A quick Devonian trip with a great reward

[Al Tahan]

I had a rough work week last week with Central New York experiencing major flooding. It forced me to work the weekend and kinda ruined my fossil hunting thoughts. I only worked half a day Saturday 11/02/19 so I took advantage of what little sunlight I had. I had to be home before 5 to go to the mall with my wife to return some soccer shoes.......married life lol. With travel time I figured out I could go to DSR and get 70-80 minutes to fossil hunt! I needed this to de-stress so I went for it  .
 

I didn’t get much time but I tried to make it count. I knew I wasn’t going to be doing any major digging due to the lack of time. My plan was to try and keep working slabs I pulled from the interval I keep finding phyllocarids.
 

When I got there I saw a large area to the left of where I worked that was ripped up with slabs around. It was the same interval and layers as the productive ones I worked 30 feet away. 
 

I wish I recorded the moment because I literally said out loud “I’m going to find a phyllocarid in these discards”.......walked 2 steps and found this in the discard pile....
 

here is a field shot....I was excited and terrified cause I realized I just found a Rhinocaris columbina phyllocarid with both carapaces and the telson but the telson is on the counterpart!! I thought I was going to have another fish that got away story but then I finally found the other half after an agonizing 40 minutes. Remember I didn’t have long haha. 
 

here is a field shot of the other half. Telson top left. I got a call from work and I was literally on the phone working and fossil hunting when I found the other half and silently cheered then continued my phone conversation 
 

here is a photo of the raw uncut slabs I collected from the field. I have a saw now so I’m not as concerned with reducing in the field as I used to be. 
 

 

Here are some photos of the finished product. This is a really exciting find because of the amazing association of both carapaces AND the telson. Really an informative specimen. It also came from the same interval I’m finding other phyllocarids. The very delicate disarticulation of the one carapace and slight spread of all the phyllocarid parts makes me very curious about the paleo setting. 
 

 

 

 

This is a photo of an artists recreation of a Silurian phyllocarid I found on google. This is not a Rhinocaris columbina but it does have some similarities that will help people visualize what a Rhinocaris may look like. 

this little something I circled had me wondering if it was possibly associated with this phyllocarid. Almost seems like a little appendage but there is really no way of knowing for sure I suppose. Interesting either way. 
 

 

thanks for reading! Not a whole lot just a single find that I think is really awesome . A quick little DSR trip (11/02/19) with a nice reward! 
 

 

Al

[FranzBernhard]

18 minutes ago, Al Tahan said:

 I needed this to de-stress

I totally understand this, did the same today! 

 

19 minutes ago, Al Tahan said:

walked 2 steps and found this

That´s usual case! 

Or the opposite: Today, at the very, very, very, last moment, I found perhaps the most complete radiolitid rudists in St. Bartholomä so far.

Either way: Congrats to your spectacular find and thanks for the report. I can feel your excitement!

Franz Bernhard

 

[Pagurus]

 Awesome! That associated telson is impressive!

 

Mike

[Tidgy's Dad]

What an amazing find. 

Wonderful specimen. 

[Fossildude19]

Great find, Al!

Jeff and I should never have shown you what they look like.

You are going to collect them all!

[Ludwigia]

You sure are a lucky duck!

[Jeffrey P]

Congratulations Al. Looks like you've developed quite the eye for phyllocarids and subsequently your collection of them as expanded a lot. Thanks for sharing.

P.S.- I'm not worried you'll collect all of them, but it does appear you've found a very productive pocket.

[FossilDAWG]

I am envious that you live so close you can just stop by for a quick "stress relief session".  It's about a 15 hour road trip for me to get to DSR!  Nice phyllocarid!  

 

Don

[Nimravis]

Great find- nothing like working and Fossil collecting.

[Malcolmt]

About to snow here... so collecting is pretty much done for the year

 

[deutscheben]

Very nice fossil! One good find makes the whole trip worthwhile. 

[RuMert]

I'm not usually into Paleozoic fossils, but your posts are always impressive. You should probably write a book on fossil hunting

[Misha]

Super cool find!

Is that ruler in inches?

[FossilNerd]

Nice find Al! Glad you got the other half this time as well! 
 

If you keep this up Tim is going to have to give you a title on your profile. “The Phyllocarid Finder” or the like.  

 

[Al Tahan]

Thanks! @FranzBernhard and congratulations on your epic find!

 

Thanks guys! @Pagurus @Tidgy's Dad

 

@Fossildude19 ha and thanks for showing me! No worries I’ll show you how to never run out  lol
 

@Ludwigia thanks! I would consider it a very very lucky find.

[Al Tahan]

Thanks! @Jeffrey P I do think there is an interval with more of them! 
 

@FossilDAWG I will admit I do feel spoiled by my proximity to such great locations. New York is prolific. 
 

@Malcolmt oh man! I hope I can get a couple more trip in before it’s done. 
 

@deutscheben thanks! I couldn’t agree more. 

[Al Tahan]

@RuMert hey thanks!! Glad you enjoy them. I enjoy sharing  

 

@Misha yes it is! Darn I thought I had a better photo with a scale. I took some better ones. Yikes I’m usually better on that my fault. 

@FossilNerd haha oh man .....I’m on a hot streak I’ll admit that lol. 

 

[Monica]

Congratulations, Al!  What an outstanding couple of rocks! 

[Shamalama]

Congrats on the rare find! Seems to me that it was a relatively quiet setting if that bad boy was still together.

[Manticocerasman]

thx for the report

 

And of course congrats on the phyllocarid

 

Is it Early Devonian?

[Jeffrey P]

6 hours ago, Manticocerasman said:

thx for the report

 

And of course congrats on the phyllocarid

 

Is it Early Devonian?

Middle Devonian, Hamilton Group, Moscow Formation Windom Shale- the same formation as the fossils from Penn Dixie but a very different fauna.

[Al Tahan]

thanks! @Monica

 

I think you are right. Must have been decently peaceful? Lol @Shamalama

 

@Manticocerasman thanks! It’s a middle Devonian deposit. In New York it’s the eastern most extent of the windom shale of the Moscow formation, Hamilton group.

[erose]

Pretty gosh darn cool. Kinda missing New York....oh but then there will be snow....so not really....

[Al Tahan]

12 hours ago, erose said:

Pretty gosh darn cool. Kinda missing New York....oh but then there will be snow....so not really....

Tell me about it.....we pay for those awesome 80 degree (26.6 Celsius) summer days for 6 months in the freezer. I’ve already planned a trip for December...let’s hope the snow holds off until then 

[RuMert]

in the freezer is like zero Celsius?  how about this?