Help - Good sites (in Europe) for Cretaceous Ptychodus teeth and other Cretaceous sites

[LSCHNELLE]

But, I don't know the restrictions on hunting the Upper Cretaceous rocks in the area. Maybe, not allowed in a nature preserve. Maybe, okay on the road cuts? 

[pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon]

14 hours ago, LSCHNELLE said:

But, I don't know the restrictions on hunting the Upper Cretaceous rocks in the area. Maybe, not allowed in a nature preserve. Maybe, okay on the road cuts? 

 

I had intended to respond much sooner, but didn't get around to it. But, yeah, this would be a grey area, where I think that as in Normandy and around here in the Alsace your not be allowed to search in nature reserves, though it is probably tolerated if you pick up a loose fossil you find - as long as you don't chop the rock, dig, disturb nature or leave lasting traces. Interestingly, France doesn't appear to have against trespassing, but landowners frequently take matters into their own hands for that reason - and not always in the friendliest manner. So if you do intend to trespass, you'd better speak French and have a snarge good excuse ready (which is something that seems to resolve most problems you might run into around here - and I have heard some crazy stories!). Still, you might indeed get lucky just searching a field or road cut just next to the reserve, as few people seem to mind anyway (again, based on my experience).

 

If you do go into the nature reserve, be prepared that the old quarry may be overgrown and may be dangerous due to not only insects (lyme- carrying ticks, mosquitoes) and wildlife, but also because a quarry can generally be a dangerous place with loose-hanging rocks, rubble piles and fissures in the ground. Also be prepared that if it's overgrown, you might have to be very good in your geology to find the right layers, and multiple visits or friends familiar with the site might be needed to know where to dig/search, in addition to good preparatory reading. And that's considering the right exposures are accessible, which may not be the case, so that you'll need to know where to clear vegetation and rubble to get to them. Then again, many of these issues are likely the same wherever you search. Just keep in mind that aren area that has been reverted to nature is not immediately a Nature Revere and may therefore still have an owner, leading to trespassing or, at the very least, a grey understanding of accessibility...

 

Hope this helps. 

[pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon]

On 4/15/2022 at 4:38 AM, LSCHNELLE said:

The Middle Cenomanian to Middle Turonian are the best places to find Ptychodus decurrens.

 

Instagram just directed my attention to a Lower Campanian site in Germany, near Hannover in Niedersachsen by way of the block of matrix containing Squalicorax kaupi teeth and a shark vertebra. This piece comes from the Alemannia Quarry near Höver, and I've got no idea whether Ptychodus-teeth have ever been found there. But it might be worth having a look into.

 

 

On 4/13/2022 at 8:25 AM, Pemphix said:

For all of these [quarrys in northern germany] permissions are needed (active). Best way is to ask in some specialized forums, i guess. 

 

I would, however, take @Pemphix's advice to heart and get in touch with a local collectors' group, who'll undoubtedly be able to tell you whether there's any chance of finding Ptychodus in this quarry, and how to obtain permission to access it.