Caleb Posted October 3, 2010 Share Posted October 3, 2010 (edited) After an entire month of no collecting, I finally got out. Today I decided to grab my father and go for a canoe trip down a river in Northeast Iowa. Being in the low to mid 50's it was a bit chilly, but once we started swinging the hammers we warmed up quickly. Our main goal for the day was to find trilobites, more specifically the elusive Isotelus iowensis. After about 30 minutes of breaking rock, we hit the jackpot with a mass mortality plate of I. iowensis. The slab is much bigger than the part we split, so who knows how many more I. iowensis are unseen... for now. Here is the negative of the mass mortality plate. I didn't take a picture of the positive because it didn't look nearly as cool. Yet. This is an exposure of the Maquoketa formation in a streem valley. We broke some of the smaller rocks there and found a few parts. And here is the pretty colour of poison ivy. Kinda makes you want to have some in your garden. Edited October 3, 2010 by Caleb Caleb Midwestpaleo.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roz Posted October 3, 2010 Share Posted October 3, 2010 That plate is a prize! Very successful trip.... Welcome to the forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Demeater Posted October 3, 2010 Share Posted October 3, 2010 wow nice find! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barefootgirl Posted October 3, 2010 Share Posted October 3, 2010 (edited) That plate is fantastic. I'm glad to see you had a wonderful hunt. Your creek pict is wonderful and I love all the detail in the first pict. What camera do you use? Edited October 3, 2010 by barefootgirl In formal logic, a contradiction is the signal of defeat: but in the evolution of real knowledge, it marks the first step in progress toward victory. Alfred North Whithead 'Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already tomorrow in Australia!' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhk Posted October 3, 2010 Share Posted October 3, 2010 Now that is crazy over the top cool. Congrats... Please photo the poss plate now and stop teasing us. lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caleb Posted October 3, 2010 Author Share Posted October 3, 2010 Thanks, it's alway exciting to find something like that. Especially when it's the first time finding something like that. That plate is fantastic. I'm glad to see you had a wonderful hunt. Your creek pict is wonderful and I love all the detail in the first pict. What camera do you use? I just used my cheap Olympus D-595 with the macro setting. I'm too worried about tipping the canoe with anything nicer. Now that is crazy over the top cool. Congrats... Please photo the poss plate now and stop teasing us. lol It's currently residing in my father's basement, but I will try to get over there tomorrow to snap a photo. Caleb Midwestpaleo.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emmytee Posted October 3, 2010 Share Posted October 3, 2010 that is sooo sweet! i can't wait to see the positive! I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day. ~ E. B. White Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frozen_turkey Posted October 3, 2010 Share Posted October 3, 2010 Nice! You swept those right out from underneth my nose! I have found only one Isotelus iowensis and it only has the tail segment exposed, and iis alot smaller then yours. But the werid thing about it was it wasnt even suppost to be there. I found it in a local quarry, and the rock it was in didnt match the rocks arround it. Acually it didnt even come close to the rocks around it. How it got there we may never know. Sorry i broke into a random story again. And again i love that trilo slabe. It would look totaly nice on a bookshelf or some thing! -Frozen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpc Posted October 3, 2010 Share Posted October 3, 2010 Hey that slab-o-bites is great. Nice find. Trilobites in Iowa... who knew? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest N.AL.hunter Posted October 3, 2010 Share Posted October 3, 2010 Really nice!! And looked like a beautiful area to hunt in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted October 3, 2010 Share Posted October 3, 2010 Here is the negative of the mass mortality plate. I didn't take a picture of the positive because it didn't look nearly as cool. Yet. >wow< :drooling 38: "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ordovician_Odyssey Posted October 3, 2010 Share Posted October 3, 2010 that is sooo sweet! i can't wait to see the positive! ya! wow that would be amazing.... as for the negative, well its still something! -Shamus The Ordovician enthusiast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taxman56 Posted October 3, 2010 Share Posted October 3, 2010 Nice plate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted October 3, 2010 Share Posted October 3, 2010 Congratulations on your find and also to the fantastic color composition in the pic. I also can't wait to see the results of the preparation. Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nandomas Posted October 3, 2010 Share Posted October 3, 2010 Very beautiful plate . congrats ts Erosion... will be my epitaph! http://www.paleonature.org/ https://fossilnews.org/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crinoid Queen Posted October 4, 2010 Share Posted October 4, 2010 wow nice find! Fantasitc plate! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossiladdict Posted October 4, 2010 Share Posted October 4, 2010 That is just way too cool. Love it! Fossils are simply one of the coolest things on earth--discovering them is just marvelous! Makes you all giddy inside! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WI Parrothead Posted October 4, 2010 Share Posted October 4, 2010 Love the plate! I bet it was a little chilly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted October 4, 2010 Share Posted October 4, 2010 Nice trilos! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caleb Posted October 5, 2010 Author Share Posted October 5, 2010 I finally got over to my parents and took a photo of the positive. It's not very pretty right now but here it is. The trilobites that are visible range between 2" and 3". There is a lot of rock left to expose, so who knows how many more trilobites are under it. It is an exciting find! Negative Positive Caleb Midwestpaleo.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sue in ohio Posted October 5, 2010 Share Posted October 5, 2010 Wow..only 30 mins of splitting rocks and you found that!!!, I've been splitting rocks for yrs and haven't found anything that awesome yet, great find for you and your Dad Caleb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted October 5, 2010 Share Posted October 5, 2010 I finally got over to my parents and took a photo of the positive. It's not very pretty right now but here it is. The trilobites that are visible range between 2" and 3". There is a lot of rock left to expose, so who knows how many more trilobites are under it. It is an exciting find! Negative Positive That's gonna be a very nice piece! Take your time with the preparation! I think it's gonna be worth it. Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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