Ludwigia Posted December 12, 2010 Share Posted December 12, 2010 Hello again. The Geisingen clay pit which I described here: http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php/topic/17366-a-virtual-trip-to-southwest-germany/ is located on an old flood plain of the Ur-Danube close to its source about 50 kilometers to the northwest. The river itself runs directly to the south of the town on its way to the Black Sea. On the other, easterly side of the Autobahn A81 is a hill which rises several hundred meters above the valley. At the top of this hill is a large quarry which has been in operation for a long, long time. It has changed owners many times over the years and now it's in the hands of the same local company which owns the clay pit. There used to be a cement factory in town which was supplied by both the quarry and the pit, but it was torn down several years ago and now they just produce gravel and such. That means that for us collectors the stones don't get moved around as much as they used to. You have to ask for permission to collect here of course, but to date there's been no problem getting in on weekends when they're not working. Here are a few views. 2 Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted December 12, 2010 Author Share Posted December 12, 2010 As some of you may recognize, a large portion of the quarry is made up of blocked limestones called the "Wohl-gebankte Kalk", which is the main goal of the work since it's a good quality product and quite pure. The main goal of us collectors, however, are the layers more up top as exemplified in the last photo. As you can see, they're a mix of limestone and clay marls which are rich in fossils, which are mostly preserved as fine molds. They belong in the upper Oxfordian and stretch up into the Kimmeridgian right up top. Here's a pic of me going at it. The Ammo looks big, doesn't it, but unfortunately it didn't have a phragmocon any more, which is often the case here with the big ones. Still, it's worth the try. Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted December 12, 2010 Author Share Posted December 12, 2010 The base of the quarry is lower Oxfordian and if they ever happen to dig deeper it could get interesting again, since the "Malm alpha" layers, as we still call them here, produce lots of fossils. Here are a few examples of some fossils I've found there. I'll be posting more in my gallery as time goes on. Lithacoceras evolutus and Ataxioceras(Parataxioceras)cf. effrenatum Lithacosphinctes sp. and Ataxioceras cf. striatellum Streblites tenuilobatus and Ataxioceras effrenatum Aspidoceras bidodum 1 Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nala Posted December 12, 2010 Share Posted December 12, 2010 Hello Roger,thanks again,you are so lucky to be still allow to access to the quarries ! but don't forget the helmet keep going ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted December 12, 2010 Author Share Posted December 12, 2010 but don't forget the helmet keep going ! Ooops! Well, that picture was taken in the good old days. I hear you can't get into the Fuegerolles quarry any more, or is that just hearsay? Do you only have the construction sites left there? I'd be interested to also hear something about the present collecting circumstances in northern France. Best wishes, Roger Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pleecan Posted December 12, 2010 Share Posted December 12, 2010 Nice trip report Roger! Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nala Posted December 12, 2010 Share Posted December 12, 2010 It is sad but true,you can't access the Fuegerolles quarry any more and many others,security is the official reason ,even on the beaches,it is only allow to collect without tools! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted December 12, 2010 Author Share Posted December 12, 2010 Nice trip report Roger! Peter Thanks, Peter. Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted December 12, 2010 Author Share Posted December 12, 2010 It is sad but true,you can't access the Fuegerolles quarry any more and many others,security is the official reason ,even on the beaches,it is only allow to collect without tools! That's sad news. Let's hope they're doing some construction this summer. I may be going there on holiday. Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nala Posted December 12, 2010 Share Posted December 12, 2010 That's sad news. Let's hope they're doing some construction this summer. I may be going there on holiday. I should go to Villers sur mer in March or April,the best time to foshunt on the beach with a reasonnable chance to find,if you plan to go next to Ault,Wimereux,Wissant(more in the north),PM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted December 12, 2010 Author Share Posted December 12, 2010 I should go to Villers sur mer in March or April,the best time to foshunt on the beach with a reasonnable chance to find,if you plan to go next to Ault,Wimereux,Wissant(more in the north),PM Thanks nala. Will PM later when I know for sure. Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Dactyll Posted December 13, 2010 Share Posted December 13, 2010 Roger.... The quarry has produced some very nice ammonites... Thats a place worth 'keep chipping away' at... pardon the pun... Cheers Steve... And Welcome if your a New Member... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Siphuncle Posted December 13, 2010 Share Posted December 13, 2010 Wow Roger...collecting like that would totally justify a trip from this end.... Grüße, Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas "To the motivated go the spoils." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted December 13, 2010 Author Share Posted December 13, 2010 Roger.... The quarry has produced some very nice ammonites... Thats a place worth 'keep chipping away' at... pardon the pun... Right you are Steve. These layers contain a good quantity of fossils and also a great amount of ammonite species, albeit mostly clayey limestone molds of the originals, but the features are quite well preserved. I'm not at home right now and have no access to my databank but I'll post another cross-section tomorrow. Roger Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted December 13, 2010 Author Share Posted December 13, 2010 Wow Roger...collecting like that would totally justify a trip from this end.... ...can't wait to see your monthly report in September... Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shamalama Posted December 13, 2010 Share Posted December 13, 2010 Roger, great report and pics! Thanks for the virtual tours of these otherwise unknown and inaccessible localities for those of us in the US. -Dave __________________________________________________ Geologists on the whole are inconsistent drivers. When a roadcut presents itself, they tend to lurch and weave. To them, the roadcut is a portal, a fragment of a regional story, a proscenium arch that leads their imaginations into the earth and through the surrounding terrain. - John McPheeIf I'm going to drive safely, I can't do geology. - John McPheeCheck out my Blog for more fossils I've found: http://viewsofthemahantango.blogspot.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted December 14, 2010 Author Share Posted December 14, 2010 Roger, great report and pics! Thanks for the virtual tours of these otherwise unknown and inaccessible localities for those of us in the US. Thanks! More to follow.... Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted December 14, 2010 Author Share Posted December 14, 2010 So...here are a few other things that can be found there: Aspidoceras binodum and its Laevaptychus, Oxfordium Plegiocidaris(rare for here) and the sponge Tremadictyon reticulatum, Kimmeridgeium Typical little guys from Oxford Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Dactyll Posted December 14, 2010 Share Posted December 14, 2010 Roger.... the details preserved on the Plegiocidaris make that an extra special fossil... very nice... Cheers Steve... And Welcome if your a New Member... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted December 14, 2010 Author Share Posted December 14, 2010 Roger.... the details preserved on the Plegiocidaris make that an extra special fossil... very nice... Yes, I was pleased with that one, although only half of it is preserved. The other half is lost to posterity. Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nandomas Posted December 14, 2010 Share Posted December 14, 2010 (edited) Roger, thanks to share those field trips with us. Edited December 14, 2010 by Nandomas Erosion... will be my epitaph! http://www.paleonature.org/ https://fossilnews.org/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted December 14, 2010 Author Share Posted December 14, 2010 Roger, thanks to share those field trip with us. You're welcome! Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted March 28, 2020 Author Share Posted March 28, 2020 I felt it necessary to update this thread.The ownership of the quarry changed again a couple of years ago and it is now no longer possible to get permission to collect. You will be booked and fined if caught there illegally. Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notidanodon Posted March 28, 2020 Share Posted March 28, 2020 That’s a shame it looked great Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted March 28, 2020 Author Share Posted March 28, 2020 7 hours ago, will stevenson said: That’s a shame it looked great Yes it was. Pity. 1 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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