he had a "secret" spot where he was collecting. For a period of a couple of years he consistently had nice trackways for sale. Then he "disappeared" - no email response. I hope he wasn't eaten by coyotes. The first slab I posted with the prints of the young was actually 1/2 of a larger trackway. It was too large to easily transport so he sawed it in half. Unfortunately, he told me the other half was shipped to Australia. It is doubtful the two halves will ever be reunited; but I certainly wish I had both. I find these pieces most intriguing, as they freeze little snips of the creature's behavior.   

 

The Coconino sandstone tracks have been the subject of much speculation. It is commonly held that they were formed in an arid, dune environment. However, considerable ink has been given to the concept they were impressed under water. This research has been seized upon by young earth/great flood proponents to bolster their thesis. 

 

The account of formation, that I recall is something like this. The resident critters roam across the dunes at night - of course, leaving all manner of prints and disturbance of the sand. Hey, no tail drags - these were mammal-like reptiles; who walked with their legs under the body, unlike sprawling reptiles. Then as dawn approached a dense fog would roll in from the sea, settling on the impressed sand. The gentle moisture, unlike rain, would moisten the sand without disturbing the tracks. The result was a hardened crust with sharp preservation. Then with the rising of the sun the winds would start. The sand would begin to move in dune fashion. Soon the moisture hardened tracks on the dune's leeward side would be filled and covered with fresh sand. On and on....  

Fascinating! I thought maybe there was some major event that water was suddenly drained then baked in place. I guess some things might remain unknown. I will add this to my growing list of curious things to investigate. Thank you for your response!

[Wrangellian]

4 hours ago, Malone said:

It looks like something I found the other day and that was the diagnosis I received . I just wondered if it was same. Thank you for the response!

It was just an educated guess on my part (answered without doing a search - too lazy), but if you got the same answer for something similar, that's a good sign!

[Wrangellian]

3 hours ago, snolly50 said:

Several years back I had contact with the collector. He revealed that he had a "secret" spot where he was collecting. For a period of a couple of years he consistently had nice trackways for sale. Then he "disappeared" - no email response. I hope he wasn't eaten by coyotes. The first slab I posted with the prints of the young was actually 1/2 of a larger trackway. It was too large to easily transport so he sawed it in half. Unfortunately, he told me the other half was shipped to Australia. It is doubtful the two halves will ever be reunited; but I certainly wish I had both. I find these pieces most intriguing, as they freeze little snips of the creature's behavior.   

 

The Coconino sandstone tracks have been the subject of much speculation. It is commonly held that they were formed in an arid, dune environment. However, considerable ink has been given to the concept they were impressed under water. This research has been seized upon by young earth/great flood proponents to bolster their thesis. 

 

The account of formation, that I recall is something like this. The resident critters roam across the dunes at night - of course, leaving all manner of prints and disturbance of the sand. Hey, no tail drags - these were mammal-like reptiles; who walked with their legs under the body, unlike sprawling reptiles. Then as dawn approached a dense fog would roll in from the sea, settling on the impressed sand. The gentle moisture, unlike rain, would moisten the sand without disturbing the tracks. The result was a hardened crust with sharp preservation. Then with the rising of the sun the winds would start. The sand would begin to move in dune fashion. Soon the moisture hardened tracks on the dune's leeward side would be filled and covered with fresh sand. On and on....  

It pays to know the right person. It is worrisome when someone drops off the radar like that.

My thought initially was the prints were made in wet sand, then dried in the sun when the tide was out or river was low, forming the hardened crust as you say, which was later buried with more sand when the water came back. But now that I look closer at your specimen it looks like there are slumps as if the prints were made in dry sand on a slight slope. So your explanation makes more sense. I just didn't think such crisp prints could be made in totally dry sand on a slope without gravity obliterating them to some degree. It must be a very lucky set of conditions. I wonder if it can be seen happening like that anywhere today...

[Malone]

I was wondering the same!

[TheRocksWillShoutHisGlory]

This is a clam from mazon creek which includes a short section of the trace it left before being fossilized.

[Malone]

3 hours ago, TheRocksWillShoutHisGlory said:

This is a clam from mazon creek which includes a short section of the trace it left before being fossilized.

I had never heard of mazon creek before I joined the forum. I have heard of repeatedly since. Is it pay to dig there?