Tidgy's Dad Posted February 8, 2019 Share Posted February 8, 2019 I should have posted this long ago, but am going to do it now, in the hope that then it is behind me and then I can look forward to future adventures. Due to ill health from 2012, finances and responsibilities, I have been unable to do any personal collecting except for this one wonderful trip which reminded me that I've still got it in me. In October 2016 wifey and I were relaxing in a bar on Tarifa beach, the southernmost point in mainland Europe, located at the south-western corner of Spain, opposite Tangier, the two Pillars of Hercules that are the entrance to the Mediterranean from the Atlantic. I noticed an island connected to the mainland by a man made causeway. it had a lighthouse on and some ruins, so I thought that being only a little distance, I'd go and explore. Here is the location, to the left of the picture is the Mediterranean, to the right, the Atlantic. There are no more location pics, I'm afraid, as wifey can't be prised away from bars very easily and she has the camera phone, but the island was closed to visitors without a guide or permit as it's a place for protected birds, the lighthouse and Napoleonic fortress ruins. But to the left of the causeway was a small beach with exposed rocks and even a little notice board explaining that the rocks were a Miocene oyster bed 5 to 10 million years old. My interest was aroused so I clambered about the beach and found the fossils in the next post. Very pleased with myself, I was, especially as I had no tools and the rock was really seriously hard. Had to use other bits of rock as hammer and chisels. And my breathing held out pretty well. I can still do this! Life's Good. 10 Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted February 8, 2019 Author Share Posted February 8, 2019 Here are some of the oysters : The two photos below are the exterior and interior of the same specimen : 10 Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted February 8, 2019 Author Share Posted February 8, 2019 Pectinids, I think: Scallop sort of thing filled with bryozoans and broken bivalve bits : 14 Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted February 8, 2019 Author Share Posted February 8, 2019 One of my favourite finds that came pretty nicely out of the rock was this barnacle that still has colour preserved! 9 Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted February 8, 2019 Author Share Posted February 8, 2019 Coral ? On the right several species of bryozoa. Coral on left? Serpulid worm on right? 10 Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted February 8, 2019 Author Share Posted February 8, 2019 Gastropod bits : This one's delightful! Scale in mm. 8 Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted February 8, 2019 Author Share Posted February 8, 2019 Sponges? 8 Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darktooth Posted February 8, 2019 Share Posted February 8, 2019 Great finds Adam Glad to hear that you still have the magic touch! Nice to hear that you were able to get out on a nice hunt. My favorite pieces are the coral with bryzoa. 1 I like Trilo-butts and I cannot lie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted February 8, 2019 Author Share Posted February 8, 2019 13 minutes ago, Darktooth said: Great finds Adam Glad to hear that you still have the magic touch! Nice to hear that you were able to get out on a nice hunt. My favorite pieces are the coral with bryzoa. Thank you, Dave, but i'm not finished yet. First some more spongy things and then my favourite find of the day.Saving the best til last. 6 Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan 1000 Posted February 8, 2019 Share Posted February 8, 2019 Nice finds Adam! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted February 8, 2019 Author Share Posted February 8, 2019 And my bestest find of the day was this beautiful bryozoan. It broke in half during my clumsy attempts at extraction but i managed to glue it back together pretty well. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful! 10 Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobby Rico Posted February 8, 2019 Share Posted February 8, 2019 Nice thread mate and really good photos too. I also think the barnacle is beautiful. Do you have a new camera? Thank you 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted February 8, 2019 Author Share Posted February 8, 2019 9 minutes ago, DanKurek said: Nice finds Adam! Thank you, Dan. But I've just added the most incredible bryozoan. Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted February 8, 2019 Author Share Posted February 8, 2019 8 minutes ago, Bobby Rico said: Nice thread mate and really good photos too. I also think the barnacle is beautiful. Do you have a new camera? Thank you Thanks, Bobby. No, it's wifey's phone still, but it seemed to take better pictures back in 2016 than it does now. Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darktooth Posted February 8, 2019 Share Posted February 8, 2019 That Bryzoan is really nice Adam, congratulations! 1 I like Trilo-butts and I cannot lie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nimravis Posted February 9, 2019 Share Posted February 9, 2019 Great report Adam and great finds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ynot Posted February 9, 2019 Share Posted February 9, 2019 Sounds like a nice trip within a trip. Glad You could fit some fossiling in while You were there. Darwin said: " Man sprang from monkeys." Will Rogers said: " Some of them didn't spring far enough." My Fossil collection - My Mineral collection My favorite thread on TFF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elcoincoin Posted February 9, 2019 Share Posted February 9, 2019 nice barnacle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica Posted February 9, 2019 Share Posted February 9, 2019 What a wonderful array of fossil finds for such a short, impromptu hunt back in 2016! That last bryozoan is indeed incredibly beautiful - congrats!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted February 9, 2019 Author Share Posted February 9, 2019 16 hours ago, Darktooth said: That Bryzoan is really nice Adam, congratulations! 16 hours ago, Nimravis said: Great report Adam and great finds. 14 hours ago, ynot said: Sounds like a nice trip within a trip. Glad You could fit some fossiling in while You were there. 5 hours ago, elcoincoin said: nice barnacle 3 hours ago, Monica said: What a wonderful array of fossil finds for such a short, impromptu hunt back in 2016! That last bryozoan is indeed incredibly beautiful - congrats!!! Thanks, everybody! It was so wonderful to be out collecting again, I really had a great time and was delighted with my finds, I don't think I'd ever been collecting in the Miocene before. And I post this now as I'm really hoping to be able to go down south this month to do some collecting in the Moroccan Palaeozoic. Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darktooth Posted February 9, 2019 Share Posted February 9, 2019 1 hour ago, Tidgy's Dad said: Thanks, everybody! It was so wonderful to be out collecting again, I really had a great time and was delighted with my finds, I don't think I'd ever been collecting in the Miocene before. And I post this now as I'm really hoping to be able to go down south this month to do some collecting in the Moroccan Palaeozoic. I will be rooting for you! 1 I like Trilo-butts and I cannot lie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Tahan Posted February 9, 2019 Share Posted February 9, 2019 It’s always nice going fossil hunting when you least expect it ....what a nice surprise 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KimTexan Posted February 9, 2019 Share Posted February 9, 2019 20 hours ago, Tidgy's Dad said: And my bestest find of the day was this beautiful bryozoan. It broke in half during my clumsy attempts at extraction but i managed to glue it back together pretty well. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful! Love the detail. Nice finds. Thanks for sharing your trip with us. I had no idea the Atlantic and Mediterranean were that close at any point. I knew they were close, but that’s much closer than I realized. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted February 9, 2019 Author Share Posted February 9, 2019 2 hours ago, KimTexan said: Love the detail. Nice finds. Thanks for sharing your trip with us. I had no idea the Atlantic and Mediterranean were that close at any point. I knew they were close, but that’s much closer than I realized. Thank you. On the Moroccan side near Tangier, there is a flat rock on the beach which is supposed to mark the meeting of the two. (though technically the Med is an 'arm' of the Atlantic.) You can stand in the sea with one foot in the Mediterranean and one in the Atlantic, or so they say. Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted February 9, 2019 Author Share Posted February 9, 2019 2 hours ago, Al Tahan said: It’s always nice going fossil hunting when you least expect it ....what a nice surprise Twas indeed. A very happy day for me. Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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