Ricky’s Lyme Regis fossil hunt!

[gieserguy]

And that’s that for my Lyme Regis fossil hunt. Thanks for tuning in everybody, I hope you enjoyed! I definitely did, and I’m going back there some time soon. It’s an amazing town with friendly people, great fossils, and a whole lot of history. I’ll make sure to get those photos sorted out in the next couple days, so come on back in a bit to see some beauties!

 

If you look real hard you can see me in all black giving a thumbs up. This was right before I stepped off the beach. 

[FossilNerd]

Some very nice pieces! Looks like an all around great experience. I’m 

I especially like the urchins. Too bad about the little one. 

 

I am curious about the shale you split and found the ammonite beak in (very awesome find btw.). I’m unfamiliar with the geology in the area. Why would the shale fall apart in a few days? 

[LabRatKing]

On 8/11/2019 at 6:33 PM, gieserguy said:

Now it’s time to reveal our finds of Day 1 

(my mom and I actually went out tonight as the tide went out to pick up a few bits before the sun went down)

 

Bottom left- pyrite ammonites 

Top left- ammonites in matrix

Bottom center (moving upwards)- crinoids, sponges, belemnites

Top right- assorted pyrite pieces and pyrite bubbles

Bottom right- manmade (I found 50p! Who knew fossil hunting would pay me back?)

 

Some of my favorite little pyrite ammonites

 

Left- ammonites

Right- manmade, glass and ceramic(?)

The glass and ceramic pieces are from a recent landslide that brought down massive amounts of mud from quite an old dump. 

 

But here’s the find of the day, and all credit is given to my mom for this one. About 30 minutes into our hunt (the first time EVER hunting on the Jurassic Coast) she finds...

an Ichthyosaur vertebra!!!

 

Oh man are we all ecstatic. We had no idea what to expect on this trip, but wow it has provided so far. I’m excited to get out there bright and early tomorrow morning, and I’ll update this as things progress!

 

 

I'm dropping a bit. Thanks for sharing your trip!

[smt126]

It sounds like a once in a lifetime adventure, one I've been considering myself some day. Thanks for sharing it with us.

[gieserguy]

6 hours ago, FossilNerd said:

Some very nice pieces! Looks like an all around great experience. I’m 

I especially like the urchins. Too bad about the little one. 

 

I am curious about the shale you split and found the ammonite beak in (very awesome find btw.). I’m unfamiliar with the geology in the area. Why would the shale fall apart in a few days? 

I might be misspeaking by saying shale, but it’s because it’s SO flaky. Both Brandon and Chris told me 4 days is the maximum shelf life of the shale, generally. If it’s been sea tossed already it should be okay because what will break off, has already been broken off. But the pieces straight out of the cliffs or the mud haven’t been cleaned up by the sea and will just flake away as it dries. 

[Gizmo]

Very nice report, congrats! 

[TqB]

On 8/13/2019 at 5:30 PM, gieserguy said:

And then there’s this, which I couldn’t even tell you what it is. It spanned from both sides of the rock, at least two feet. 

It might be best if I never find out what it was, or I’ll be kicking myself forever. Already am, but it’s just not something that could be packed. 

 

Great report, I really must get back there! And don't worry about this one - it's fossil wood, common around there.

[gieserguy]

6 hours ago, TqB said:

Great report, I really must get back there! And don't worry about this one - it's fossil wood, common around there.

Well that’s a relief! Thanks for letting me know!

[FossilDAWG]

Very nice finds and report! 

 

I'm always amazed at how many fossils come out of that area.  If you think about all the people collecting, over the last 150-200 years at least, it must number in the millions.  Hopefully one of these years a few will find their way into my pocket.

 

Don

[Monica]

Great finds!!!  I especially like those urchins - very nice! 

[gieserguy]

Sorry for the long wait! I’ve been getting settled back in, organizing the fossils and trying to protect the pyrite ones from rust, and just been busy in general. 

 

Here is the big haul of all our finds

 

Here are the belemnites

There are a few phragmocones in there, which I’m pretty stoked about. 

 

Ammonites

 

 

The various “randoms” that there weren’t enough of to justify their own pie tin 

These include urchins, brachiopods, sponges, crinoids, and vertebrate material (Ichthyosaur vertebra and Hybodont tooth)

[gieserguy]

Here are some of the “randoms”

from left to right- Ichthyosaur vertebra, Pentacrinites crinoid columnal, Hybodont tooth, brachiopods

 

closer-up photos of the Hybodont tooth and Pentacrinites

 

You may remember that I found the ammonite beak (bottom left) in the flaky shales that last no more than a few days. The day after I collected it, I sprayed a couple layers of hairspray over the shale fossils to maybe give them a chance, and it seems to have worked! It’s been nearly a week since collecting and they show no signs of flaking since being coated. (They don’t photograph well, though)

 

And that’s about it for the best of our finds!

[gieserguy]

But when you’re in such a fossily area, of course you have to buy a couple, too!

I spent somewhere almost £18 for all of this, so around $20! To buy cheap, you gotta buy local!

 

This Caloceras johnstoni from Somerset is one of my new favorites in my collection

 

Blockley bivalve

 

Liparoceras from Gloucestershire

 

Dactylioceras from Whitby, Yorkshire

This one is very cool because it is completely free from the matrix. In Whitby, these ammonites are found in nodules that spilt to reveal just one side of the ammonite, so it’s very nice to see a completely free one. 

 

And of course I had to pick up these pins. They were just a £1 donation each, and the money goes to the Jurassic Coast Trust, which helps look after the world heritage site  

[gieserguy]

And these are the pieces that I polished. I spent a good hour on both of them, and I’m really really proud of how they turned out.

 

Dactylioceras from a farmers field in Dorset

 

Green Skye marble from the Isle of Skye, Scotland

[gieserguy]

Thanks for checking out this feed! I hope you all enjoy it! And hopefully some day every one of you will be able to make it out to Lyme Regis, it’s a truly remarkable place  

[grandpa]

Just wonderful!!

[Scylla]

thank you for showing us!

[t-tree]

A good £18 pounds worth to add to your finds.

 

John

 

PS...... Your pyrite fossils from lyme  are prone to decay ...so treat by the most up-to-date method.

[JamieLynn]

oh, this is so exciting to see! I will be going to Weymouth on the Jurassic Coast in a few weeks! Thank you for posting all the good stuff you found, now I have a better idea of what to look for! Looks like you had an amazing time! 

[Al Tahan]

Amazing piece of history!!! Someday I’ll visit this place. So historic!

[RuMert]

Looks like there are still enough of quality ammonites in spite of all the fossil hunter crowds

[LiamL]

What a great trip, thanks.

[Calli99]

Really nice finds and great report! Must admit I'm a bit jealous as I was there at the same time as you but wasn't nearly as lucky!

[gieserguy]

On 8/21/2019 at 2:54 PM, t-tree said:

A good £18 pounds worth to add to your finds.

 

John

 

PS...... Your pyrite fossils from lyme  are prone to decay ...so treat by the most up-to-date method.

Already done! A few coats of non-yellowing photo varnish should hopefully do the trick. Thanks for the heads up!

[gieserguy]

12 hours ago, JamieLynn said:

oh, this is so exciting to see! I will be going to Weymouth on the Jurassic Coast in a few weeks! Thank you for posting all the good stuff you found, now I have a better idea of what to look for! Looks like you had an amazing time! 

You’re going to have such an amazing time! There should be significantly less tourists around Weymouth, so you could be in for quite the hunt. And I’ve seen some absolutely stunning specimens come from that beach. Please make sure to share your finds, I’d really love to see it!

P.S.- if you’re looking for pyrite ammonites (which I’m not sure if those are at Weymouth, but if you make your way to Lyme Regis this’ll come in handy) you should find a spot where you aren’t seeing just sand and stones, search for areas where pyrite chunks are fairly commons and look in places around big rocks that they could get washed into and deposited by moving waters!

9 hours ago, RuMert said:

Looks like there are still enough of quality ammonites in spite of all the fossil hunter crowds

The cliffs are constantly eroding away with every tide, so it’s really an endless supply of beautiful fossils!

7 hours ago, Calli99 said:

Really nice finds and great report! Must admit I'm a bit jealous as I was there at the same time as you but wasn't nearly as lucky!

The trick for me was to get to the beach before all the tourists do and go where they won’t! I was up and out on the beach by 8:00 two of the three mornings. It’s such a great time, I’m glad you were able to be there.