TomWhite Posted June 18, 2019 Share Posted June 18, 2019 Hi everyone! Took the two hour drive to Kings dyke on Sunday hoping that the new material that had been dumped would produce. For those who are unsure Kings dyke is a nature reserve situated next to a working brick quarry. Every so often they dump a load of the spoil from the quarry in a area that the public are allowed to search in. In the photo below you can see the working quarry in the background and the fenced in fossil area in the foreground. What i would give to be allowed into the main quarry..... This material is absolutely full of Gryphaea 2D ammonites and sometimes marine reptile bones and fish fossils. Unfortunately on this day, the bones eluded me. I ended up digging in random spots until i found large blocks that were big enough to split and this resulted in some lovely large belemnites with most coming out in a multiple pieces apart from a couple which came out complete. Certainly the largest ones i have ever found. I then drove 20 minutes down to a road to a disused quarry located on the edge of Yaxley. This quarry has nearly been completely flooded however there is a small area where the Oxford Clay is exposed on the surface at the edge of the flooded area. The fossils erode out of the bank on the waters edge so you can either walk along the bank, or, as i and others do, put on waders and sieve the material that is at the bottom of this bank in the water. Before long i had found plenty of smaller ammonites of different species, a single vertebra which looks like it has come from a fish, and what i think is my first ever Ichthyosaur tooth. Albeit just the tip. If anyone can confirm for me that would be brilliant. Length is 9mm. After a few hours my back was in agony and with big black rain clouds threatening i headed off for what should have been a two hour drive home, however due to an accident and a detour i got lost on it took nearly 5 hours... Hope you have enjoyed reading this and have a nice day! 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Amateur Paleontologist Posted June 18, 2019 Share Posted June 18, 2019 Great trip report! Those are some really nice fossils Also; briefly flipped through Andrews' catalogue of Oxford Clay marine reptiles, and based on that, I'd say that your tooth might be from the ichthyosaur Ophthalmosaurus... -Christian 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 More sharing options...
FossilNerd Posted June 18, 2019 Share Posted June 18, 2019 Nice finds! Love the belemnites! 1 The good thing about science is that it's true whether or not you believe in it. -Neil deGrasse Tyson Everyone you will ever meet knows something you don't. -Bill Nye (The Science Guy) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TqB Posted June 18, 2019 Share Posted June 18, 2019 Good haul, and a nice suite of belemnites. All Cylindroteuthis puzosiana - it's unusual to see any others from there. 2 Tarquin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deutscheben Posted June 21, 2019 Share Posted June 21, 2019 Nice big belemnites and little ammonites, and that tooth is great too! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomWhite Posted June 21, 2019 Author Share Posted June 21, 2019 19 minutes ago, deutscheben said: Nice big belemnites and little ammonites, and that tooth is great too! Thanks! Would like to find a larger complete one now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica Posted June 22, 2019 Share Posted June 22, 2019 Ditto what Ben said Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.thumb.jpg.51c371f10936bbc883322324e44cc518.jpg)
Recommended Posts
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 accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now