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Echies of Texas - (and MORE from West Texas! )(Part 8?)
JamieLynn posted a topic in Fossil Hunting Trips
Took a little trip out to West Texas last weekend. My parents have friends who have ranches out near Balmorhea (great to have friends with ranches...everyone should have friends who have ranches!). I knew the general area was one I had wanted to go hunting for echinoids in the Boracho Formation (some very special echinoids not found in my area). I did my research on Google maps and the Texas Geology website, hoping I could pinpoint the right roadcuts! The first one we stopped at (I thought was the right formation) turned out to be a different formation, but I found some cool little brachiopods that are different than any i have encountered before and a couple of echinoids (phymosomas) and that was all for that little roadcut. Checked out a few more in the area but didn't find anything. Definitely didn't find what I was looking for! So on to our weekend at the ranch. The owner said he know of a "beach" on the ranch where "sea shells" were found. I was really surprised because on the Geology map it is all Igneous and Quaternary - nothing at all that looked Cretaceous fossiliferous. So we went driving around the ranch to the spot and to my GREAT surprise, we found an outcrop of Austin Chalk! I don't know how, but it was there! I found inoceramus clam parts and some of the most beautifully colored Exogyra erraticostata! So that was a really special spot! ( @grandpa -another "fossil that shouldn't be there!"- but it was!) The final day we were to head home, I convinced my parents to drive 30 miles further West before we headed back east for home. I knew there were supposed to be some more outcrops of the Boracho accessible so we took a little side trip and happily I found the formation I was looking for! And I was rewarded with a most LOVELY little Anorthopygus texanus echinoid! I initially thought it was a Coenholectypus transpecoensis (which was mainly what I was hoping to find -which I did not find!) but was happy to discover it was a more rare Anorthopygus! My mom found a nicely presereved Wahitaster wenoensis, so that was great too. I also found a phymosoma, but it's pretty beat up. A small section of a nautiloid and a nice bivalve which I think is a Lima wacoensis quadrangularis rounded out my day. So it was a good haul to West Texa! My best finds from Boracho /San Martine formation Anorthopygus texanus - 25 mm : Washitaster wenoensis 25 mm a not so great Phymosoma 1 1/2 inches Lima wacoensis quadragularis 1 inch From the Austin Chalk Formation on the ranch: Exogyra erraticostata 3 inches From the first roadcut which was Buda formation Kingena (Waconella) sp? what's odd about them is this "dip in the lip" so I am not sure what species it is (it is for sure Cretaceous Kingena/ Waconella and not a Pennsylvanian Composita which it very much looks like -we had a nice long post on that!) A few pics of some of the critters on the ranch: Auadad (not native, but gone native) Javelina mama and baby! A mule deer wild turkeys- 11 replies
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