Lower Callovian, Bov Fm, NW Bulgaria

[Ludwigia]

Please do not apologize for the long post. Quite to the contrary, it is very informative and you appear to be doing your research in an exemplary manner. I wouldn't have anything to add to that. You are doing very well. Good luck on your quest!

[Dimitris]

Thanks guys for the comments!

Well, I have to wait until next weekend. Temperature ranges between 0-10C with no predicted snowfall, but with cloudy weather.

Its 30mins ride, so anyway I will go and check

[Shamalama]

i am looking forward to seeing your finds. Good Luck!

[Dimitris]

Hey!

Hope everyone is good.

I visited again the place. The terain was much more difficult than I thought so I did only the blue section (NW cliffs), plus a quarry after suggestion of J.P. ; location of it HERE.

No finds at all.. Everywhere I could see those dark grey stones which are typical of Jurassic of Bulgaria but no signs of living form. The quarry had mostly transformed sedimentary stones, rich in iron and possibly sulfur. 

My path was as the other time, the purple route and then into the forrest. Before reaching the cliffs, I encountered some exposed outcrops.

 

I observed carefully, nothing remarkable except this which I have no idea what is this. The red thing that looks like an earhworm. Around 4cm total lenght and a little less than 0.5cm diameter. I did not collect it.

The rest of the pictures show the terrain and the vegetation. The print screen of the map shows the lowest point I descended from the cliff. From there I checked North and South on the exposed outcrops but again nothing. Last picture shows the only cephalopod for today... In the oven!

 

The creek was also larger than what I thought and full of water with high flow. I will abandon this place until late Spring so that it is dry.

 

After leaving the quarry, I noticed this place, which this exact picture is shown in a research for a place called Gradetch.

Meanwhile, I will redo my research to find other possible outcrops within 20kms radius. I am sure something I am missing.

[Shamalama]

Sorry you didn't find anything on this trip. Keep looking and I'm sure you will find something spectacular!

 

Now, what is that last picture? I'm trying to decide if it is a local food delicacy or a biology dissection tray.

[FranzBernhard]

3 hours ago, Shamalama said:

biology dissection tray.

On 15.2.2020 at 6:13 PM, Dimitris said:

Last picture shows the only cephalopod for today... In the oven!

Franz Bernhard

[Shamalama]

2 hours ago, FranzBernhard said:

Franz Bernhard

 

Aha!   I missed that while reading and drooling over the landscape pics.  I do enjoy some fried squid from time to time.

[Dimitris]

On 17/2/2020 at 4:11 PM, Shamalama said:

Sorry you didn't find anything on this trip. Keep looking and I'm sure you will find something spectacular!

 

Now, what is that last picture? I'm trying to decide if it is a local food delicacy or a biology dissection tray.

I will, I have been preparing!

Lol my food looks so bad?!

 

I have some new data and will make this weekend a different approach to these formations.

 

I first saw this picture in the museum. My only clues where which mountain, the name of the plateau and locality name Dobravitsa.

The name of the plateau did not show up anything on google, searched both in latin and cyrillic.

Sadly there are two Dobravitsa one close to another... One here and one here.

 

Searching, I found this site and map:

http://svetimesta.com/България/Софийска-област/Добравица

Which revealed that my Dobravitsa is the western one.

 

Cross referred my info through google

https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=zimevitsa+jurassic&btnG=

Much scientific research in the area.

 

PS> Zimevitsa plateau in bulgarian means "Winter Plateau". If it is not snow covered, I will be there next weekend.

[jpc]

I am enjoying following along your detective work.  

 

[Dimitris]

Day two at the same place

 

Well, prospecting is nice but usually you return empty handed. Its like gambling, so went back to my standard. After all I had unfinished business with the place.

I had 4 hours available plus another 4 to go and return, so I had to make choices.

 

Half an hour to find out how to cross the creek. You see, the previous week we had snow and now all streams are full. +30cm of water.

2 1/2 hours non stop hammering until my right hand was too tired. I would continue but my left lacks accuracy. (By the way how heavy hammer you use on the field to split rocks? Relative soft ones).

My last hour tired and hungry climbing to the upper Oxfordian.

 

I am starting with some on field pictures and will continue with second post with the finds.

 

1. What is that? Not well preserved belemnite? Measures around 3cm lenght and some 2-3mm wide.

 

2. Under this fella I found my biggest ammonites. It was a huge boulder around 1meter in lenght, 0.6m wide and 30-40cm thick. Tore it piece by piece apart.

 

3-4 General landscape from the formation to the creek. On the third picture, between the trees is my car so that you get an idea of the height.

 

5. Lower Oxfordian. These two little ones are about 2.5-3cm. These are the only fossils I found on the upper Oxfordian. I searched an area of about 100m, couldnt go further as the ground was very steep.

The rocks break in an unpredictable way so no, I did not manage to collect them. After 160M.Y. Dimitris turned them to dust

They look like haploceratidae sp.

 

6. Thats me on the Oxfordian. You see, very little space to work; not to mention walking easily there.

 

7. On my way down, I noticed a belemnite somwhere between the boundary of Oxfordian to Upper / M. Callovian. 10cm lenght X ~1/2cm diameter. Did not collect it.

 

Next post coming up with my finds!

 

 

 

[Dimitris]

As you can see, again L. Callovian, again Macrocephalites (mostly). The exact place where I got most fossils had changed a little. There was a rockslide with new material on the ground.

This answers @Ludwigia question. Yes, previous time and this time I was splitting rocks from above. So is it Lower or Middle Callovian? I am not really sure. Probably the Lower is much bigger (Bov formation) and the Middle and Upper (Yarovets fm) is a strip max 1-2m thick.

Now my finds!

1-2. This is the guy I found in that huge boulder I was talking on the previous post. 16cm diameter, 90% complete. I think its Macrocephalites Gracilis because its stripes are not very well defined. Anyway, very glad for this addition.

3-4. Another M. Lophopleurus or Versus 15-16cm. I nearly had him complete but my last blow with the hammer was careless and broke him in 3 pieces. Really sad about that. On the “good side”, there is a brachiopod attached, actually the first one I find.

5-6. What else, Macrocephalites. 12cm diameter. However, there is a piece of his dead friend that seems to be Hectoceras/Peltoceras or something that does not belong to L. Callovian.

7. 3 out of 4 are Macrocephalites. Bottom left was collected for preparation tests, but the bottom right seems more special. Looks like Haploceratidae, but he is just 1.5cm so I am not sure.

8. Some more Macrocephalites. The top one is almost complete. A small piece which was broken during extraction, I glued it with epoxy resin. Its other missing part was caused probably during rock slide since I found it like this. Biggest one 6cm.

9. A nice piece for preparation tests. Again nothing special of course.

10-11. These look like belemnites? Or something else? The one with the ammonite and two belemnites, I will try to prepare it some time. Actually I want to expose the ammonite a little better.

12. My fossil stand, built last week. I haven’t finished it yet. I plan to cover it with wood, birch or pine, and put glass on the front side. Don't pay attention to the wings on top. It's a project car I am restoring.

 

After the second visit to this place, I will abandon it for some time. I don’t want more Macrocephalites, had enough of them.

Probably, I will go one last time around summer to explore the middle section. I will camp there and spend more time splitting rocks. I also hope that until then, more rock slides will have occurred. Meanwhile, I will study more and visit some places on the border with Serbia. (One of them is the only place in Bulgaria with Dino things found – can’t miss that).

[Ludwigia]

Thanks for the new report. The Macrocephalites are pressed somewhat flat, so it's not easy to determine their species and therefore whether you were in the Lower, Middle or Late Callovian. I however think that your thoughts go in the right direction with M.verus. Maybe the lithology could tell you more? I'm not familiar with yours, since it is certainly different than in my area. Good luck on your next trip anyway.

[Shamalama]

Those are some good finds that I would be happy with. Yes, there are times you hammer for hours until the arms falls off. XD

[Dimitris]

On 24/2/2020 at 3:21 PM, Shamalama said:

Those are some good finds that I would be happy with. Yes, there are times you hammer for hours until the arms falls off. XD

I will get a second lighter hammer. I still feel some pain on my wrist!

On 24/2/2020 at 12:45 AM, Ludwigia said:

Thanks for the new report. The Macrocephalites are pressed somewhat flat, so it's not easy to determine their species and therefore whether you were in the Lower, Middle or Late Callovian. I however think that your thoughts go in the right direction with M.verus. Maybe the lithology could tell you more? I'm not familiar with yours, since it is certainly different than in my area. Good luck on your next trip anyway.

That's another reason I do not like most of my finds from that spot. Probably the sediments were exposed to bigger pressure and most of the ammonites look very deformed.

On the first visit I just thought that Macrocephalites are just thin spieces, then found bigger one in thickness. 

Thanks for the wishes! Most possible I will go again in 3 weeks. Next week I am visiting Istanbul for business. There is a very tempting reference here

https://paleobiodb.org/classic/basicCollectionSearch?collection_no=32611

But there is not enough time, I do not know laws in Turkey and being Greek, I dont want to find out the hard way!

 

[jpc]

On 2/1/2020 at 9:59 AM, Dimitris said:

 

Nice stuff.  Tanks for taking us along.

 

[Ludwigia]

1 hour ago, Dimitris said:

 

But there is not enough time, I do not know laws in Turkey and being Greek, I dont want to find out the hard way!

 

I believe that you are wise to leave that one alone. The laws in Turkey are quite strict as far as I know, particularly for Greeks

[Dimitris]

On 25/2/2020 at 7:30 PM, Ludwigia said:

I believe that you are wise to leave that one alone. The laws in Turkey are quite strict as far as I know, particularly for Greeks

Dont want to spend the rest of my life in a dungeon 30 meters under the surface for some rocks!!

[Dimitris]

Hello everyone!
Is it possible for a moderator to merge this topic with this

In one topic with title
"Fossil hunting in West Bulgaria"
I realize it is not useful to have separate topics both for you and for me, since I am using my posts as notes when on field.
Thanks in advance, if not possible, no problem.

[Fossildude19]

Topics Merged.

 

@Dimitris 

 

Feel free to send a Private Message to anyone on the Moderator/Aministrator team to have them merge topics, if required.  

[Dimitris]

Thanks a lot!!!
I will be on the field these days and I prefer everything concentrated!

[Dimitris]

There we are, probably the last report for a loooooong time

As of today, Bulgaria has banned the intercity travelling without serious reason (health, familly etc). As of today's voting, military is authorized to help the civilian forces; I do not like the extend of military messing with civilians.

Anyway, to the good stuff now!

 

Yesterday, 20th of March finished earlier work and left asap to Komshtitsa (Комщица). It is a small village, about 2 kilometers from the Serbian border, nothing to do there, but for fossils!

My lead was THIS

 

I didn't have much time available, since I arrived 17:50 and sunset is 18:40. Followed the road to the north side of the village with direction one monastery. The place is absolutely gorgeous. You are surrounded by sharp sedimental rocks within a small valey carved (probably) by ice age (or before?) ice. Now a small creek runs through it. The hills are full of pines (and wild roses whose spikes are sharp as glass....).

 

A little further from this point starts a slope with aprox 40-50% inclination. I got up there and immidiately noticed conglomerate marls full of brachipods.

 

Well, they were full of life!

 

This was not my objective, I was not even aware of their existance there. According to this article

they are Costirhynchopsis vidlicis dated back to Ilirian- Fassanian. I became excited since this might give me the opportunity for great nautiloids.

I promised to myself that next day I will visit again the place and spend the whole day there, in search for Valanginian Saynoceras verrucosum.

Next post is today adventure.

 

 

[Dimitris]

I wake up early eat and prepare. As expected, the main road was closed by police due to the virus.... Again, as expected, the rural road was without police.

Lost some time for the deviation, lost more time when I took a different road to avoid the border police check point (as I was stopped the day before and I was saying I am going to St. Nicolaus monastery to pray for whole humanity), but eventually I arrived.

 

Climbing was very hard, so I had to stop for some more brachipods to rest...

 

Each brachipod is about 3/4" to 1" (the biggest ones) 

 

 

The bigger plate here is collected for preparation. It is about 7X4"

 

After the rest, I went until HERE, (Center of your screen, upper part until the beggining of the cliff). No findings, no traces of life. I open my quick notes only to find out this:

The section is located at the northern end of the
village of Barlya, Sofia District, 1.5—2 km from the
Bulgarian-Serbian border. Nearly 190 ammonites are
collected (fragments and entire specimens) from ten
levels in the Salash Formation. 

 

Conclusion? Dimitris wasn't studing carefully yesterday... The locality is actually between the village of Barlya and Komshtitsa as outlined here. (The right or eastern vertical line must represent the correct location, while I was more "right" close to the forested area).

 

 

I say no worries, its still 14.30, you are not tired, let's go for the precious Saynoceras.

150m before I decend fully from the cliff, I see a border police vehicle approaching... Sh@@@t.. I say let's rest a little, they will leave... 

 

I waited 10 minutes, then I heard the sound of the police horn. Waited a little more then understood they will not leave until next dawn!

Went down there, greated them immidiately in English (so that to avoid to many questions in Bulgarian, in which I am not so comfortable).

Anyway, long story short, were very polite people, had valid questions like "what are you doing alone on the cliff". They explained me that in order to have excursions around the border IT IS PERMITTED, provided I had contacted before the local border police station to inform about my intentions.

 

Conclusions:

i) Next time I will read more carefully

ii) I cannot visit the place until this COVID is over so I can ask for permit

iii) Still gratefull, got some brachipods of which I didn't have

iv) I really enjoyed a perfect sunny day!

[Tidgy's Dad]

Brachiopods! 

Yum Yum! 

 

[Dimitris]

3 hours ago, Tidgy's Dad said:

Brachiopods! 

Yum Yum! 

 

If world is still round in November, free of viruses etc etc and manage to come to Morocco I will bring some with me for you! 

[Tidgy's Dad]

1 hour ago, Dimitris said:

If world is still round in November, free of viruses etc etc and manage to come to Morocco I will bring some with me for you!