Mazon Creek- Freeze / Thaw Results

[Nimravis]

I had a number of pieces open today-

 

Kallidecthes richardsoni Shrimp 

 

 

 

This next piece I would have bet that it would have been a proboscis of a Tully Monster, but it was not, still a cool piece of flora. I don’t find to many pieces that have a frond attached to a branch.

 

 

 

A possible worm.

 

 

An odd piece of flora that is not well preserved. Any ideas?

 

 

 

And a bunch of Essexella asherae Jellyfish.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Let’s see what tomorrow brings.

[Nimravis]

Today I thawed out several hundred concretions and I will wait for them to dry and see if anything pops, if not, I will give them a slight tap and see if that works.
 

 

 

 

I did try a couple concretions, but only one opened, another Essexella asherae, just what I did not need.

 

 

 

Edited December 6, 2024 by Nimravis

[bockryan]

Nice finds! That shrimp from yesterday is a beauty - inspired me to put another bowl of concretions in the freezer. Doesn't get cold enough here to freeze them outside unfortunately

[Nimravis]

4 hours ago, bockryan said:

Nice finds! That shrimp from yesterday is a beauty - inspired me to put another bowl of concretions in the freezer. Doesn't get cold enough here to freeze them outside unfortunately

Thanks- I do it both ways now. Temp outside is 14 degrees right now, so that helps with the number of concretions that I can freeze. It is just a very long process when I want instant satisfaction. 

Edited December 6, 2024 by Nimravis

[Nimravis]

Here are some pieces from today, I checked a couple hundred and came away with these.

 

This Cyclus americanus was opened in the bucket and I did not find all of the pieces.

 

 

Here is a very colorful piece of coprolite with pyrite inclusion.

 

 

And of course more Essexella asherae Jellyfish.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I thought that there was a Strobeus gastropod on this Essexella asherae, but upon closer look, it does not appear to be so.

 

 

[Nimravis]

I am drying out a bunch of concretions right now and went through a number that already dried out.

 

 

Here is what opened-

 

Annularia-

 

 

And a bunch of Essexella asherae-

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Nimravis]

Just went through some more concretions from today and more Essexella asherae.

 

 

 

 

 

Cyperites

 

 

Shrimp-

 

 

A worm that needs to be cleaned up.

 

 

A pyritized Pecopteris-

 

 

One of these days something great will pop, I hope it is soon.

 

[Nimravis]

Here are the last for today.

 

A decent Esconites zelus worm with a great mouth.

 

 

 

 

A nice Essexella asherae.

 

 

Possibly a group of Essexella asherae or maybe an couple Acorn worms.

 

 

This piece looks like it might be coprolite, it appears to have some clam material, but I also see Flora material too.

 

 

 

 

Remember that everything that opens is not a fossil, there are plenty of duds that I do not show, like the ones below.

 

 

I just took out a bucket so it can thaw out.

 

[zaneharrin]

On 12/8/2024 at 10:08 PM, Nimravis said:

Here are the last for today.

 

A decent Esconites zelus worm with a great mouth.

 

 

 

 

A nice Essexella asherae.

 

 

Possibly a group of Essexella asherae or maybe an couple Acorn worms.

 

 

This piece looks like it might be coprolite, it appears to have some clam material, but I also see Flora material too.

 

 

 

 

Remember that everything that opens is not a fossil, there are plenty of duds that I do not show, like the ones below.

 

 

I just took out a bucket so it can thaw out.

 

I've been getting more and more into maxon creek fossils because of the fauna , I have a question though what is the white stuff usually built up on top of a fossil is it calcium?

[Nimravis]

5 hours ago, zaneharrin said:

I've been getting more and more into maxon creek fossils because of the fauna , I have a question though what is the white stuff usually built up on top of a fossil is it calcium?

It is Kaolinite.

[Nimravis]

Here are a few from today.

 

Essexella asherae-

 

 

A partial shrimp-

 

 

A shrimp that is not well preserved.

 

 

A cool piece of flora that looks like two small Calamities with 2 internodes.

 

 

[Nimravis]

This is becoming more like the movie “Groundhog Day”, more Essexella asherae, please wake me from this nightmare and come across something new.

 

[marguy]

17 hours ago, Nimravis said:

please wake me from this nightmare

seen from the other side of the ocean, such a nightmare would however be a sweet dream (for me). i hope you will soon have other stimulating discoveries, best wishes!

[stats]

18 hours ago, Nimravis said:

This is becoming more like the movie “Groundhog Day”, more Essexella asherae, please wake me from this nightmare and come across something new.

 

 

If I didn't know any better, I'd call you "King of the Jellies".

 

Cheers,

Rich

 

[Denis Arcand]

     Do a  Jellyfish auction to Support The Fossil Forum 

[FossilDAWG]

This is probably as good a place as any to point out that a recent paper contends that Essexella asherae were actually anemones, not jellyfish.

 

Don

[Herb]

great concretions!, wish I had that kind of luck with concretions.  Lots of concretions in KY, but few have fossils in them

 

[jdp]

On 12/8/2024 at 8:08 PM, Nimravis said:

A nice Essexella asherae.

 

 

 

100% sure this isn't a poorly-preserved Tully? The crease and dark spots kind of look like a Tully eyebar.

[stats]

13 minutes ago, jdp said:

100% sure this isn't a poorly-preserved Tully? The crease and dark spots kind of look like a Tully eyebar.

The shape of the concretion points to a jelly, but that does look like an eye on each side.

 

Cheers,

Rich

 

[stats]

22 minutes ago, FossilDAWG said:

This is probably as good a place as any to point out that a recent paper contends that Essexella asherae were actually anemones, not jellyfish.

 

Don

 

We are aware of that paper... and even know Roy Plotnick.  I said "King of the Jellies" not "King of the Jellyfish". 

 

There are people that disagree with that paper, or at least parts of it.  I am not one of them.  Old habits die hard.

 

Cheers,

Rich

 

[Nimravis]

37 minutes ago, FossilDAWG said:

This is probably as good a place as any to point out that a recent paper contends that Essexella asherae were actually anemones, not jellyfish.

 

Don

I know and I know Roy,the author, but I am still in the Jellyfish camp.

[RCFossils]

Hard to say for sure.

The “eyes” do not seem to be positioned correctly for a Tully but have no other idea what the dark spots could be.

I am leaning more towards it being an anemone.

[Nimravis]

2 hours ago, jdp said:

100% sure this isn't a poorly-preserved Tully? The crease and dark spots kind of look like a Tully eyebar.

I am still thinking Essexella  with a weird preservation.

 

 

 

 

 

[Nimravis]

I only went through a couple concretions today and wouldn’t you know it, another Essexella asherae.

 

[stats]

3 minutes ago, Nimravis said:

I only went through a couple concretions today and wouldn’t you know it, another Essexella asherae.

 

Of course!

 

Cheers,

Rich