Jump to content

Maybe 2018's last fossil hunt in Japanese late cretaceous


David in Japan

Recommended Posts

Hi TFF friends,

 

how are you?  I am great, thank you for asking ;)

 

Yesterday I had I went to my favorite late cretaceous spot after an almost 3 month long forced break.

So I decided to hunt all day long and went to few different spots with quite a good haul ( for me at least).

 

First I went to an old Quarry in Kumamoto were the middle part of the Himenoura formation is visible.

 

20181207_120321.thumb.jpg.61fe8fb9555de6735b420d762bb9a62e.jpg

 

I hunted there few times in the past years and found a lot of ammonite's aptichii, Inoceramus and plants fossils. One year ago, the site was black and there was no sign of vegetation but as time goes, vegetation grows and I had to go through a meter tall vegetation to access to the place.

 

It was a good occasion to have a look flowers :

 

20181207_114418.thumb.jpg.a4be2dda9189be0b037bc63ab2ffab0c.jpg

 

and struggle with "バカ”'s seed, litterally meaning idiot in japanese (called beggar's ticks in english).

20181207_120524.thumb.jpg.aa4428747759743d65ece7f93b32ea6b.jpg

 

 

 

Here is a picture of the formation at the quarry.20181207_120429.thumb.jpg.e0526912c6168557e1933d6c1bf1bb1f.jpg

 

 

 

I have been able to find there nice Glycymeris amakusensis and a very unusual plant fossil.

 

  • I found this Informative 11

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~〇~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Warmest greetings from Kumamoto、 Japan

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

20181208_221215.thumb.jpg.7ce3ea0111657b02f143598d5e51dd66.jpg

It is the first time I have found this kind of fossil but it looks like a Cycad impression (?)

 

 

20181208_221301.thumb.jpg.000ef8107734adbe8a0876e86740daa5.jpgGl

 

Glycymeris amakusensis

  • I found this Informative 7

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~〇~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Warmest greetings from Kumamoto、 Japan

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Then I moved my favorite place in Kumamoto where you can see Himenoura lower formation.

 

20181207_122356.thumb.jpg.0ac8e85f3d4802ecb44eb4a0ffe135a6.jpg

 

 

20181207_141038.thumb.jpg.4d7fa119b93d7ba0318fe336ff43f811.jpg

 

The weather wasn't really great, very windy and cold but the light was perfect for fossil hunting.

I saw there a lot of fossils inside the formation (that I had to leave to there cruel fate as it is strictly forbidden to take something from the formation),

 

 

20181207_133557.thumb.jpg.af23758765f271972f06bb69bd6d37f7.jpg

 

 

and found only few fossils among the rocks on the beach but nice ones.

 

 

 

 

 

  • I found this Informative 10

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~〇~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Warmest greetings from Kumamoto、 Japan

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks, David. 

Very interesting report and nice photos. 

Love the 'cycad', great find. :)

  • I found this Informative 1

Life's Good!

Tortoise Friend.

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

Link to comment
Share on other sites

20181208_223435.thumb.jpg.65401cfbe2b3790092e635198d7141a4.jpg

The biggest Scaphopod I have ever found. A 12 centimeter beast ( still a big part under the matrix). On the picture, I put under the fossil I have found my previous biggest Scaphopod (6cm).

 

20181208_223531.thumb.jpg.0671fc91e319431d38dee1e2e037f811.jpg

A nice leaf.

 

20181208_223612.thumb.jpg.64b218a212d4d16cbdfc8bf6c9eb590b.jpg

A nice small ammonite ( Gaudryceras tenuilratum)

 

20181208_223716.thumb.jpg.f0100a43f6ae0e78cd89c970e649bd74.jpg

A nicely preserved big Inoceramus Higoensis

  • I found this Informative 9

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~〇~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Warmest greetings from Kumamoto、 Japan

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

And I found this little guy. 

A 2cm long for 1,8cm large bone.

I don't know what it is a small hand or paddle bone maybe? If you have any suggestion ;p

 

20181208_225307.thumb.jpg.b4a99078b321fb9e0b10f5efeb52dd6d.jpg

Up

 

 

 

 

20181208_225253.thumb.jpg.eb6e610a9e4c6fd716d254725c5fea73.jpg

Down

 

 

 

 

20181208_225122.thumb.jpg.4ba1c865889f0afb44686e2d1726e863.jpg

one side

 

 

 

 

20181208_225144.thumb.jpg.0c0961aba82a5f7721f9d999c892985f.jpg

the other side.

 

 

  • I found this Informative 5

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~〇~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Warmest greetings from Kumamoto、 Japan

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

19 minutes ago, Tidgy's Dad said:

Thanks, David. 

Very interesting report and nice photos. 

Love the 'cycad', great find. :)

 thank you but I just noticed that all the pictures I posted are too bright.

 

Love this imprint too! First time I found one and it was a nice surprise. It was kindly waiting on the top of a scree.:wub:

  • I found this Informative 1

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~〇~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Warmest greetings from Kumamoto、 Japan

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Cretaceous shark teeth in Japan? I love it.:wub: Does Squalicorax occur there?

Awesome trip it seems. 

  • I found this Informative 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's such a diverse spot! Shark teeth plants and ammonites. That's pretty cool. David is the formation hard or soft?

  • I found this Informative 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Very nice report, locations and fossils :D Thanks for sharing it!

Just to know, what's the length of that 'mystery bone'?

-Christian

  • I found this Informative 1

Opalised fossils are the best: a wonderful mix between paleontology and mineralogy!

 

Q. Where do dinosaurs study?

A. At Khaan Academy!...

 

My ResearchGate profile

Link to comment
Share on other sites

21 minutes ago, gigantoraptor said:

Cretaceous shark teeth in Japan? I love it.:wub: Does Squalicorax occur there?

Awesome trip it seems. 

Yes, Squalicorax sp. and Squalicorax falcatus.There is a lot of species here (about 18) but you can't take it directly from the formation. So it depends highly on your luck to find a rock containing it and as they are very fragile, teeth usually look more like a puzzle than a tooth when you come back home.

  • I found this Informative 1

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~〇~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Warmest greetings from Kumamoto、 Japan

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 minutes ago, Wolf89 said:

That's such a diverse spot! Shark teeth plants and ammonites. That's pretty cool. David is the formation hard or soft?

Not really hard mudstone but it chips really easily. it can be messy sometimes.

 

There is a lot of fossils there, plants, vertebrates (marine reptile, dino, shark and fish), invertebrates ( shell, urchin, ammonite and heteromorph). The thing is that besides bivalves, they are not well preserved.

  • I found this Informative 1

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~〇~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Warmest greetings from Kumamoto、 Japan

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, The Amateur Paleontologist said:

Very nice report, locations and fossils :D Thanks for sharing it!

Just to know, what's the length of that 'mystery bone'?

-Christian

Just 2cm long. It isn't really big at all. I first though that it was some kind of turtle bone but it may just be my imagination but it looks a little bit to a  worn radius.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~〇~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Warmest greetings from Kumamoto、 Japan

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, David in Japan said:

Yes, Squalicorax sp. and Squalicorax falcatus.There is a lot of species here (about 18) but you can't take it directly from the formation. So it depends highly on your luck to find a rock containing it and as they are very fragile, teeth usually look more like a puzzle than a tooth when you come back home.

That is when you carry a bottle of cyanoacrylate with you and stabilize it in the field. I have started doing that. I have had a mishap or 2 with it though. I put it in a ziplock bag to prevent it from spilling in my bag. It spilled and ate through the ziplock plastic. But still the glue has helped me preserve many a fossil.

  • I found this Informative 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, KimTexan said:

That is when you carry a bottle of cyanoacrylate with you and stabilize it in the field. I have started doing that. I have had a mishap or 2 with it though. I put it in a ziplock bag to prevent it from spilling in my bag. It spilled and ate through the ziplock plastic. But still the glue has helped me preserve many a fossil.

Using it too when I can see the fossil before breaking the rock however shark teeth inside rocks tend to "explode":yay-smiley-1: when I open the rock. 

  • I found this Informative 2

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~〇~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Warmest greetings from Kumamoto、 Japan

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Lovely photos of the landscape and its flora. I really like the plant material too. Great report thank you

 

 @David in Japan I sent you something in the post on Monday don’t know when your get it but please just let me know when it arrived. Just a little Christmas present.  

  • I found this Informative 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 minutes ago, Bobby Rico said:

Lovely photos of the landscape and its flora. I really like the plant material too. Great report thank you

 

 @David in Japan I sent you something in the post on Monday don’t when your get it but just let me know when it arrived. Just a little Christmas present.  

 

Thank you Bobby ! 

  • I found this Informative 1

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~〇~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Warmest greetings from Kumamoto、 Japan

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

38 minutes ago, David in Japan said:

Just 2cm long. It isn't really big at all. I first though that it was some kind of turtle bone but it may just be my imagination but it looks a little bit to a  worn radius.

I know I've already posted this paper elsewhere..., but it might be a useful source for ID'ing that bone :) - Sato etal(2012)_Review of Japanese marine reptiles.pdf

-Christian

  • I found this Informative 1

Opalised fossils are the best: a wonderful mix between paleontology and mineralogy!

 

Q. Where do dinosaurs study?

A. At Khaan Academy!...

 

My ResearchGate profile

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, The Amateur Paleontologist said:

I know I've already posted this paper elsewhere..., but it might be a useful source for ID'ing that bone :) - Sato etal(2012)_Review of Japanese marine reptiles.pdf

-Christian

Thank you Christian, This paper is really useful but there is not a lot of data about the marine reptile found in the Himenoura formation (maybe too fragmentary) but very good source :) and free^^

  • I found this Informative 2

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~〇~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Warmest greetings from Kumamoto、 Japan

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 minutes ago, David in Japan said:

Thank you Christian, This paper is really useful but there is not a lot of data about the marine reptile found in the Himenoura formation (maybe too fragmentary) but very good source :) and free^^

 

This is the best I could find about Himenoura vertebrate material...

5c0be70582e37_ScreenShot2018-12-08at16_43_33.png.71c0388cf95acfcb96ab4bbe327155c1.png

 

-Christian

  • I found this Informative 1

Opalised fossils are the best: a wonderful mix between paleontology and mineralogy!

 

Q. Where do dinosaurs study?

A. At Khaan Academy!...

 

My ResearchGate profile

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, The Amateur Paleontologist said:

 

This is the best I could find about Himenoura vertebrate material...

5c0be70582e37_ScreenShot2018-12-08at16_43_33.png.71c0388cf95acfcb96ab4bbe327155c1.png

 

-Christian

Yes, info about vertebrate are very scarce. Bivalves and sharks are well studied but turtle, and marine reptile aren't so well.

  • I found this Informative 2

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~〇~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Warmest greetings from Kumamoto、 Japan

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, David in Japan said:

Yes, info about vertebrate are very scarce. Bivalves and sharks are well studied but turtle, and marine reptile aren't so well.

I heard about a paper on a Himenoura theropod tooth (Tsuhiji et al. 2013) but one has to pay to get access to it :( - and I doubt it'd have much relevance for ID'ing your specimen...

-Christian

Opalised fossils are the best: a wonderful mix between paleontology and mineralogy!

 

Q. Where do dinosaurs study?

A. At Khaan Academy!...

 

My ResearchGate profile

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, The Amateur Paleontologist said:

I heard about a paper on a Himenoura theropod tooth (Tsuhiji et al. 2013) but one has to pay to get access to it :( - and I doubt it'd have much relevance for ID'ing your specimen...

-Christian

It's a Tyrannosaurine (I think they said Gorgosaurus) tooth found near Ushibuka in the upper part of the formation. I don't have the paper but remember the presentation.

  • I found this Informative 1

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~〇~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Warmest greetings from Kumamoto、 Japan

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Looks like good places to hunt with nice countryside and waters. Have you found the little crab fossils where you hunt?

 

Impressive scaphopods!

"Journey through a universe ablaze with changes" Phil Ochs

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...