Fantastic cephalopods from Carniol!

[Coco]

 

I'm not sure I well understand your question, but I found as many ammonites at the top of the slopes as on the flat below. It's the erosion of winter, the frost, the rain, the wind that releases the fossils, and nobody goes there I think the winter because we can't walk in the wet clay. Spring and the beginning of summer are good times to make discoveries, if not too many people go there.

 

 

Maybe we don't find the ammonites in place in the layers because they are too small (usually 1 to 2 cm in diameter or even much smaller) and that the dry clay comes off in bigger parts. The clay layers in place are very shallow beneath the surface, only the top is altered by weather conditions.

 

Coco
 

[doushantuo]

Aconeceras,

Argonauticeras,

Eogaudryceras,

Gabbioceras,

Goretophylloceras

Hypophylloceras,

Jauberticeras,

Melchiorites

Phyllopachyceras,

Protetragonites,

Pseudohaploceras,

Salfeldiella,

Sinzowia,

Uhligella,

Valdedorsella,

Zuercherella,

are typical "Bedoulian"-to "Clanseyesian" ammonites

[FranzBernhard]

5 hours ago, Coco said:

I'm not sure I well understand your question

Sure, you unterstood it. And I understand your answer.

 

5 hours ago, Coco said:

Maybe we don't find the ammonites in place in the layers because they are too small (usually 1 to 2 cm in diameter or even much smaller) and that the dry clay comes off in bigger parts.

Thats a possibility! The fine clay particles are removed by water and wind, the ammos etc. are left behind. I think such an enrichment is called "lag deposit"?

Thanks for all your infos!
Franz Bernhard

[Max-fossils]

On 10/28/2018 at 12:07 PM, Monica said:

Thanks for taking us along on your fossil-hunting adventure in France, Max!  I, too, like your diplobelenid belemnites (although I do like all cephalopods, I must admit ) - are those the phragmocones that you have there, or are they entire belemnite specimens?  

Thanks Monica! I believe that they are the phragmocones indeed. 

[Max-fossils]

On 10/28/2018 at 1:28 PM, doushantuo said:

 

are typical "Bedoulian"-to "Clanseyesian" ammonites

Thanks, that list will be useful to me!  

[taj]

I do not have experience in the type of Facies seen at Carniol , more in the Vocontian Bassin. Here I can ( could) sometimes find ammos still in situ , sometimes ammonites of a very good size ( have some pics , might find them back if you are interested ) . You can find them either on hard matrix , if the weathering has just started to expose them , or in the crumbly parts  ( usually quality there is poorer ) . Trying to dig for them haphazardly will yield no result since the average concentration is low to very low.But most of them are exposed and weathered down the small gullies that run at the bottom of these small hills. So that's where the biggest haul is waiting for you . As a side note finding them in situ is no guarantee against pyrite decay . It seems that the ones that made it down the gully already exhibited some strong resistance to weather exposure and mechanical stress, so they will endure pretty well.

[JustPlainPetrified]

What a treat! It just seems like a day at the beach; you found so many nice pieces. What to do with all of them. At least that would be my wife's second comment.  

[Max-fossils]

15 hours ago, JustPlainPetrified said:

What a treat! It just seems like a day at the beach; you found so many nice pieces. What to do with all of them. At least that would be my wife's second comment.  

Haha, thanks. The finds are just as numerous as beach finds, it's true!

That comment was exactly my parent's comment 

[taj]

I did find some pics in situ ;;;;

[taj]

this is the only lucky strike I ever had  , finding this Eogaudryceras hidden while digging for the bigger Pseudohaploceras ...

[FranzBernhard]

taj,

thank you very much for your in-situ pics! Very, very instructive! One can see how the fresh rock behaves and how it behaves during weathering, and that the ammos are not really super-abundant there (But they are very nice!).

Thanks for posting that!
Franz Bernhard

[Max-fossils]

15 hours ago, taj said:

I did find some pics in situ

This looks really different than the matrix I had. The ammonites also seem quite different (much bigger/different preservation/other colors/other species). 

Nice finds though  

[taj]

Yep same stage , but different layers and different mixes of species . French specialists separate between  western  and  eastern sites for the same period. My experience is in the Vocontian basin  ( i.e western part), yours in the eastern part .I have quite a few papers about the aptian of southern france, including a PHD  , but alas mostly in French ....

There are definitely bigger ammos than in Carniol but the ones shown here are well above the regular size , even for the western part .

[FossilLerp2]

That is AMAZING, I'm going there this summer and I just can't wait!