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Unexpected Eurypterid hunting!!!


Al Tahan

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I went to see a friend Alan Lang today and had a very unexpected day! Ive been working on prepping/sorting specimens with Al indoors recently because the weather has been so lousy. I’ve been volunteering and prepping on weekends purely because I have become good friends with Al, I love fossils and I’m obsessed with Eurypterids lol. Lucky for me he likes me enough to keep me around :hearty-laugh:.

When I showed up today I was expecting to be indoors. I brought him a carload of beerflat boxes cause they are perfect for transporting fossils. When we were unloading my car he asked me “do you have your coat?”. We had a huge melt the last 2 days and he was itching to check out the quarry and see how the new slabs were weathering. Both of us have been talking about sneaking out sometime in January if we got a melt...but the moment came sooner!!  He gave me a big Carhartt and off we went. I’ve never seen the quarry before today. 

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We went way deep into the quarry to a newly dig area he wanted to look at. It was just dug this summer and he wanted to see how the slabs were doing. The second picture shows the fiddlers green layer at the base of the wall. Tons of rock and mud has to be moved to get to these beds. The third picture shows some in situ bedrock. 

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Right across the street from where we were In the quarry was the classic “passage gulf” location on private land.

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Things were looking good and we saw some nice looking slabs so me and Alan decided to give a few a try. On maybe second or third slab I split.......if you look close you can find the 2nd Eurypterid :)

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The same slab I found that really nice one had these 3 in the next layer on the next split....this was a little hot spot here. 

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I don’t expect gifts or gimmies from Alan ever. He pours a jaw dropping amount of money into this labor of love. I really fell in love with this specimen because it was my first find ever and you gotta record those milestones!! I really wanted it so I offered to buy it from Al cause I knew he would easily fetch a pretty penny for those. We made a deal and they were mine!! If you are wondering what they cost it wasn’t cheap at all and that’s all I can say lol. I was more than willing to pay the price knowing what he puts into this. 

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We fixed up this one a bit. My chisel actually messed up the top specimen ugh...I’m sure he will be able to fix it up more for sale. We don’t have X-ray vision lol.D230F624-C18B-4FF8-A406-34C05D1669F9.thumb.jpeg.487e34a89087a1eb3b3d8ee1ca406690.jpegC4C8F291-D199-42E0-935C-75AD44263C63.thumb.jpeg.d8dc3d0e0ccaa048f3d96326c82355f1.jpeg

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Wow! What a truly amazing specimen you got. I am sure that made you a happy man!

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Dipleurawhisperer5.jpg

I like Trilo-butts and I cannot lie.

 

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In conclusion, here is my take home from the day. I had to buy but I also found  it so I don’t know how it works with fossil of the month qualifications lol. Either way...I won’t be buying any finds again anytime soon. I’m perfectly happy finding and prepping for Alan and just being in the presence of these ancient creatures :). I hope I can use my luck to find him a big Pterygtotus in 2019! 

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1 hour ago, Al Tahan said:

We fixed up this one a bit. My chisel actually messed up the top specimen ugh...I’m sure he will be able to fix it up more for sale. We don’t have X-ray vision lol.

Here buddy, let me share with you my favorite prepping tool...

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Excellent finds and purchase, Al.  :wub:      :drool:     :envy:     

Congratulations. 

 

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    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      

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 :drool:  Just simply  :drool:

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“...whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been and are being evolved.” ~ Charles Darwin

Happy hunting,

Mason

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9 hours ago, Al Tahan said:

In conclusion, here is my take home from the day. I had to buy but I also found  it so I don’t know how it works with fossil of the month qualifications lol. 

0FEA894F-3CA8-4634-9366-90AE1749F346.jpeg  F157DB0C-02F1-4866-831B-14AFEAC89980.jpeg  F858F1E0-A411-46E7-916C-D6F9F84153DE.jpeg  EFEE9E6C-74E1-4F30-9D44-E837FA6FA54C.jpeg

You found the fossil therefore you should be able to enter it into the monthly contest as soon as you found it. There is no requirement that you have to own it. Later, you decided to purchase it from the legal owner.

 

 

I read the rules. They are not as clearly written as they could be. This fossil was found by you and thus might qualify to be entered in to the monthly contest. I argue that the intent of the rule is to allow all personally found fossils that were found and prepped in the proper months to be eligible. “No purchased fossils” was meant to be an example of fossils assumed to be not found by you and thus ineligible. The intent was to say that no purchased fossils not found by you are allowed to enter the contest.  Many personally found fossils are sort of purchased whether it is through access fees (such as Brownies Beach, Green River Fm quarries, UT trilobite quarries etc.), parking fees, US Forest pass fees. Consider your fossil purchase as a quarry access fee on a sliding scale depending on your finds.

 

Let the admins adjudicate this rule.

@Kane @Auspex @Fossildude19

 

 

TFF rule:

“Only fossils found personally by you are allowed. NO PURCHASED FOSSILS.”

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My goal is to leave no stone or fossil unturned.   

See my Arizona Paleontology Guide    link  The best single resource for Arizona paleontology anywhere.       

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Al, beautiful finds and even though he made you pay for a fossil- you found and split it open, I would enter it for the FOM - it is a real beauty.

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6 minutes ago, DPS Ammonite said:

 

I read the rules. They are not as clearly written as they could be. 

They are quite clear, and have been finessed by staff over several years. ;)

 

Al, this would qualify as it was found by you. I love how the eurypterid has its arms up as if saying, “hooray for finding me!” Well done!

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...How to Philosophize with a Hammer

 

 

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That really is a remarkable fossil! :wub: :envy: :drool:

I think you should be OK entering it in the FOTM contest.  We know how things work with Lang's quarry.  The rule against purchased fossils is intended to keep people from entering things they "found" online or in a store.  As long as you found this one yourself and the other conditions are met (found this month, or significant prep completed this month) you should be OK.

 

Don

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4 minutes ago, Kane said:

They are quite clear, and have been finessed by staff over several years. ;)

 

Al, this would qualify as it was found by you. I love how the eurypterid has its arms up as if saying, “hooray for finding me!” Well done!

Thanks Kane! I’ll be sure to post it in the FOTM section tomorrow when I can get it 100% picture ready :D

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