Jump to content

A Very Good Problem to have in the Carboniferous


fossilized6s

Recommended Posts

In the last two weeks i have found two new very promising fossil sites. They are on private land that i have permission to be on. And please don't ask where.

 

There are so many things that i have to leave many behind. I hope i am lucky enough to find something truly amazing from these sites and share them with science and ultimately all of us. 

 

I believe this to be the first Orthacanthus sp. specimen ever found in this area of Illinois. It would be pretty neat to add this awesome predator to this fauna. 

 

As found:

20180702_170146_1530632062553.thumb.jpg.cb4401db7769095f6329e23f4ac07b34.jpg

 

After prep:

20180710_222611_1531280659138.thumb.jpg.4d0b7214f58149a5fb2fb1db24c4171e.jpg

 

20180710_222721_1531280648430.thumb.jpg.022eac42dd7373a432f5cc1e55e55290.jpg

 

20180710_222815_1531280639027.thumb.jpg.5200e7fad226a00ddff8dc6241168a7f.jpg

 

On the same trip i found a bone block associated with crinoids, a Metacoceras, a shark denticle, possible shark cartilage and what i believe are tetrapod bones. Please feel free and let me know what you guys think about the bones. 

 

A deep water environment with tetrapod material????

 

20180702_170514_1530825684832.thumb.jpg.2987a6ff03979dcea648146fc7d7324e.jpg

 

20180702_171613_1530825702356.thumb.jpg.172add582321553dc1d9fa61c7363c32.jpg

 

This strangely shaped bone has a thin outer layer on the "ornamental" end, almost like tooth enamel, but it's not thick enough. 

 

Continued..........

~Charlie~

"There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why.....i dream of things that never were, and ask why not?" ~RFK
->Get your Mosasaur print
->How to spot a fake Trilobite
->How to identify a CONCRETION from a DINOSAUR EGG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

 

Shark denticle??? Almost has a spider web appearance. 

20180710_223743_1531280617280.thumb.jpg.0d758bd120aaf25f8be74e30915e0ea2.jpg

 

Metacoceras, it looks salvageable. 

20180710_223829_1531280607361.thumb.jpg.8f2871509abe54d8bdde3643e4b6d443.jpg

 

20180710_163546_1531280728353.thumb.jpg.0269dc2668698aa7a70a2922e5638b4e.jpg

 

After finding those the first trip, i decided to go back a second time last weekend to a different spot. 

 

Listracanthus denticle 

20180708_141718_1531281664344.thumb.jpg.e22fd8b2f75ef2894a9eac4710749e38.jpg

 

20180708_231630_1531197926519_1531249104800.thumb.jpg.e5482dfcc6906e64157013f5303da578.jpg

 

Mine was unfortunately broke in half and one half is folded into the shale. But hopefully this is the first of many, and God willing find the actual creature that had these!

 

Shark cartilage bit

20180708_151258_1531249206705.thumb.jpg.3e045a886be1c892224e54f5dea8a9ca.jpg

 

Neat death plate in gray shale.

20180708_154239_1531249187529.thumb.jpg.3c282eac451baf5c2444be39dc14b891.jpg

 

My first Carboniferous trilobite!! Well a pygidium.... I have a funny feeling there are a lot more to be found there. 

20180708_201534_1531249172636.thumb.jpg.463c888c145d7794fa6374d599c1ce0d.jpg

 

 

Continued.........

~Charlie~

"There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why.....i dream of things that never were, and ask why not?" ~RFK
->Get your Mosasaur print
->How to spot a fake Trilobite
->How to identify a CONCRETION from a DINOSAUR EGG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My first Carboniferous cephalopod! Two if you include the mini. Still needs some final prep, but i like it. 

20180708_230307_1531249132663.thumb.jpg.528e2bebff38344d392420d359d78c34.jpg

 

20180710_223600_1531280629464.thumb.jpg.e19f584a39b0071261d376acd1beefd6.jpg

 

Two large Stigmaria chunks

20180703_163501_1531280962723.thumb.jpg.b3d030eda1a102965bdbcb0fe30f2a7e.jpg

20180708_211333_1531249150758.thumb.jpg.f1a46e47f1ec17f313ef53db51d2734e.jpg

 

 

This is one of the best preserved psaronius pieces i have ever seen. I'm tempted to slice this in half and polish it for study. 

20180710_215345_1531280669064.thumb.jpg.08acb5ef1a9c9483d45de7a8e7114167.jpg

 

20180710_215304_1531280680782.thumb.jpg.33d41f5f9b335a7c8d8b859161e2d8fb.jpg

 

 

Continued.......

~Charlie~

"There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why.....i dream of things that never were, and ask why not?" ~RFK
->Get your Mosasaur print
->How to spot a fake Trilobite
->How to identify a CONCRETION from a DINOSAUR EGG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This piece had a big surprise for me last night! 

 

20180708_120814_1531249247176.thumb.jpg.26f929e4e987ad77ae9c24b37ce6c284.jpg

 

20180710_163153_1531280742940.thumb.jpg.d532eac4211e5226e351b5ef7dea155f.jpg

 

While knocking down the matrix to make this piece more presentable out popped a Tetrapod hand bone (thinking possible ure or ulna)

 

20180710_223934_1531280595820.thumb.jpg.3fcb7f83c885ccecc11f9cf7fc8ff1b9.jpg

 

If Tetrapod bones are coming out of blocks that i didn't even know had them that's what i call a 'good problem to have'. 

 

I also found a concretion very similar to Francis Creek concretions. Kinda strange and promising.

20180710_163259_1531280707714.thumb.jpg.d168ad84d861e51f4f6f288b8928bb06.jpg

 

Hundreds of pounds of pyrite 'fools gold' dotted a gray shale site. Beautiful thing to see!! 

20180708_120140_1531280456114.thumb.jpg.d5f87e1f9ffcbe109d71a8792cae994b.jpg

 

Continued..........

~Charlie~

"There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why.....i dream of things that never were, and ask why not?" ~RFK
->Get your Mosasaur print
->How to spot a fake Trilobite
->How to identify a CONCRETION from a DINOSAUR EGG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What's a good fossil hunting trip without weird creatures?

 

My first baby crawfish! He's on my pants! So tiny!! 

20180708_143409_1531280800745.thumb.jpg.af6a4915c6f78a510656129a0fe548da.jpg

 

20180708_143325_1531280785512.thumb.jpg.3d56a700ba780452cc9f0833ba151e17.jpg

 

Creepy beetle larva......so creepy. Let's just say a lot of things came out of it when it wanted to move. If that thing was 4-5 times bigger it would truly be the thing that nightmares are made of. 

20180708_142919_1531280821678.thumb.jpg.2542b59b34426108a220fd1ea5fa5fdb.jpg

 

Awesome spider with two almost mantis like appendages near it's mouth, covered in spikes to trap prey.

20180708_132942_1531280838445.thumb.jpg.851ec3a59dfbb29c5f55096cc1ed0d6b.jpg

 

Beautiful little 'jumper'

20180708_132852_1531280854403.thumb.jpg.be131539d4243d6b2f613a3da64e5939.jpg

 

Ever see a Wolf Spider with her young? It was my first time seeing this. 

20180708_123159_1531280867435.thumb.jpg.1becca2a618a2960a2f52da4b3588a76.jpg

 

Thanks for looking. Happy hunting! 

~Charlie~

"There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why.....i dream of things that never were, and ask why not?" ~RFK
->Get your Mosasaur print
->How to spot a fake Trilobite
->How to identify a CONCRETION from a DINOSAUR EGG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nice finds mate! I really enjoy seeing Carboniferous vertebrate material. Hard to find down in Victoria. As for the "praying mantis spider", I believe it is a long jawed spider (Tetragnathidae) If you are interested. :P

 

Dan

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awesome finds, Charlie!  :faint:

Glad you have an exciting area to explore! :yay-smiley-1:

Such a wide variety of finds - you are bound to find some great things there, I can feel it! :envy:

    Tim    -  VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER

   MOTM.png.61350469b02f439fd4d5d77c2c69da85.png      PaleoPartner.png.30c01982e09b0cc0b7d9d6a7a21f56c6.png.a600039856933851eeea617ca3f2d15f.png     Postmaster1.jpg.900efa599049929531fa81981f028e24.jpg    VFOTM.png.f1b09c78bf88298b009b0da14ef44cf0.png  VFOTM  --- APRIL - 2015  

__________________________________________________
"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks."

John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~   ><))))( *>  About Me      

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's pretty cool. My grandfather was in South America and when he woke up there were 100's of wolf spiders in his room.... Shudder

On The Hunt For The Trophy Otodus!

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Those are some really spectacular finds! The cephalopod and gastropod are beautifully preserved, and of course the shark and tetrapod material is terribly exciting too.

 

It's heartening and inspiring to see what sorts of things can be found here in Illinois, if you do the research and put in the work. 

 

Also, love all the extant arthropods too! That baby crawfish looks like a tough guy. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"And please don't ask where."

No, I don´t ask where, because I am about 10.000 km away ;).

But I am always interested, how other people find their fossil sites, so my question: How did you find these sites?

It seems that they are natural outcrops along small rivers.

And the other question is: These fossils are not all from the same bed, aren´t they?

And last but not least: Congratulations to your finds, I am deeply impressed! You are a lucky guy!
Franz Bernhard

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Interesting finds! Congrats on the private collecting locality. Hope you find a complete tetrapod:hammer01:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Very nice specimens, with potential for much more. We all are looking forward to see what else comes out.

 

Congrats!

Context is critical.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Of course I won't ask... and just ignore the drone that will follow your car on Saturday.  Probably nothing.

Thanks for sharing with all of us.  A truly spectacular outing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

20 hours ago, DanKurek said:

Nice finds mate! I really enjoy seeing Carboniferous vertebrate material. Hard to find down in Victoria. As for the "praying mantis spider", I believe it is a long jawed spider (Tetragnathidae) If you are interested. :P

 

Dan

Thanks. And thank you for teaching me something new. Really neat creature.

 

20 hours ago, Ludwigia said:

Nice to have a couple of honey holes all to yoursel! Don't worry, I won't ask.  Great finds!

Thanks.

 

Figure you're far enough away that it wouldn't be an issue, but now that nautiloids are involved i can't be so certain. 

 

15 hours ago, Echinoid said:

Wow... :drool: :envy:

 

15 hours ago, Fossildude19 said:

Awesome finds, Charlie!  :faint:

Glad you have an exciting area to explore! :yay-smiley-1:

Such a wide variety of finds - you are bound to find some great things there, I can feel it! :envy:

 

13 hours ago, FossilsAnonymous said:

That's pretty cool. My grandfather was in South America and when he woke up there were 100's of wolf spiders in his room.... Shudder

 

13 hours ago, deutscheben said:

Those are some really spectacular finds! The cephalopod and gastropod are beautifully preserved, and of course the shark and tetrapod material is terribly exciting too.

 

It's heartening and inspiring to see what sorts of things can be found here in Illinois, if you do the research and put in the work. 

 

Also, love all the extant arthropods too! That baby crawfish looks like a tough guy. 

Thanks, guys. I'm very excited to see what can be found. Unfortunately i have limited time there. The owners don't want me out there during hunting season. So only Summer fossil hunts. 

12 hours ago, FranzBernhard said:

"And please don't ask where."

No, I don´t ask where, because I am about 10.000 km away ;).

But I am always interested, how other people find their fossil sites, so my question: How did you find these sites?

It seems that they are natural outcrops along small rivers.

And the other question is: These fossils are not all from the same bed, aren´t they?

And last but not least: Congratulations to your finds, I am deeply impressed! You are a lucky guy!
Franz Bernhard

 

I've always known these formations were there, but i never really hunted them because i didn't want to trespass. So it took a while to hunt down the owners (they don't live on the property). I never would have imagined how rich it is though! 

 

No, these finds are mainly from three different formations on top of one another. 

12 hours ago, Bullsnake said:

Wow! About all i can say!:fistbump:

 

8 hours ago, ynot said:

Very nice, thanks for the tour.

 

8 hours ago, aek said:

Interesting finds! Congrats on the private collecting locality. Hope you find a complete tetrapod:hammer01:

 

5 hours ago, Missourian said:

Very nice specimens, with potential for much more. We all are looking forward to see what else comes out.

 

Congrats!

 

Thanks, guys. I will definitely keep TFF up to date if any more exciting finds happen. Only have until the end of August though.....

 

2 hours ago, goatinformationist said:

Of course I won't ask... and just ignore the drone that will follow your car on Saturday.  Probably nothing.

Thanks for sharing with all of us.  A truly spectacular outing.

 

Lol. I wondered what that 'giant angry bee' sound was.

2 hours ago, doushantuo said:

Nice report!

Thank you.

 

I like to keep them short, picture heavy and to the point. Haha

~Charlie~

"There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why.....i dream of things that never were, and ask why not?" ~RFK
->Get your Mosasaur print
->How to spot a fake Trilobite
->How to identify a CONCRETION from a DINOSAUR EGG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, goatinformationist said:

Of course I won't ask... and just ignore the drone that will follow your car on Saturday.  Probably nothing.

Thanks for sharing with all of us.  A truly spectacular outing.

It's OK buddy, you can skip the drone. 

I've already attached the tracking device to his car. We can just sit back and let the GPS do all the work. :D

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What a crazy and exciting mix of fossils!!!  I am :envy:

 

I particularly love the cephalopod with a brachiopod on the same plate - beautiful!!! :wub:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Nice report.

That cephalopod is astonishingly beautiful and I love the trilobite too! :wub:

Life's Good!

Tortoise Friend.

MOTM.png.61350469b02f439fd4d5d77c2c69da85.png.a47e14d65deb3f8b242019b3a81d8160-1.png.60b8b8c07f6fa194511f8b7cfb7cc190.png

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...