Serendipitous Collecting on a Budget

[Uncle Siphuncle]

My ammonite mailbox project is moving along swiftly now.  I dug the hole for the slab the other weekend, called 811 after wife squawked at me for not calling utilities first (oops!), and waited a couple days until they marked lines in my yard.

 

On Saturday I poured 560 lbs of hand mixed concrete over a bed of gravel and rebar, then yesterday I mortared all the cinder blocks in place.

 

Now for the cool part.  Today on lunch hour I went out shopping for 500 lbs of flagstone to skin the superstructure..

 

Then serendipity struck just after I asked the worker“¿Ha visto Ud. algunas piedras con fosiles como amonites of huesos?”  He pointed out some Inoceramus fragments, then I glanced at another pallet of stone, flipped the first piece, and was surprised to see a good portion of a fossil fish, partly articulated, and surrounded by a scattering of disarticulated scales and vertebrae.

 

Of couse I flipped 20-30 more stones, but stopped short of tearing up their nicely organized pallet.

 

Now the best part for a “tacaño viejo” like me....$.15 per pound x 6 pounds - 10% military discount (thanks to my wife) = the price is right @ $.81!

 

I asked where they got this Coyote Canyon limestone, but the guy answered with a confidence uninspiring “Arizona or Montana”.  

 

This stuff wasn’t laminated paper thin like the Green River stuff I’ve mined.  Not sure if the Green River has any layers with suitable integrity for outdoor applications, but I’ll stay open minded to that possibility, although I’m hoping for something different.  I may never be able to ID the fish or the source, but I always keep a couple shekels around for opportunities such as this.

[Uncle Siphuncle]

[Nimravis]

Nice finds- I seem to remember a post where someone had a similar experience and found some trackways of something.

[Miocene_Mason]

48 minutes ago, Nimravis said:

Nice finds- I seem to remember a post where someone had a similar experience and found some trackways of something.

I remember that as well, a Dino print from Maryland! 

Awesome fish, pays to have a keen eye out!

[Bobby Rico]

2 hours ago, Nimravis said:

Nice finds- I seem to remember a post where someone had a similar experience and found some trackways of something.

There also I think posts of slabs in the streets of Brazil with trackways.

[Malcolmt]

Neater find ...even neater price

 

[Ludwigia]

Now how 'bout that!

[goatinformationist]

Some years ago I saw in a pet shop window a pile of slates in the fish tank area.  Every slate was loaded with fern fossil.  Should've bought the whole load.