Meanderings of a Texas Fossil Hunter - 2018

[Uncle Siphuncle]

Greetings from Texas, where I've made tracks all over the state this year while chasing the thrill of discovery.  I bias my paleo time toward field excursions and prep, less toward reporting, so I'll roll out some of my favorite finds for the year in one thread. 

 

But first, the legalese.  Good sites are getting hard to find, and harder to hang onto, so I try to play my cards close to the vest in that regard, at least the ones I might care to return to at some point after sufficient weathering has occurred.  In that spirit, this thread is about fossils and not their source.  But do not be alarmed, when it is time for my stewardship to end and pass things into other hands for perpetuity, full provenance will make its way to recipient institutions.

 

In line with the Law of Superposition, let's start with the older stuff first and work our way up the strat column.

[Uncle Siphuncle]

PENNSYLVANIAN

 

Some marine mollusks from the Bridgeport, TX area.  Aviculopecten, Glaphyrites, Trepospira, Worthenia, Bellerophon, Meekospira

[Uncle Siphuncle]

WALNUT FM - Albian

 

First, Phymosoma texanum.  Common, but fun to find in good condition.

[Uncle Siphuncle]

Also from the Walnut, a few Engonoceras ammonites.  Often broken as they are so thin to start with.

[Runner64]

24 minutes ago, Uncle Siphuncle said:

 

 

Those colors!! Incredible looking fossils, glad you showed  

[Uncle Siphuncle]

DUCK CREEK FORMATION - Albian

 

I didn't spend as much time in the Kdc this year, mainly a concerted effort NOT to come home with more Eopachydiscus...but here is a small one.  I'd much rather bring home echinoids and marine vert material from the Kdc.

[Uncle Siphuncle]

FORT WORTH FORMATION - Albian

 

The Kfw issues some nice Mortoniceras equidistans ammonites as well as well preserved Macraster, Holaster, and other echinoids at times.  Again hoping for vert material, I had to shift expectations and take home mostly ammonites.

 

Check out the localized crushing of the last one.  Different and interesting.

[KimTexan]

4 minutes ago, Uncle Siphuncle said:

DUCK CREEK FORMATION - Albian

 

I didn't spend as much time in the Kdc this year, mainly a concerted effort NOT to come home with more Eopachydiscus...but here is a small one.  I'd much rather bring home echinoids and marine vert material from the Kdc.

There’s no pic “here”

[Uncle Siphuncle]

Kfw Cont'd

[KimTexan]

31 minutes ago, Uncle Siphuncle said:

Also from the Walnut, a few Engonoceras ammonites.  Often broken as they are so thin to start with.

 

Hum, that suture looks so much like something I found in Arlington in the Grayson. Now I’m wondering if I have my ID wrong. I’ll have to go compare tomorrow.

[Uncle Siphuncle]

Kfw Echinoids

 

Hipster Macraster and macaroni Holaster

[KimTexan]

2 minutes ago, Uncle Siphuncle said:

Kfw Cont'd

 

 

That is a sweet little trio!  Love it. I’m still learning to recognize things. Are those Mortoniceras?

[Uncle Siphuncle]

1 minute ago, KimTexan said:

Hum, that suture looks so much like something I found in Arlington in the Grayson. Now I’m wondering if I have my ID wrong. I’ll have to go compare tomorrow.

I've seen a lineage of Engonoceras from Walnut through Grayson later supplanted by Metengonoceras in the Woodbine/basal Eagle Ford.

[Uncle Siphuncle]

BORACHO FM - Albian

 

There are sporadic exposures of this stuff in West Texas.  Long drive.  Well known for echinoids.  Here's a Goniopygus.

[Uncle Siphuncle]

MAINSTREET FORMATION

 

Another formation with aerial outcrop that won't give up along the Balcones Fault.  This Graysonites ammonite and Coenholectypus echinoid illustrate typical Kms preservation where marcasite is oxydizing.

[Uncle Siphuncle]

GRAYSON FORMATION - Cenomanian

 

I wish I had more numerous sites ineresting formation.  Its faunal spectrum of ammonites and echinoids are quite a welcome departure from Albian forms.  Some sites give up great marine vert and crustacean material, but today I have ammos and echs to show, starting with Mariella and Coenholectypus below.

[Uncle Siphuncle]

Kgy cont'd

 

A couple Pseudananchys echinoids fit for display.

[Heteromorph]

I have been waiting for this! Your year-end threads are always a welcome TFF-mas gift.

 

Lots of nice eye-candy so far. Tons of great echinoids, mollusks, and colors. Hoping for some Coniacian action... 

[Uncle Siphuncle]

EAGLE FORD GROUP - Cenomanian and Turonian

 

This age of marine strata has several formations in North TX and equivalents in Central, South, and West Texas that feature a unique faunal variety for those willing to do a little sleuthing and cover huge mileage between outcrops.

 

A few Upper Britton forms shown below include 

Ferroranina dichrous crabs, heteromorphic ammonite sAllocrioceras annulatum, and planispiral ammonites Metoicoceras.

 

[Uncle Siphuncle]

Kef cont'd.  Some Central and North TX horizons are rich in glauconite and generous with shark teeth such as Squalicorax falcatus, Cretoxyrhina mantelli, and Ptychodus anonymus.  But these exposures are often quite small and quick work for one person after letting them weather sufficiently.

[Uncle Siphuncle]

Kef, more teeth

[Uncle Siphuncle]

Kef cont'd - points west

 

In the West Texas desert there are still shark teeth found sporadically, but there is less glauconite and more flaggy limestone with some marly intervals.  The ammonite Coilopoceras inhabited that interval.  A heartbreaker is shown below.

[Uncle Siphuncle]

Kef - West TX echinoids

 

I found a couple "Rice Krispy Treats" jam packed full of Mecaster batnensis echinoids (still unprepped), plus a rare Holaster or Cardiaster form on my last expedition out yonder.

[Uncle Siphuncle]

Austin Group equivalent of Alabama

 

A few echinoids came to hand one my single excursion out that way this year, mainly Hardouinia bassleri and H. clypeus. I'm glad I could take my wife on this one...always fun to put her on a good site.  I got a little picky because I've already filled a Riker with specimens similar to what is shown below, so I left a lot for the next guy.

[Uncle Siphuncle]

OZAN FM - Campanian

 

Who doesn't love the Ozan.  The NSR is at least a 700 mile round trip for me, quite painful.  But that all wears off with a couple nights' sleep, while the cool finds remain for daily viewing.  Let's start with a few ammonites.  Trachyscaphites are always an eyeful.  Glyptoxoceras are a little hypnotizing as well.