Baculite Mesa - WIPS Trip 2023

[Brett Breakin' Rocks]

Well, this year we did not battle the gods of snow and mud. The temperatures were also not scorching this year, with a nice breeze and a hint of a drizzle coming into the area instead. This Baculite Mesa location is always a (WIPS) Western Interior Palentological Society favorite led by our respected leader Malcolm Bedell. Several experts on the site were in attendance, so good advice and information was graciously provided as always ...

 

Looking toward the mesa.

 

The helpers are READY ! .. they did a good job this time. The hike there and back took a good three hours of time. Exercising their little muscles for a dad win. Only have a few of those so they are treasured. 

 

Comon' dad, I wanna climb !

 

Ok, first, we must stop off and smell the flowers blooming in the desert this time of year. 

 

This is the typical presentation of the Baculites, usually as casts. Or eroding quickly out of the formation. We have had tons of rain and snow this year, so their scattered skeletons were everywhere. Generally I pick up a few as giveaways.

 

 

Still some of the original shell on this one. A good example of what you will usually find in the area. 

 

I was most interested in exploring the Tepee Buttes this year. These carbonate deposits were created by cold methane seeps. These seeps, in turn, colonized by microbes that fix the chemical energy, supporting a vibrant marine community. There are at least half-a-dozen surrounding the local area. 

 

 

Inoceramus sp. are common at the vent sites. 

 

I believe these bivalves are Nymphalucina occidentalis and are common on the buttes. 

 

They often are filled with calcite crystals. 

 

A bit of Inoceramus sp. shell

 

You can also find traces of the baculites in these formations as well.

 

The climbing was the best part for the kids. 

 

Several of the baculite fossils found that day had these large round concretions attached. Our local resident expert indicated that these concretions hid crab predation marks. Large predation entry points created when the crab popped open the shell like a tin can, to feed on the baculites, as they came to rest on the sea floor. 

 

 

The second site was better this year. My daughter was the first to flip what she thought was a stone. Low and behold ! ... a male ammonite fossil.

 

Dad found the female. Lying in a wash, an arroyo, at the second collection location. 

 

 

A few more finds .. nothing to write home about, but they will be great for schools and to give away to those future fossil hunters. 

 

 

Cheers,
Brett

 

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Nice family outing. 

Flowers and fossils; fabulous! 

[grandpa]

Great trip report.  Love the picts of the kiddos.  Oh to be young and able to scamper up and down hills again.  Such fun!

[FossilNerd]

23 hours ago, Brett Breakin' Rocks said:

a male ammonite fossil.

 

23 hours ago, Brett Breakin' Rocks said:

Dad found the female.

 

 

Great trip report! Fun with the kids is always a blast and moments to treasure.  

 

I am curious as to how you know if an Ammonite is male or female. I know little about Ammonites so maybe it’s an obvious thing to the more knowledgeable. 

[Brett Breakin' Rocks]

16 minutes ago, FossilNerd said:

I know little about Ammonites so maybe it’s an obvious thing to the more knowledgeable. 

Thanks !!  And no worries. I had to educate myself about the fossils from this location. The females are completely smooth, while the males have visible projections on the shell surface. Sexual dimorphism apparently is universal in cephalopods. I was curious how they knew as well. There is a size difference for the male and female, but the shape (morphology) or this particular species is a faster way to differentiate the 2 sexes.

Cheers,
Brett

[Fossildude19]

Fantastic views and finds! Thanks for bringing us with you!  

[Brett Breakin' Rocks]

4 hours ago, Fossildude19 said:

Fantastic views and finds! Thanks for bringing us with you!

Indeed, more adventures to come I'm sure of it. 

On 6/4/2023 at 4:08 PM, Tidgy's Dad said:

Nice family outing. 

The weather was much kinder to us this time around. Thank goodness. 

 

On 6/4/2023 at 4:08 PM, grandpa said:

Great trip report.  Love the picts of the kiddos. 

Thanks, they survived the elements much better this time !

[Jeffrey P]

Great trip report and photos. I was there two years ago, so this also brought back some memories. Looks like you and the family had a wonderful time. Thanks for sharing.  Do you know what species the coiled ammonites are?

[jpc]

Great report.  I have never seen this explanation of male and female ammonites.  The one I have heard is that with scaphitids the females have a bulge at the base of the living chamber that poofs into the previous whorls, and are generally bigger.  Your big ammonite looks like a Menuites.  I don't think you can tell the sex in Menuites.  I may be arguing here with the amm experts who were there.  I heard Josh Slattery was on this trip, and if he gave you the info you are saying, then I fold my hand to Josh.  

[FossilDAWG]

I think the coiled ammonites are Menuites portlocki, male and female as Brett indicated.  Excellent finds!

 

when I collected there I found several nice Hoploscaphites.  Brett, we’re any found on this trip that you know of?  Much less common is the hereromorph Didymoceras in the teepee buttes.

 

Don

[Brett Breakin' Rocks]

1 hour ago, FossilDAWG said:

Hoploscaphites.  Brett, we’re any found on this trip that you know of?  

Hey Don, I didn't get to see the scaphites, but Dennis (?), one of the more seasoned fossil hunters in this area, hiked out on his own around the backside of the mesa and had some luck, though I didn't get to lay my eyes on them personally. 

 

That will be on my list for next time. Thanks

 

[FossilDAWG]

These are the better ones I collected.

 

Don

 

 

[Brett Breakin' Rocks]

13 hours ago, Jeffrey P said:

Do you know what species the coiled ammonites are?

Looks like @FossilDAWG ID'd them to Menuites portlocki

2 hours ago, FossilDAWG said:

These are the better ones I collected.

 

Don

Wow, those are truly amazing. And you said these are more common around the Tepee Butte vent locations ?  Very cool. Such nice presentation. 

Cheers,
Brett

[Brett Breakin' Rocks]

10 hours ago, jpc said:

I heard Josh Slattery

Yeah, I believe he was there. Too bad I didn't get to chat. We all scattered like flies when the collecting began, and then I was left to make sure my kids didn't wander off too far and fall into a ravine ... 

 

Cheers,
B

[FossilDAWG]

The Hoploscaphites are from the same layers as the Baculites, just much less common.  The two clusters in the photo were together in the same nodule.  I wonder if it maybe a coprolitic sssociation.  I have a second example of a nodule with multiple individuals.  Beyond that I have 6 or so individuals lite the one at the top of the photo.

 

There is a Didymoceras species that is found in the teepee buttes.  I did not find any myself.  There is a different Didymoceras that occurs in the Baculites scotti zone (the abundant Baculites species at the mesa) which I also did not find.  
 

I did find one Baculites texanus, which is a rare component in the B. scotti zone.  B. scotti has smooth flanks, and B. texanus is strongly ribbed.

 

A few years ago someone found an amazing giant spider crab at Baculites mesa.

 

If you guys can get permission to collect at Tom Hollow, which is just east of the mesa, the Didymoceras stevensi, D. nebrascense, and Exilitoceras jennyi zones are exposed.  WIPS visited years ago but I heard permission is hard to get these days.

 

Don

[Brett Breakin' Rocks]

3 hours ago, FossilDAWG said:

Baculites texanus

Yes, on this trip I did find a small B. texanus section that was identified. Very cool

3 hours ago, FossilDAWG said:

but I heard permission is hard to get these days.

Speaking to Malcolm, our trip leader and permission securing expert, the Tom Hollow site is still restructed unfortunately. Thanks for sharing your finds. I think finding a few scaphites on our next trip will be my goal. 

B