Memorial Day hunt. Benbrook, TX Duck Creek formation trip 2

[KimTexan]

I had the day off of work on Memorial Day and I didn’t have my kids, but I was on call.  So once again I couldn’t go too far. I decided to head back over to the Benbrook site. It was going to be another scorcher. So I brought along about 40 ounces of fluids. 

I drove the hour over to west of Benbrook Lake to the new subdivision going in, turned into the development and parked near where I had found the 2 smaller ammonites the previous Tuesday. Before getting out of my car I covered my exposed areas with sunscreen. Sun damage will age you quicker than almost anything and also increase the likelihood of getting skin cancer. Now that I had my sunscreen on I got out and started hunting. I walked around a few undeveloped lots for a bit and was only finding partial ammonites. I found one small echinoid urchin and nothing else of note. I walked back to my car to get a drink and my bag. Then I searched on the opposite side of the street. I didn’t find anything there either. I guess the first trip I was  just lucky to find 2 decent ammonites within 5-7 minutes.

 

Since I wasn’t finding much in that particular area I walked down the street a bit and then crossed it heading towards a rock pile. The lots in this area had not been smoothed over yet. The back side of the lots sloped downward.  More rocks had been pushed over the edge of the slope. I had stepped up on the curb and walked maybe 15 feet when I found what looked to be a small Mortoniceras  about 5 inches across imbedded in a larger chunk of rock. You can just see the edge of it poking out of the rock below my hand.

 

 

I didn’t have my hammer with me. I put my bag down by the rock and I walked back to my car to get my hammer. I couldn’t find it. It dawned on me that I had taken it into my house, shoot. I keep most of my hunting tools in my trunk with my rubber boots and a pack at all times. You never known when you might see some spot that needs investigating. So, no worries I had my little sledge hammer and some chisels along with a number of other tools. I was dripping wet from the heat and losing a lot of fluids. The humidity was at 70% and it was 94 degrees. I can take the heat, but I don't do well with high heat and high humidity. The humidity is what does me in.

I got the tools and walked back to where the ammonite was. The limestone there was kind of chalky and reasonably soft. Within 2-3 minutes I had it popped out of the rock. One side free of matrix, but the other still had a little on it, but at least I wouldn’t have to carry the whole 40+ pound rock back to my car. The side that was free of matrix looked like it had a touch of pyrite disease. You can see how it is kind of flat on the bottom edge and reddish from oxidation.

 

 

This is just another chunk of rock with 2 Morts in it. They look like fragments so I didn't bother with trying to get them out. It looks like there is a third fossil between them and possibly another small one below them that is hardly noticeable.

 

I am not sure what this is. It looks a bit like some burrows, but the other burrows I was seeing were 3 to 5 inches in diameter. It may be a little burrow of some other creature, but there is something else going on there too, but not sure what. it almost looks like large leaves fanning out to the top and bottom. the burrow overlays whatever is fanning out. The burrow to the bottom left looks kind of like it is a corkscrew patterns. Then there is a burrow looking thing above those that has a ribbed pattern on it. Hum, now that I think about it, this did not look like the other rocks. There were building a stone wall nearby with sandstone blocks. This may not even be from the formation. 

 

This is just another fragment with the septa showing. It is about 8 inches across.

 

This is one of the little Morts that was just laying around. I thought the thing below it was an urchin. Turned out to be a pebble with concrete on it. I just gave the ammonite away to the guy who came and fixed my AC unit today. He is the grandfather of a couple kids my kids were friends with. We actually kind of hunted a little together back in March when I took a group of scout kids, my daughter and his granddaughter out on a little hunt.  He had never found fossils before or been hunting for them. He walked over as I was finding echinoids, gastropods and ammonite fragments. He was immediately sucked into the hunt and fascinated with them. This ammonite was kind of cool, because the matrix on the edge had the impression of another little ammonite. It is about 6 inches across.

 

I'll be back in a few with more of the story.

[KimTexan]

Oh if you missed part 1 and want to read it here is the link.

 

 

[KimTexan]

I walked on and found a pretty big fragment that I wanted. I put it in my bag, but then my bag was on the heavy side so I put it down to look around more. I found quite a few other fragments. I chose a few to pick up. They often make good flower bed edging or work pretty well to put under the gutter drain to disperse the water. 

 

One day I would like to get a good rock saw and make a table or if I can get the slices thin enough without breaking I have this idea for a fossil art hanging. I think it would be cool to make a 3 x 3 frame full of sliced fragments arranged as a background and then place a whole ammonite in the center superimposed over the fragments. Maybe I could disperse smaller ammonites and other fossils within the spaces between the larger fragments. I’d have to play with it, because it may be too busy. Some of the fragments have beautiful suture marks showing or have crystals along the septa and elsewhere. I have number of ideas. I have a number of ideas I’d like to try if I had the proper tools and resources.

 I saw this impression. I just like the looks of them.

I kept finding fragments. Some interesting and some not. I placed the ones of interest on a stone wall that had been built nearby. I came upon a rather large fragment. I bent over to look at it. When I did I noticed this within a few inches of the fragment. The fragment is on the right with a bit of the septa showing.

 

 

It appeared to be a whole Eopachydiscus,  maybe 12 inches in diameter. There were a few large rocks on top of it. I was quite a ways from where I had parked my car. I did not want to carry that thing all the way to where my car. By this point the heat was starting to get to me. It was a bit more than I wanted to stay out in. I walked back to where I had piled some of the fragments and picked up a few of the heavier pieces and took them back to my car. I got in my car and moved it closer to where I was hunting. I sat in the car with the air conditioning blowing on me to try to cool down. I had already drank half of my fluids at this point. This wasn’t good. I’d have to quit hunting there when I ran out. I was having to drink something every 10 minutes or so. About every 30 minutes I’d go sit in my car to cool down a bit. I can handle the heat, but the heat with the humidity runs me down much quicker.

 

I went back to the pachy (don't want to have to spell it out each time. I call them pacyhs for short) and began moving the larger rocks off of it. It was on a slight down hill slant. I had to access it from an awkward angle and ended up straining my back.  I got the ammonite out and carried it to my car. I went back and found a few more ammonites and an echinoid imbedded in matrix.

This is the pachy once I removed the rubble off of it. On the top left there are veins of calcite crystals running through it. I found a number of fragments with crystal running through them. On one  of them the septa were outlined in calcite.

 

This is one of the few echinoids that I found while I was out there.

 

I'll be back in a few with more.

 

[KimTexan]

About this time I was pretty low on fluids. I decided to call it quits for this site. There was one last fragment that I had seen in the rock pile that I wanted to take with me. It was the biggest item I’d come across that I wanted. It was in a pile of rocks in the middle of a lot. I didn’t want to carry it all the way to my car though.  I went to my car and drove up over the curb into the lot, turned my car around and backed it right up to where the fragment was. Thankfully the fragment was sitting almost waist high on the pile. I was able to pick it up and put it in my trunk without straining my back further.

This is it after I got it home on my patio. I haven't washed it off, but it had just rained and some of the dirt washed off. The whole pachy that I found was indeed 12 inches. The large fragment is 19 inches. These things get huge. @cory76044 told me he had found some whole ones that were really big. From the gesture of holding his arms out to make a circle they were bigger than this would have been when whole. I don't think I could move a whole large one by myself without special equipment. I have heard of at least 3 of these that people had found which were 42 inches in diameter. I think @JohnJ may have posted one that size that he found. I don't know that he extracted it though.

 

I had hopped to find some echinoids there, but all I had found were a couple of small ones.  I had only covered maybe 4 acres out of the whole development that I would guess has to be 150 acres. There are areas with different elevations, so I would expect to find different stuff in the higher and lower elevations. I believe there have to be echinoids there somewhere, I just have not found the right area yet. 

 

This is one of the fragments that had crystal around the septa. It has some down the center too.

After I put the big fragment in my car I drove down to the bottom of the hill I had been hunting on where there was another rock pile. I got out and walked around looking to see if there was anything different here. I did find one little echinoid. It wasn't in the best of shape, but it was an echinoid. 

 

I drove back towards Ft. Worth and found a place to grab a bite to eat and something to drink at a drive through. There was no way I was going to go into some place all hot and sweaty with dirty clothes. I contemplated a couple of places to go hunting next after I got more fluids. I kind of wanted to drive west on 380 into the Pennsylvanian for something smaller that would be easy on my back. I calculated the route. It was more than an hour from my work. There were at least 5 other sites nearby, but I’d been there and done that. I wanted new types of fossils I hadn’t really found before. I wanted adventure and scenery. I wanted somewhere I hadn’t explored before, but knew I’d find fossils and hopefully new types or species of fossils I didn’t already have.

 

I am going to create a separate trip report for that leg of the trip.

[Tidgy's Dad]

Another nice report and some super ammonites.

Love the little echinoid at the end too! 

[KimTexan]

Thank you. I have a lot of those, but not from this site. Most all of them are quite a bit bigger than that one. They were in the Echinoid Jackpot post I did a while back. Since then I went on another trip and found my biggest echinoid ever in the Washita group. I never posted that trip, but should. Not sure if I'll ever get around to it. It was a bit adventurous too. It would make a really good story. It was short on fossils though. So, I have a story, but not much to show for it, but what I did find was well worth keeping. The biggest echinoid measured in at 113 mm long x 104 mm wide. The height was only 37 mm, but it was a bit crushed and still has matrix on top. So, I can't really ID it till I get it cleaned off. I started to clean it, but I could feel it falling apart. I put stuff on it to try to stabilize it, but have not gotten back to prepping it. It is a whopper though.

 

Regarding your hat. I saw someone ask if it was a coprolite hat. I didn't totally get the question and thought it might be a bit on the disparaging side, but thought I needed to understand better before I made such an assumption. I had my daughter look at it and she said it was a poop emoji. Then the question made complete sense to me, but not to my daughter. She just thought it was strange. I told her it is a Fossil Forum inside joke. You kind of have to be on the TFF to get it and think it is funny. 

[Fruitbat]

You have been BUSY, Kim, especially considering the temperature around here lately!  Great trip report again, as usual!  I'm looking forward to reading the next one.

 

-Joe

[Miocene_Mason]

Nice ammos! I can’t imagine quite it would have been like to have the sea chock full of them, especially at that size!

[ynot]

Congrats on the new hunting area and nice finds.

Thanks for sharing.

[JohnJ]

Hunting in our hot, humid Texas weather is harder on some than others.  It pays to use cooling strategies, especially when you are hunting alone.  @KimTexan you might try filling some long tube socks with crushed ice and tie the open end off.  If they are long enough, you can drape one around your neck and the slow melting ice will cool your carotid arteries.  Tie two together if you need to, and keep extras in an insulated cooler.

 

The largest ammonites I've found were not Pachydiscus, but were late Cretaceous Parapuzosia.   

 

[Peace river rat]

I for one, appreciate the backstory and details on how it all came together. Thanks for the details and I am glad it worked out for you. Asides from walking limerock roads for shells (sorry, kinda boring for me, if I do that I am searching for sling bullets) reading post here is my vicarious, hunting fix until the peace comes down (maybe Nov)?

[Auspex]

6 hours ago, JohnJ said:

Hunting in our hot, humid Texas weather is harder on some than others.  It pays to use cooling strategies

@KimTexan

Every participant on my S. FL., S. TX., S.E. AZ., etc. birding tours was given a Neckbandoo.
I am proud to say that we never lost a birder to the heat.

[Monica]

Nice ammonites, as usual, Kim!  Congrats especially on that 12-inch specimen - that's a big one - WOW!!!

[cory76044]

Wow...  have so much to update you on. i will try to do that today, along with many more questions  

[KimTexan]

On 6/6/2018 at 4:42 AM, Auspex said:

@KimTexan

Every participant on my S. FL., S. TX., S.E. AZ., etc. birding tours was given a Neckbandoo.
I am proud to say that we never lost a birder to the heat.

Ok the Neckbandoo looks reasonable and half decent. I was trying to picture myself wearing a tube sock around my neck and just didn’t think I could go there.

 

Sorry @JohnJ I am a woman after all and am a tad bit fashion conscious. Not to say that I wouldn’t accept someone’s offer of a tube sock filled with ice in such a situation as this hunt. I would have gladly accepted.

I think I could sew something a little more fashionable, but I may just try the Neckbandoo.

 

 

On 6/6/2018 at 12:55 AM, Peace river rat said:

I for one, appreciate the backstory and details on how it all came together. Thanks for the details and I am glad it worked out for you. Asides from walking limerock roads for shells (sorry, kinda boring for me, if I do that I am searching for sling bullets) reading post here is my vicarious, hunting fix until the peace comes down (maybe Nov)?

I remember a few months back your wife was quite sick. I hope she has recovered.

Glad you liked it. I went back and looked at it and thought I was way too wordy so I edited and cut a bit in a few places to cut down on the word count. I think I cut more out of the 2nd leg of the trip in my Denton Creek post which is here:

 

 

[Kane]

19 hours ago, KimTexan said:

 

 

Sorry @JohnJ I am a woman after all and am a tad bit fashion conscious. Not to say that I wouldn’t accept someone’s offer of a tube sock filled with ice in such a situation as this hunt. I would have gladly accepted.

I think I could sew something a little more fashionable, but I may just try the Neckbandoo.

 

 

 

 

Fashion? Fossil hunting is not a runway. This genderized stuff is pretty 1957. Fossil collecting transcends gender. We take on what is required to get the job done. Being fashionable and fossil collecting should not be in the same sentence. Who are we trying to impress? The goal is to find fossils, and to be safe while doing so.  

[JohnJ]

1 hour ago, KimTexan said:

Sorry @JohnJ I am a woman after all and am a tad bit fashion conscious. Not to say that I wouldn’t accept someone’s offer of a tube sock filled with ice in such a situation as this hunt. I would have gladly accepted.

I think I could sew something a little more fashionable, but I may just try the Neckbandoo.

Kim, my late wife was an expert with a sewing machine, and she designed several variations involving Velcro and white terrycloth.  Easy to open, easy to fill, and could make a Texas summer enjoyable.  I mentioned tube socks because sewing skills are uncommon among fossil hunters and I never found a "gel crystal" band that provided the same relief.

 

I've seen heat exhaustion and heat stroke in others...it's not pretty.  Stay cool.   

[KimTexan]

1 hour ago, Kane said:

Fashion? Fossil hunting is not a runway. This genderized stuff is pretty 1957. Fossil collecting transcends gender. We take on what is required to get the job done. Being fashionable and fossil collecting should not be in the same sentence. Who are we trying to impress? The goal is to find fossils, and to be safe while doing so.

I am a woman and I believe in genders and I am fine with various roles we play or that we may be better suited for. I believe men have strengths and assets that complement women's and vice versa. It took me almost 40 years to get in touch with my feminine side and fully embrace it and love being a woman. I love my sensitive, tender spirit and see it as a real strength and asset. I like painting my nails and doing my hair, looking good, decorating my house and making it a home. I love cooking and baking good food and watching people enjoy it and I wear and apron. All those things are not so 1957. But I am more than happy to have a man in the kitchen helping. I have the attitude that he better help in the kitchen and around the house, because this house is not a hotel and I am not his cook or maid. Boy I can get myself wound up on that topic.

I think I should qualify that part about he better help. When you love someone you are willing to do a lot for them out of love. If it is a healthy relationship both individuals will help the other where they are able to and they will enjoy and delight in the presence of the other no matter the task. If one is unwilling to help the other where they can then it is not a healthy relationship. No one should settle for doing everything by themselves on a consistent or routine basis.

 

I do like to believe that I can do almost anything a man can do in theory. In physical strength no. But, here is my example: My AC went out the night before last. I can't afford an AC repairman so I went and got the replacement motor for my condenser fan and replaced it myself in 100 degree weather. I'd be happy for a man to take that job. It was miserable and hard. I'm all for gender roles in that type of scenario. I'd stand there by him while he did it and help however I could though, but I would rather he did the job than me. I am more than happy to let a man carry my fossils, catch the mouse, change the tire and so on, but I can do all those things. Oh I don't want to have to catch the mouse though. It isn't that I am afraid of them.  They disgusting carriers of disease and they gross me out and I can't stand them or cockroaches! I can deal with spiders and snakes and they don't bother me, but I don't do mice or roaches.

 

The looking good while fossil collecting isn't about impressing anyone out there. I don't think it is gender related either. Rarely do I ever see anyone while out hunting. It is more a personal standard of self-care. Like taking a shower and brushing my teeth and hair. There is no rule that says you can't look decent or even amazing while out hunting (I don't think I ever fall in the amazing category). By no means am I a fashionista. My last clothes shopping spree was at Goodwill. Of course by the time I am done hunting, if I wasn't wearing a hat my hair is flat and all over the place and hanging in my face and eyes or it is matted down wet, my clothes are dirty/muddy and I probably have dirt on my face. I start out looking like I take care of myself and I have no rule about how I look at the end. As you inferred a fossil hunter must have the mentality of "you do whatever it takes to get the job done."  I do whatever it takes to get the fossils. I think I have demonstrated through my trip reports that I give fossil hunting my all and I don't hold back. I have no problem getting muddy or dirty, but I want to look good while doing it or at least when I start out. 

[KimTexan]

35 minutes ago, JohnJ said:

Kim, my late wife was an expert with a sewing machine, and she designed several variations involving Velcro and white terrycloth.  Easy to open, easy to fill, and could make a Texas summer enjoyable.  I mentioned tube socks because sewing skills are uncommon among fossil hunters and I never found a "gel crystal" band that provided the same relief.

 

I've seen heat exhaustion and heat stroke in others...it's not pretty.  Stay cool.   

So very sorry to hear that John.  We often get acquainted with people on TFF in a fairly superficial way. We get to know personalities and such on here TFF, but you rarely do we know people's stories.

 

I sew enough to get by. I can make clothes, but I am not the best at it. I can make simple things like the neck cooler without too much effort. I've got my sewing machine at the ready, but I want to try the Neckbandoo out and get ideas from it before I make my own. I was thinking of some type of terrycloth lined with something that would prevent the water from coming out so fast.

I had a case of mild heat stroke when I was about 13 while out on a hike with my scout club. So I am probably more sensitive to heat and high humidity than some people. I do OK with low humidity. I hiked part of the Escalante River in Utah last summer for probably 5 hours in 110 degree heat and I didn't have any problems with heat stroke. I was worn out by the end of the hike though.

[cory76044]

27 minutes ago, KimTexan said:

I am a woman and I believe in genders and I am fine with various roles we play or that we may be better suited for. I believe men have strengths and assets that complement women's and vice versa. It took me almost 40 years to get in touch with my feminine side and fully embrace it and love being a woman. I love my sensitive, tender spirit and see it as a real strength and asset. I like painting my nails and doing my hair, looking good, decorating my house and making it a home. I love cooking and baking good food and watching people enjoy it and I wear and apron. All those things are not so 1957. But I am more than happy to have a man in the kitchen helping. I have the attitude that he better help in the kitchen and around the house, because this house is not a hotel and I am not his cook or maid. Boy I can get myself wound up on that topic.

 

I do like to believe that I can do almost anything a man can do in theory. In physical strength no. But, here is my example: My AC went out the night before last. I can't afford an AC repairman so I went and got the replacement motor for my condenser fan and replaced it myself in 100 degree weather. I'd be happy for a man to take that job. It was miserable and hard. I'm all for gender roles in that type of scenario. I'd stand there by him while he did it and help however I could though, but I would rather he did the job than me. I am more than happy to let a man carry my fossils, catch the mouse, change the tire and so on, but I can do all those things. Oh I don't want to have to catch the mouse though. It isn't that I am afraid of them.  They disgusting carriers of disease and they gross me out and I can't stand them or cockroaches! I can deal with spiders and snakes and they don't bother me, but I don't do mice or roaches.

 

The looking good while fossil collecting isn't about impressing anyone out there. I don't think it is gender related either. Rarely do I ever see anyone while out hunting. It is more a personal standard of self-care. Like taking a shower and brushing my teeth and hair. There is no rule that says you can't look decent or even amazing while out hunting (I don't think I ever fall in the amazing category). By no means am I a fashionista. My last clothes shopping spree was at Goodwill. Of course by the time I am done hunting, if I wasn't wearing a hat my hair is flat and all over the place and hanging in my face and eyes or it is matted down wet, my clothes are dirty/muddy and I probably have dirt on my face. I start out looking like I take care of myself and I have no rule about how I look at the end. As you inferred a fossil hunter must have the mentality of "you do whatever it takes to get the job done."  I do whatever it takes to get the fossils. I think I have demonstrated through my trip reports that I give fossil hunting my all and I don't hold back. I have no problem getting muddy or dirty, but I want to look good while doing it or at least when I start out. 

 

[cory76044]

sorry wrong pic

Edited June 8, 2018 by cory76044
wrong pic

[Peace river rat]

6 hours ago, KimTexan said:

Ok the Neckbandoo looks reasonable and half decent. I was trying to picture myself wearing a tube sock around my neck and just didn’t think I could go there.

 

Sorry @JohnJ I am a woman after all and am a tad bit fashion conscious. Not to say that I wouldn’t accept someone’s offer of a tube sock filled with ice in such a situation as this hunt. I would have gladly accepted.

I think I could sew something a little more fashionable, but I may just try the Neckbandoo.

 

 

I remember a few months back your wife was quite sick. I hope she has recovered.

Glad you liked it. I went back and looked at it and thought I was way too wordy so I edited and cut a bit in a few places to cut down on the word count. I think I cut more out of the 2nd leg of the trip in my Denton Creek post which is here:

 

 

She is well. Her left side vision and arm have not recovered much, but life is good and she is well. Thank you for remembering.

[DPS Ammonite]

Where else but TFF could we have a spirited yet civil conversation about gender differences, perceived or real, in regards to paleontology, fossil collecting and life in general. Although I believe their are differences in interest and ability between the sexes, I believe that given adequate opportunity we are more equal than many might think. Thankfully most of us have the freedom to persue any interest regardless of any perceived gender preconditions.

 

While here at TFF, the common bond is talking about fossils. In most other social situations I find a common bond talking about food. Think of all the various locations and cultures that our food and recipes come from. Religion and politics are definitely not universal themes that bond us together as human beings.

 

I enjoy listening to all the different viewpoints from everyone. While I may not agree with everyone, my life is greatly enriched. 

 

Thankfully we we have the freedom to say: "to each his own". His meaning everyone regardless of gender.

[KimTexan]

10 hours ago, Peace river rat said:

She is well. Her left side vision and arm have not recovered much, but life is good and she is well. Thank you for remembering.

I’m happy to hear she survived, but I am truly sorry and saddened to hear she has those disabilities. I can’t imagine how frustrating, difficult and discouraging that must be for her and you too at times. 

I have had a couple close relatives go through similar situations. So I can perceive some of the challenges it presents.

Best regards to both of you.

[JustPlainPetrified]

Great trip and report! Thanks for sharing...and stay cool.