erose Posted October 3, 2020 Share Posted October 3, 2020 So I had a few hours off the other day and decided to hit a favorite spot in the Glen Rose Formation. The Glen Rose is Lower Cretaceous (Albian) and can be very fossiliferous. For those familiar with this formation the particular layer I was hunting is near the top of the Lower Member in what is known as the "Salenia texana" zone. As the name implies it is abundant with the echinoid Leptosalenia texana. But it also produces another handful of echinoids, some common and some rare. I was hunting(hoping) for the rare ones... Now let me tell you it has been a long hard summer and this week was the topper with my wiener dog Bacon getting snake bit in the back yard and things at work being extra hectic and, well just life in general in this time of plague... So I was DUE BIG TIME for a good hunt. Within the first five minutes I knew it was going to be good. We recently had some good rain and there were no footprints in sight. And it was bright and clear and perfect "urchin" light. Some of you know just what I mean by that. Sharp clear sunlight at the right angle makes those tubercules pop, even when half buried in the marl. My first good find was a fossil I had been looking for for a while and one that I got skunked on at the last PSA field trip. Jamie Lynn and a few other club members found them and I was teasing them about it. It was a comatulid crinoid cup. Not an echinoid, but another weird echinoderm. Comatulids are stemless crinoids, aka feather stars. From there I started finding those Leptosalenias of which I only brought home the best ones. Lots of other good specimens of bivalves, gastropods, serpulids, etc started filling the bag and then I looked up and there it was, bucket list, holy grail of the GR, a CIDARID! Now I have several "pieces" from there but this one was obviously complete. It was still tucked into the marly layer and hadn't been fully washed out and broken up yet. As I removed it I found it was a bit squooshed, but otherwise intact. The species is Paracidaris? texanus (Whitney & Kellum). Smith & Rader(2009) placed it tentatively in Paracidaris, but it is probably a good ID. Spines and loose plates are common but articulated specimens are few and far between. That was it, I could have gone home right then and there, but I kept going. I was rewarded with a medium sized Tetragramma (semi rare) that will need lots of cleaning and a few more Leptosalenias. Eventually my alarm went off and it was time to head home. A great afternoon in Central Texas. 19 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bthemoose Posted October 3, 2020 Share Posted October 3, 2020 Congrats! Hope your dog is okay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erose Posted October 3, 2020 Author Share Posted October 3, 2020 7 minutes ago, bthemoose said: Congrats! Hope your dog is okay. Dog is home and seems to be OK. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted October 3, 2020 Share Posted October 3, 2020 Glad you got out to hunt, Erich. Great report - thanks for sharing it with us. Tim - VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER VFOTM --- APRIL - 2015 __________________________________________________ "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~ ><))))( *> About Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnJ Posted October 3, 2020 Share Posted October 3, 2020 Congratulations again, Erich! That is the second one I've seen from there. The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true. - JJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamieLynn Posted October 3, 2020 Share Posted October 3, 2020 oooohhhh.....well, you got your prize! A few of them! Very glad your dog is okay too! www.fossil-quest.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brett Breakin' Rocks Posted October 3, 2020 Share Posted October 3, 2020 3 hours ago, erose said: So I was DUE BIG TIME for a good hunt. I feel like we are al there right with you. Gods .. it has been brutal. Amazing finds. Seeing them half-buried must be the real treat .... Cheers, B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Tahan Posted October 3, 2020 Share Posted October 3, 2020 3 hours ago, erose said: Gorgeous specimen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuMert Posted October 3, 2020 Share Posted October 3, 2020 Cool echinoids! My sites & reports Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erose Posted October 4, 2020 Author Share Posted October 4, 2020 10 hours ago, JohnJ said: Congratulations again, Erich! That is the second one I've seen from there. Thanks John, I think I know who found that other one. As you know I had found some tantalizingly good pieces of cidarids there in the past so I knew it was just a matter of time. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffrey P Posted October 4, 2020 Share Posted October 4, 2020 Those echinoids are exquisite. Thanks for sharing them. Big congratulations on on a most productive outing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClearLake Posted October 4, 2020 Share Posted October 4, 2020 Those are some excellent finds. Thanks for sharing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BudB Posted October 4, 2020 Share Posted October 4, 2020 Wow, beautiful! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pagurus Posted October 4, 2020 Share Posted October 4, 2020 Congratulations on a great day of hunting, Erich. I hope it's a sign of things to come. Mike Start the day with a smile and get it over with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Dente Posted October 5, 2020 Share Posted October 5, 2020 On 10/3/2020 at 8:29 AM, erose said: My first good find was a fossil I had been looking for for a while and one that I got skunked on at the last PSA field trip. Jamie Lynn and a few other club members found them and I was teasing them about it. It was a comatulid crinoid cup. Not an echinoid, but another weird echinoderm. Comatulids are stemless crinoids, aka feather stars. Do you think this is Decameros wertheimi? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erose Posted October 5, 2020 Author Share Posted October 5, 2020 2 hours ago, Al Dente said: Do you think this is Decameros wertheimi? Yes. I wasn't sure based on a paper I have by the authors. But the drawing in The Treatise of Invert Paleo is spot on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSCHNELLE Posted October 14, 2020 Share Posted October 14, 2020 Congrats Erich! A truly amazing and rare find for Texas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobC Posted October 18, 2020 Share Posted October 18, 2020 Great Erich! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erose Posted October 21, 2020 Author Share Posted October 21, 2020 On 10/18/2020 at 3:52 PM, BobC said: Great Erich! Because of you I knew whole ones were a possibility. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwestbrook Posted October 26, 2020 Share Posted October 26, 2020 Beautiful! Cidarids are a favorite of mine as well, although I've never actually found one of my own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sixgill pete Posted October 30, 2020 Share Posted October 30, 2020 Fantastic Erich. Beautiful cidarid, they are among the most spectacular echinoids. I also really like the D. wertheimi. Comatulid crinoids are found here in NC and I always get a thrill finding them. 1 Bulldozers and dirt Bulldozers and dirt behind the trailer, my desert Them red clay piles are heaven on earth I get my rocks off, bulldozers and dirt Patterson Hood; Drive-By Truckers May 2016 May 2012 Aug 2013, May 2016, Apr 2020 Oct 2022 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica Posted November 1, 2020 Share Posted November 1, 2020 Congrats on finding the holy grail of the Glen Rose Formation!!! It's a beautiful echinoid - I am very Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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