Jump to content

Recommended Posts

I am right now out in the field, attempting to extract a string of articulated reptile vertebrae in the lower Atco. It is in a soft marl bed just a few feet above the basal Atco. There seems to be articulated ribs associated with the specimen, and so far I have uncovered 14 verts. 9 of them were lose of the surface and bagged in ziplocks, but now I am trying to get the rest out. If anyone has any advice, I need it! The specimen also has articulated ribs. I want to get this thing home tonight, and not destroyed.

 

This is is my first time attempting to extract vertebrae, and I want to do it right and get it home tonight. It is currently 8:54 p.m. here in North Texas. 

 

Here are some pictures of the bones when I found them and where the dig is now. I don’t know what exactly it is, but I am guessing juvenile Mosasaur. Age is Earliest Coniacian. 9 verts were on the surface, and at least 6 more uncovered with ribs.

 

Pictures incoming:

 

B8FDE49C-0871-472C-8447-56A3A04F4359.thumb.jpeg.34ab190d50d6b7dbebe132585269b4ca.jpeg

All 9 verts.

 

@Uncle Siphuncle @erose

  • I found this Informative 10
  • Enjoyed 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think it is more than a few hours on this.

The bones should be uncovered and jacketed to keep them in place. This takes a lot of time.

 

 

Nice find and good luck.

  • I found this Informative 1

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

:popcorn:

 

"Without fossils, no one would have ever dreamed that there were successive epochs in the formation of the earth" - Georges Cuvier

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Could be a visit to Mike in your future....  :D

The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true.  -  JJ

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, JohnJ said:

Could be a visit to Mike in your future....  :D

Saw him on Wednesday at the DPS meeting. Nice guy. Had no idea I would come upon this today (yesterday).

 

It’s 1:05 a.m., and progress:

 

DF9A8173-5BAA-41B5-B265-FECA514F613B.thumb.jpeg.10f07b2a2bd3f7e64fc7d884fa485426.jpeg

 

 

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

And so we leave this place, leaving a bomb crater behind. It will be dealt with later. Thus concludes my first successful (partial) extraction of an associated vertebrate specimen. 3:28 a.m.

 

C27EDFBA-1932-4708-8EA5-35D732B05FF5.thumb.jpeg.d56bb3c0e3b7fdc30e9c886749b23000.jpeg

  • I found this Informative 9
  • Enjoyed 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

That’s killer.  Looks bigger than Coniasaur.  Hope you get a skull in there somewhere.

  • I found this Informative 2

Grüße,

Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas

"To the motivated go the spoils."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Uncle Siphuncle said:

That’s killer.  Looks bigger than Coniasaur.  Hope you get a skull in there somewhere.

Agreed, looks like a small mosasaur. All the Coniasaur verts I have collected were <.25” diameter. These appear to be .5” to .75” plus, the shape is wrong for Coniasaur.

  • I found this Informative 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  Very interesting but me thinks you may have attacked this too eagerly.   The best of luck though. 

 

RB

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

Whether it wise or not, the reason why I was so eager to get this out last night was first because the site is occasionally hunted by other folks. I wouldn’t call it a well known site, but known enough that a guy from Houston and his kids came to the site to hunt while we were there. So I wanted to extract all the visible bones before someone else came upon them. Secondly, a huge storm was coming through and hit just after we left, and since I had already exposed some delicate ribs on the block I wanted to get it out of there before it got pummeled with heavy rain. 

 

Also, I don’t really have any buddies who I could call upon to come out in a few days and help make a proper plaster jacket with me. My excavation crew consists of me, my parents, and occasionally Keith Minor if he happens not to be busy, which is rare. 

 

I may have erred by getting out the block with exposed bones, but I do think more of the skeleton is there. If I am not mistaken, these look like caudal vertebrae to me and that might mean that more of the skeleton, including the skull, is still buried in the chalky marl ahead. I saw no sign that material was weathering out towards where the head might be, which might either be a bad indicating that nothing is there, or it might be still buried. 

 

In any event, I will try to post some pictures soon (maybe today?) of the verts on the ID forum. 

  • I found this Informative 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I too hate leaving things to chance.  A bird in the hand...

  • I found this Informative 1

Grüße,

Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas

"To the motivated go the spoils."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Small mosasuar for sure. Congrats. I think you'll find more when you go back. Looks like that area is getting rain so I think you did the right thing getting what you could. 

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

Salvage operations ahead of weather or less thoughtful collection are sometimes the only reasonable option.  I think you made the right choice last night.  Good job.

  • I found this Informative 3

The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true.  -  JJ

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Any new pics?

Every single fossil you see is a miracle set in stone, and should be treated as such.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, MeargleSchmeargl said:

Any new pics?

Soon, hopefully tomorrow. The dust inhalation, over exertion, and staying up 22 hours straight resulted in my immune system crying foul, and as such a cold has befallen me. Coughing, stuffiness, fever, chills, the works. 

 

But, I can report that the rock was taken out of the car and placed into the house! So no current danger there. But next time, a plaster jacket will be a big part of the operation.

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

Looking forward to seeing how this turns out!

-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

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...