A fascinating day at DSR. 10/05/19

[Al Tahan]

Hello forum folks  

 

I went to DSR again yesterday 10/05/19 as I had another free day to go collecting. I may not being able to fossil hunt until the end of the month so I had to take advantage!

 

I have been noticing the phyllocarids are coming from certain intervals lower in the quarry...could be nothing....could be somthing....before I assumed I figured I should test it. I knew the exact bedding plane my last Echinocaris came from so I planned on opening a shelf on that bedding plane. My thought was if I could find another phyllocarid on that bedding plane maybe it could mean something....clearly not enough data to make any final assumptions but heck who wouldn’t dig a bedding plane that has produced lol. 

 

I was still specifically upset I couldn’t find the missing piece to my phyllocarid from last trip so I did some scanning I initially. I knew it was a waste so I got to work on the bedding plane I desired. 
 

before I got started 

 

I moved a lot of over burden and got some nice slabs moving. Loving the wedge and sledge combo....so much easier on my body physically. 

 

anyway....I found this Echinocaris punctata about 30 minutes into clearing off the shelf. Same bedding plane!!! Only about 1-2 feet from the one I found last trip. Bingo!! I’m going to show a few close ups...this is a really interesting specimen.

 

It appears to be A double carapace folded in half. You can see the margins of the other half and some spots actually fold over slightly that confirm this. It would be great to reveal the other side but I would have a very thin, flattened, fragil specimen. 
 

also.....I’m feeling like the boy who cried wolf here but are these mandibles I see on the top left part of the specimen (Seen below)? The margins aren’t as easy to see but it’s clear there are some type or serrations on each part. 

 

Here is a close up that does a decent job

showing what I’m talking about. They are really non photogenic because of the rust on the shale between the mandibles. It messes with the margins visually. 

 

It was still really messy with debris/rubble when I found it so I wasn’t sure where the counterpart was under the rubble. Foolishly it’s on a slab I left behind and I’m going to try and rush out after work to grab it this week. 
 

I found this another foot away from the phyllocarid above. When I found this I immediately thought I had a rhinocaris phyllocarid but now I’m not so sure? Unless someone can say for sure. Just doesn’t look right. 

here is a close up.....it has some lines running across it that make me question what this is. So for now I’m not sure. 

I found this Rhinocaris sitting out in the open so I have no idea what layer it came from. I’m positive this is a Rhinocaris and it’s very different from the other unknown specimen I found.  
 

Here is a reference photo for people who are unsure what phyllocarids are. 

I really think this specimen is special like the one I found last trip. Also, I do find it interesting that this was on the same bedding plane and very close to the last Echinocaris phyllocarid. More field work will help tell the tale. 
 

 

More to come....my trilobite finds from DSR and I found a layer with all Eldredgeops!!! Really awesome. Stay tuned for part 2

[Al Tahan]

I also found some trilobites yesterday. 3

completeish greenops sp. all with their own issues. I also found a nice quality dipleura cephalon 

 

The dipleura cephalon

 

This one was pretty nice but still has some issues with the pygidium. The counterpart has exoskeleton from the cephalon so I kept it. 
 

 

This looked so nice when I first saw hit but knew it was gonna be rough to extract. I actually found this wandering around the quarry (the wandering paid off) and this was exposed on the 3rd level where people usually find the goniatites. 

 

The top one was the one pictured above in Situ. Came out ok....has flaws. the bottom picture is a sneaky little trilobite that I though was missing the cephalon until I looked close and saw some eye lenses!! Still it has issues but ’ll take it. 
 

 

part 3 up next....During my wander of the upper quarry I found a layer way way up that produced several Eldredgeops cephalons and pygidiums. Eldredgeops is rare at DSR.....but perhaps we have been digging in the wrong spot ???....this was a mind blowing discovery for me!!! Eldredgeops layer at DSR? Just maybe...

stay tuned....

[erose]

Nice bugs!

[RJB]

   You certainly move some earth!   Some interesting stuff and I sure hope you find that complete and perfect phyllocarid someday.   Good luck my friend.

 

RB

[Pagurus]

I'm jealous, Al, though looking at your sledge hammer is making my back hurt even more than it has been this week. It looks like you may be on to something with those phylocarids. Thanks for showing your finds. I'm pretty sure I've found eldredgeops at DSR, but I can't say where, exactly. ("You can't say, or you CAN'T say?" "I can't say.")

[Al Tahan]

Ok here’s part 3! Sorry doing my post in between house work ha. 
 

Sometimes I like to wander.......it’s a chance for me to rest from digging (I’m usually a digger vs picker at DSR). Ive been wondering if there are some hidden treasures in the upper quarry. No one really digs there and as a result there isn’t much for fresh shelfs or slabs to move. I saw a spot with a few pieces of shale sticking out and took a look.  
 

Behold in all its glory!!! 

The absolute least appealing exposure in the quarry!! .....the layer I found is half way up in this picture roughly where the “hole” in the outcrop is in the picture. 

 

 

it was a layer of “hash” debris.....and there was an Eldredgeops fragment on almost every piece I grabbed. I also found some Eldredgeops fragments slightly above and below the hash bedding plane so it could be in the whole interval itself but I need to explore more to know. Considering I barely got into it and maybe got my hands less that a square foot of the bedding plane I think I found a high density of Eldredgeops. 

 

The bottom piece is I what the “hash” bedding plane was like. I found 6 cephalons and as many pygidiums. 
 

This was the first piece I pulled out....saw the pygidium and glabella imprint and I kinda had a “Whaaaaaaaat?” Moment. 
 

This Eldredgeops cephalon looks like it’s straight outta Briggs rd but it’s DSR!! Check out the eye detail!!!  Not from the hash layer. 

 

Another nice cephalon. Not from the hash layer.
 

I’m having formatting issues so I’m going to finish up in a very short part 4....

 

 

[Al Tahan]

here is one last shot of a hash plate with 2 pygidiums and there is actually a cephalon disguised in that mess too lol. 

Other notable finds: 

I always keep the “grammys” when I see them lol. Grammysoidea 

 

I really liked this complete cephalopod and it looks real nice all cut on a plate like that. 
 

I was able to bring home larger slabs now that I have a table tile saw at home. I used it to cut my phyllocarid down as well. So useful!!!! 

 

To conclude:

 

-maybe found a layer with predictable phyllocarids?

-possibly found a layer for predictable Eldredgeops?

 

That is why I called it...a “fascinating” day  

 

Anyway....that’s it everyone. Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed this thought provoking post! 
 

 

Al

[Al Tahan]

10 minutes ago, Pagurus said:

I'm jealous, Al, though looking at your sledge hammer is making my back hurt even more than it has been this week. It looks like you may be on to something with those phylocarids. Thanks for showing your finds. I'm pretty sure I've found eldredgeops at DSR, but I can't say where, exactly. ("You can't say, or you CAN'T say?" "I can't say.")

Thanks!! I have only found 1 Eldredgeops cephalon ever anywhere else in the quarry so I was floored to come across a half dozen in 1 single spot!!!! Removing overburden was the backache omg!!!! 

[Al Tahan]

Thanks @erose

 

@RJB thanks! maybe someday 

[Wrangellian]

Nice finds... I like everything from these sites, including the bivalves. The orthocone does look really nice on a trimmed plate - a saw is a necessity for some locations' material.

[Darktooth]

I am glad to see you having such successful hunts at DSR!  Good stuff!

[Jeffrey P]

Really nice finds, Al, especially the phyllocarid, rhinocarid, and greenops.  Congratulations. All of this highlights why DSR is such a rewarding and interesting site. Eldredgeops, by the way, are not rare at DSR, just less common than Greenops and Dipleura. When I first started collecting at DSR I was collecting at the highest level of the quarry and Eldredegops was fairly abundant up there. Sadly, those exposures have been dug away now. Certainly I played a part in that. However, an enterprising individual could, with some extra digging possibly open up some new possibilities in that section of the quarry, hint, hint. 

[FranzBernhard]

7 hours ago, Al Tahan said:

That is why I called it...a “fascinating” day

Indeed!

You are obviously applying the right mix of exploring (I would like to call it "micro-prospecting") and digging at this site. And that really pays off!

 

7 hours ago, Al Tahan said:

The absolute least appealing exposure in the quarry!! 

This would be one of the most appealing exposures around me!! 

 

Thanks for sharing and keep on the good work!
Franz Bernhard

[Al Tahan]

7 hours ago, Jeffrey P said:

Really nice finds, Al, especially the phyllocarid, rhinocarid, and greenops.  Congratulations. All of this highlights why DSR is such a rewarding and interesting site. Eldredgeops, by the way, are not rare at DSR, just less common than Greenops and Dipleura. When I first started collecting at DSR I was collecting at the highest level of the quarry and Eldredegops was fairly abundant up there. Sadly, those exposures have been dug away now. Certainly I played a part in that. However, an enterprising individual could, with some extra digging possibly open up some new possibilities in that section of the quarry, hint, hint. 

Wow Jeff!! Never realized that. See you have much more experience than me .....I noticed the Eldredgeops are not common at all in the lower parts of the quarry where Greenops and dipleura show up. In those layers I can’t find Eldredgeops to save my life.....I’ve only found 1 cephalon in the lower quarry compared to dozens of greenops partials (and 5-6 complete) and dipleura partials. It would be cool to have a spot to get some consistent Eldredgeops! Since Briggs rd is now out of commission it would be cool to have another spot. I’ll have to try and open it up so we can all enjoy  

[Al Tahan]

Thanks @Wrangellian @Darktooth 

 

@FranzBernhard seeing what you deal with really makes me appreciate my collecting areas. 

[Kane]

Well done, Al.

Sometimes we bump into concentrations of a species either by layer or by lateral spread (for example, a bedding plane that may have been a depression on the sea floor where stuff gets swept in). Many trilobites were gregarious, and so finding a number of them together is -- beyond being a real treat to find -- suggested to represent behaviour (such as moulting or mating in groups as there is safety in numbers!). Also, the relative abundance of certain species can speak to the particular environment that may have been more or less hospitable to them, and available favourite foods.  

[Al Tahan]

22 minutes ago, Kane said:

Well done, Al.

Sometimes we bump into concentrations of a species either by layer or by lateral spread (for example, a bedding plane that may have been a depression on the sea floor where stuff gets swept in). Many trilobites were gregarious, and so finding a number of them together is -- beyond being a real treat to find -- suggested to represent behaviour (such as moulting or mating in groups as there is safety in numbers!). Also, the relative abundance of certain species can speak to the particular environment that may have been more or less hospitable to them, and available favourite foods.  

Thanks Kane! I wondered the same...I was considering trying to get a nice bedding plane open in the future and try to see what the differences would be in the rock and fauna. Maybe I only found an isolated patch...or maybe they are more commonly found in Those intervals....I didn’t dig enough to know. According to the literature it is said there are 3 cycles of shallowing and deepening at DSR. Not sure which trilobite is associated with which environment....would be fun to try and do some research on it. Thanks for the extra insight Kane . 

[FossilNerd]

Your enthusiasm and excitement over your finds is infectious as always Al! While reading your reports I get excited myself and feel that I was right there with you. Maybe one day I will be...   

 

Here’s hoping your Eldredgeops layer produces many wonderful specimens!  

 

 

 

 

[Troodon]

Nice always nice to see positive results so congrat on a good day of collecting.

[RandyB]

Thanks for the guided tour of your exploring efforts Al. Makes me wish I had gotten moving a little earlier in the day and headed north instead of staying local hunting Pennsylvanian plants.  I am hopeful of getting back up there one more time before the weather makes it inhospitable (though truth be told the first trip this year was collecting in the snow so maybe I have more time than I think)

Congrats on the intriguing finds.

[Sjfriend]

Cool report. Love the hash plates. Those always interest me. Though complete trilobites are my goal. Hope I can make it back some day.

[Monica]

Congrats on the productive day, Al!  As usual, I'm most enamoured with the orthoconic nautiloid - very nice! 

[Al Tahan]

Thanks! @Sjfriend @RandyB @Monica @Troodon