Devonian Outing Last Week (Photo intensive)

[Fossildude19]

Hello all, 

 

My good friend Jeffrey P and I were finally able to coordinate a day out hunting together in our favorite Devonian spot upstate,  as well as one I hadn't visited yet.

( The Briggs Road site!)  Both are Moscow Formation, Hamilton group Middle Devonian sites.

 

I haven't been out much this year, and so I decided to take a floating holiday to make it happen. We had missed the opportunity of collecting together when we were both in Western NY during the 4th of July week. This is usually a really fun get together, and while I did OK at our usual haunt, I did miss my frequent collecting partner's company. 

Anyway, as stated, ... I took a Monday off of work to make the trip to see Jeff last Monday, ... July 16th. Jeff generously offered to drive to the sites. 

Deep Springs Road is about a 4.5 hour trip for me to make from my home. But with Jeff driving, I only had to drive an hour to meet him at a commuter lot off of I-84 in New York. We met up at 6:00 AM, moved my gear to his car, and off we went. 

 

The 3.5 hour drive to the site was full of good conversation and tales of his adventures, and our hopeful find list for this trip. 
Jeff had brought his I-pad with him, so that I could peruse photos of his recent fossil finds and vacation adventures, (here, and abroad.) during the trip.

 

The weather forecast was calling for a partly cloudy day, with a high of 89. The slight chance of rain that was forecast never materialized. 

We arrived at the first site between 9:30 and 10:00 AM. 

 

Briggs road is a small roadside quarry. Lots of broken rock was around - evidence of other area hunters. We spent about 40 minutes here, Jeff working some slabs, while I did my wander and split thing. I was unlucky enough to flip over a rock and find a yellow-jacket nest. Luckily, I got away without being stung. It definitely agitated the yellow-jackets, though. 

 

I picked up a few things, here and there. Mostly 3/4partial Eldredgeops rana, missing the cephalons. Nothing worth photographing.

With the Yellow-Jackets guarding the productive layer, we headed over to Deep Springs Road. 

 

***************************************************************************************

 

By this time, the sun was getting higher in the sky, and it was starting to get hot. Deep Springs Road Quarry is like a parking lot. The gray matrix gets hot to the touch, and there is little shade. After about an hour of poking around, and 2 20 OZ bottles of water later, I decided to try to find some shade. I was finding some cool things here and there. I took shelter under a thorn bush that provided a bit of respite from the heat. I pulled rocks over and split them as I sat on a kneeling pad and rested my elbow on my bandana, drinking water now and again. Hydration is important. 

 

Jeff was a trooper, and spent most of his time in the full sun, lifting out blocks and splitting them down. Moving about the quarry from spot to spot. 

He said that he was in "training" for his trip out to Texas later this summer. 

I broke for lunch, and a cold seltzer refreshed me, and gave me a second wind.

I made a number of good finds, and was happy, as this was only my 3rd time out collecting this year. Life has been busy, so it was nice to make up for lost time. 

Jeff did not do as well, although he found some interesting pieces things. 

 

My luck was with me, and a number of my finds were found just by looking at the ground. I'm not a real motivated digger when I don't have to be, and am content finding what others have missed. I like to split things down until there is no chance that a fossil is hiding. 

Anyway, these techniques worked in my favor this time. 

 

The day went on, and shade started to appear. Jeff took a break, and recharged himself with some time in the shade. By nearly 5:00 PM we decided we were done. We packed up our gear and finds, and headed out on the road. I enjoyed the conversation with Jeff, and his eclectic taste in music. Always relaxing and interesting music of all varieties coming from his car stereo/ipod hook-up. Actually made some notes on bands to check out when I had the chance. 

 

We arrived at the commuter lot at around 9:25 PM, said our goodbyes, and I headed for home. With traffic and all, I reached home at about 10:40 PM. 

Thanks @Jeffrey P, for a great day out hunting. 

******************************************************************************************

 

I ended up having quite the day with phyllocarids. I ended up with 10 partialphyllocarids - 2 Echinocaris punctata, and  8 partial Rhinocaris columbina .

Only a few trilobites - 1 enrolled Eldredgeops rana, one enrolled Greenops sp., one prone partial Greenops sp., and 3 Dipleura dekayi pygidiums. 

A host of gastropods, bivalves, and brachiopods found their way home with me as well. 

First - a grouping of my finds.

 

 

 

and some close ups ...

 

Trilobites:

                                                                                                                  Dipleura dekayi pygidiums

       

 

Eldredgeops rana                                                             Greenops sp.

      

 

Greenops sp. 

     

 

 

Phyllocarids:                                                                                                                          Rhinocaris columbina

 

  

 

Rhinocaris columbina

 

 

 

 

 

Echinocaris punctata

 

   

 

                                                                                 

           

 

 

 

Gastropods: 

 

Paleozygopleura hamiltonae covered with bryozoan.

 

Paleozygopleura hamiltonae "squish-out" with a Glyptotomaria capillaria and another Paleozygopleura hamiltonae.

 

 

Retispira leda

 

     

 

 

Glyptotomaria capillaria

 

 

     

 

 

 

Brachiopods:

 

Rhipidomella penelope

 

 

Athyris spiriferoides

 

 

Lingula spatulata

 

 

Pelecypods: 

 

Grammysioidea alveata                                                                              Cypricardella bellistriata

   

 

 

Paleoneilo emarginata & Paleoneilo filosa                                                          Pholladella radiata

    

 

 

Modiomorpha concentrica, Cypricardella bellistrata, Nuculoidea corbuliformis, +2 unknown     Unknown Pteriomorpha bivalve:  Leiopteria conradi??

 

                                                                                                                                                  Pseudoaviculapecten sp. 

a    

 

 

Assorted other finds: First item is unknown,.. possibly a hyolith. Plant fragment, orthocone cephalopod, possibly Spyroceras sp..

 

 

      

 

Tornoceras uniangulare                                                       unknown

      

 

 

Thanks for reading.  

 

 

 

[Miocene_Mason]

Love all the arthropod! Thanks for sharing!

[ynot]

Nice finds Tim!

Glad You could get out to hunt!

[Peat Burns]

Oh boy... I love palaeozoic posts.  And the finds?:

I've got to get up there...

 

 

[JohnJ]

Enough variety and quality to create smiles and memories.  Glad you got the chance to get out.   

[Fruitbat]

WOW!  That was quite an impressive trip!  Oh...by the way...if your friend Jeff thinks that 89^o weather is good practice for a Texas summer day...I hope he's planning to come in LATE summer...like the beginning of October!  We're having a bit of a cold snap here today...it was only 95^o!

 

-Joe

[Wrangellian]

I'm always impressed by the diversity at that site, especially the bivalves which are usually outnumbered by brachs at Paleozoic sites.

Is that a crinoid stem beside that snail? Nice association piece.

What are the 'assorted other finds'?

[Kane]

Well done, Tim! Your wander-and-split method worked amazingly well in terms of finding so many phyllocarids! 

[Fossildude19]

7 hours ago, WhodamanHD said:

Love all the arthropod! Thanks for sharing!

Thanks, Mason. 

7 hours ago, ynot said:

Nice finds Tim!

Glad You could get out to hunt!

Thank you, Tony. So was I. 

7 hours ago, Peat Burns said:

Oh boy... I love palaeozoic posts.  And the finds?:

I've got to get up there...

 

 

Let me know if any of the bivalves or brachiopods are of interest, I have plenty of extras.

6 hours ago, JohnJ said:

Enough variety and quality to create smiles and memories.  Glad you got the chance to get out.   

Thanks John. Was a good time.

4 hours ago, Fruitbat said:

WOW!  That was quite an impressive trip!  Oh...by the way...if your friend Jeff thinks that 89^o weather is good practice for a Texas summer day...I hope he's planning to come in LATE summer...like the beginning of October!  We're having a bit of a cold snap here today...it was only 95^o!

 

-Joe

Joe, It was actually much hotter in the sun, ... probably closer to 97°, with about 85% humidity.    Thanks for your comments.

2 hours ago, Wrangellian said:

I'm always impressed by the diversity at that site, especially the bivalves which are usually outnumbered by brachs at Paleozoic sites.

Is that a crinoid stem beside that snail? Nice association piece.

What are the 'assorted other finds'?

I think it is a crinoid stem - have to look again. I've gone back labeled all the others as best I can. I gave up at 11:30 pm last night. 

50 minutes ago, Kane said:

Well done, Tim! Your wander-and-split method worked amazingly well in terms of finding so many phyllocarids! 

Thanks, K-man. I was pretty lucky.  

[Bullsnake]

Great report, Tim!

Inspired me to take some time to get out this weekend!

[Fossildude19]

24 minutes ago, Bullsnake said:

Great report, Tim!

Inspired me to take some time to get out this weekend!

Thanks Steve. Good to hear from you, friend. 

Good luck if you make it out there.  

[FossilDAWG]

Great friends and great fossils: the perfect recipe for a great day!

 

Don

[Monica]

Wow, Tim - AMAZING finds!!!!!!!!!!

 

I love the pieces with multiple specimens on them (i.e. the Paleozygopleura hamiltonae with a brachiopod, the Glyptotomaria capillaria with a crinoid stem, the Pholladella radiata with brachiopods) - beautiful!!! 

[Fossildude19]

30 minutes ago, Monica said:

Wow, Tim - AMAZING finds!!!!!!!!!!

 

I love the pieces with multiple specimens on them (i.e. the Paleozygopleura hamiltonae with a brachiopod, the Glyptotomaria capillaria with a crinoid stem, the Pholladella radiata with brachiopods) - beautiful!!! 

Thanks, Monica. If you can, I suggest hunting there. It's a bit of a drive from the Buffalo area, but it is totally worth it. 

The place is littered with fossils.  

55 minutes ago, FossilDAWG said:

Great friends and great fossils: the perfect recipe for a great day!

 

Don

Thanks Don. It was an enjoyable day. 

[Jeffrey P]

Congratulations Tim. Excellent report and great finds. As always you were the best company. I have to say, you definitely make the most of your few opportunities to get out and collect and this trip was especially productive for you. That Echinocaris puncta is my favorite of your finds. The Leiopteria I think is actually a Pseudoaviculapecten which are rarer- a very nice find. Again congrats. I'll try to add some pics of my finds later in the week. Again, big congrats.

[Jeffrey P]

1 hour ago, Monica said:

Wow, Tim - AMAZING finds!!!!!!!!!!

 

I love the pieces with multiple specimens on them (i.e. the Paleozygopleura hamiltonae with a brachiopod, the Glyptotomaria capillaria with a crinoid stem, the Pholladella radiata with brachiopods) - beautiful!!! 

Almost every piece of matrix at DSR has multiple specimens- That's one of the beauties of the place - the rich and diverse fauna.

[Jeffrey P]

11 hours ago, Fruitbat said:

WOW!  That was quite an impressive trip!  Oh...by the way...if your friend Jeff thinks that 89^o weather is good practice for a Texas summer day...I hope he's planning to come in LATE summer...like the beginning of October!  We're having a bit of a cold snap here today...it was only 95^o!

 

-Joe

Sorry about your current heat wave, but I can't wait to get over there and collect.

[Fossildude19]

13 minutes ago, Jeffrey P said:

Congratulations Tim. Excellent report and great finds. As always you were the best company. I have to say, you definitely make the most of your few opportunities to get out and collect and this trip was especially productive for you. That Echinocaris puncta is my favorite of your finds. The Leiopteria I think is actually a Pseudoaviculapecten which are rarer- a very nice find. Again congrats. I'll try to add some pics of my finds later in the week. Again, big congrats.

 

Thanks, Jeff. I was not sure on the Pseudoaviculapecten. I appreciate your insight. Your grasp of the Devonian fauna is much more advanced than mine.  

[JimB88]

Wow Tim! You did really good! So many Phylocarids in one trip!

[Fossildude19]

21 minutes ago, JimB88 said:

Wow Tim! You did really good! So many Phylocarids in one trip!

Thanks, Jim. I was lucky with the Rhinocarids. There must have been a pocket of them where I was splitting.  

[Fruitbat]

@Jeffrey P  You're more than welcome to join us!  After all, misery loves company, right?  It's only 98^oF here right now...but we should hit the century mark again for you by this weekend!  Oh...by the way, if, you're out in the sun, it really IS hot enough to fry an egg on the sidewalk!  What sections of the state do you intend to visit?

 

-Joe

[Pagurus]

The veteran shale splitter triumphs again.  I'm happy all that dedication paid off nicely. That heat would have sent me packing, though I was driving up to Maine that same day and my air conditioning cut out. We'll have to get together again when the weather cools again in the fall. Congratulations to you and Jeff. 

[Fossildude19]

3 minutes ago, Pagurus said:

The veteran shale splitter triumphs again.  I'm happy all that dedication paid off nicely. That heat would have sent me packing, though I was driving up to Maine that same day and my air conditioning cut out. We'll have to get together again when the weather cools again in the fall. Congratulations to you and Jeff. 

 

Thanks, Mike.   It was a rough, long, sweaty day.   We will definitely have to get together when the heat abates some. 

 

[Malcolmt]

Wow hats quite the haul... I'm going to have to figure a way to be part of one of these meet ups someday..... If any one is interested though Quarryman Dave and myself and maybe some others will be at Penn Dixie this Saturday and Sunday.

[Tidgy's Dad]

Marvelous! 

What wonderful photographs of beautiful finds! 

So beautiful..............