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Don't Ever Give Up


Malcolmt

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I checked the internet for the Niagara Falls area. They were calling for thunderstorms with rain off and on for the day. I looked out the door at 6:30 to see dark clouds and water on the car. To go or not to go. Well as I had already packed my lunch last night and the fact that the site was 130 koliometers away, I decided to chance it and was pulling out the driveway at 7:00AM. I came close to not going though because of the thunderstorm warnings. (Boy am I glad I did not cancel out)

Well I arrived at the Eurypterid lagerstatten (Bertie Waterlime) at 8:30 after a 90 minute drive and quick stop at Tim Horton's (coffee) with the intention of staying until 4:00. I lifted bedding planes and split rock pretty much non stop until 3:00. Ok I did stop for 10 minutes at noon to eat my soup and drink my tea. By 3:00 I had pretty much found nothing. Couple tergites, a few fragments of tail and that was about it. I was pretty much worn out and my wrist and right shoulder ached. A 2 pound sledge gets mighty heavy after 6 to 7 hours.

Quarryman Dave from the forum had been here as well but had headed home just before 3:00. Unfortunately he left before anyone found anything....... I think he was having about as much luck as the rest of us. There were 4 collectors on site today.

So it was about 3:15 and I figured I would start to pack up and go home. Took some of my stuff back to the car and then went over to see how another collector ( we will call him Mr. T.) was doing. It was my intention to see how he was doing and say my goodbyes. Turns out he was having pretty much the same luck (or non luck ) as me. Then as I was standing there chatting with him he lets out a little sign of joy as he had just split open a slab and there was a complete paddle assembly from a quite rare eurypterid (not remites or lacustris). Now the delema do I leave after seeing somene else find something good. Well I think you all know the answer to that one.

Even though it was now 3:25. I could not just leave essentially skunked on the day. I had to do at just a little bit more before I could leave. I was now a little pumped having seen a quite unusual looking and large paddle assembly found by Mr. T. , so I went to the first hole I had worked at 8:30 and started to work like a mad man. Well within 5 minutes I pried up a section and could just see the edge of a head,it looked like a brown blob but as I started to clear around it it started looking real nice. There was that it seemed to have a walking leg visible. Most heads do not have their walking legs attached. I was getting very excited by this point. I used my small fine chisel for a bit and got it to the following stage.

post-4886-0-49893900-1336183311_thumb.jpg

It was sprayed with a little water to bring out the contrast for the picture.

I then proceeded to excavate all around the fossil.

I was very lucky that a seasoned Eurypterid hunter who we are calling Mr. T was there and he had a rock saw. He was able to cut me a pedastle around the slab

I then proceeded to split extremely carefully the top over the rest of the eurypterid. It came off in 5 heartbreaking and breathtaking at the same time pieces (the tops almost always split wrong on you) because as each one was removed we could see more of the Eurypterid until finally we got off the piece over the tail. I was now staring at a virtually complete in pefect condition eurypterus lacustris. More amazingly it was perfectly prone, not twisted and had both swimming paddles as well. By this point it was 4:15 and we had a bit of a crowd looking on. One of the onlookers who I will call Mr. S.C. is a bit of an expert on eurypterids ( he really is) and he commented that it may be the nicest one he has ever seen come out of this locale. Regardless if it is or is not it sure looks nice to me.

Dumb me was caught up in the momment though and did not take a picture of it complete in situ. I did however mark North on the slab itself so I do know the orientation. Mr. S.C. indicated that it was classic orientation based on where he believes the currents came from at this locale.

Here is the picture of the slab after I got it home. There is no gluing , preparation or restoration of any kind on this specimen. You see it exactly as it was cut, pedastalled and then split out of the slab. The measurements were 45 mm at the widest point, 151 mm straight line head to end of tail and 44 mm tail length.

post-4886-0-43897600-1336184416_thumb.jpg

Here are some links to higher resolution images

Eyrypterid Just poking out of Matrix

Virtually complete Eurypterid

The moral of the story. I was ready to pack up and go home. I was feeling sore and a bit sorry for myself for not really having found anything at all . But then someone elses find made me want to give it just 15 more minutes. Turned out to be my personal best fossil find ever and perhaps one that I will never equal again. It was found 1 foot from where I had been digging at 8:30 and had given up on by 9:30. It was about 2 inches below the surface level of the rock. I chose to dig in that spot solely because I could chat with Mr. T. who was a couple feet further over.

Thank you Mr. T. for the rock saw it would not have come out in one piece without it. And it never did rain... not a speck..... In fact got a bit of a sunburn on my face and arms.

post-4886-0-71115500-1336190541_thumb.jpg

Edited by Malcolmt
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Quite a showpiece! Congrats.

Grüße,

Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas

"To the motivated go the spoils."

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Beautiful!

And hence the reason for many an aching back: "Can't stop now! Who knows what the next rock contains?" ;)

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Wow amazing!!!! :drool: :Bananasaur: I would love to collect eurypterids...

BTW I have the exact same chisel. :P

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Gorgeous specimen

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Fantastic find. What a beautiful piece that makes to a collection.

Congratulations.

Robert
Southeast, MO

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Thanks for that. It is a great report with all of the elemrnts :)

Congratulations on a hard fought find.

Edited by squali

It's hard to remember why you drained the swamp when your surrounded by alligators.

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emo67.gifemo69.gifemo67.gif

World-Class-Museum-Quality-Fossil

emo57.gif Congrats Malcolm emo57.gif

image.png.a84de26dad44fb03836a743755df237c.png

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Great story, great fossil, great pictures, but greatest of all, the lesson on perserverance. Well played!

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Fantastic!!! Congratulations!!!

A well deserved reward for your efforts!

Steve

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Here is the complete slab better resolution. The arrow at the bottom right is pointing North (east is to the left west to the right)

post-4886-0-08342200-1336191142_thumb.jpg

A very knowledgeable eurypterid expert who we called Mr S.C. indicated that the orientation of this eurypterid is very typical of this location with the axis of the body basically being in a north / south orientation. His theory being that the current in this local was from the South to the North. The paddle that was found about 4 feet away was basically oriented with the long axis exactly the same way as this eurypterid. Both this fossil and the paddle appeared to have been in the same layer of rock plus or minus one bedding plane. The rock at this location tends to split into sheets about 1/3 to 1/2 inch in thickness.

Edited by Malcolmt
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I smell FOTM entry here. Congrats Malcom. Very cool, nice, amazing find. :) Jeff

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Absolutely stunning, Malcolm! I enjoyed your story about the rewards of perseverance.

The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true.  -  JJ

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Congratulations Malcomt! That is a truly amazing specimen. :greenwnvy:

"They ... savoured the strange warm glow of being much more ignorant than ordinary people, who were only ignorant of ordinary things."

-- Terry Pratchett

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FC, I suspect the friend that found the 1st pictures fossil was the same person who cancelled out on going today. I also suspect you know T and S.C. Three amazing pics, I am wondering what the story is behind that pterygotus

I still need to glue the other half back together it came out in 5 pieces but I think I have all of it and It was nicely wrapped so it should be repairable. A project for tomorrow...

Edited by Malcolmt
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Most excellent in every way!

I love how the appendages show through the head.

Context is critical.

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These are fantastic! Museum quality! Congratulations! :D

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In a word -WOW. That is definitely in the top few as far as quality. This may be premature, but congrats on your FOTM find, and I'd like to see whatever would top it for FOTY. Beautiful specimen

There's no limit to what you can accomplish when you're supposed to be doing something else

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congratulations Malcolm :)

"Your serpent of Egypt is bred now of your mud by the operation of your sun; so is your crocodile." Lepidus

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Wow. Congrats!

Edited by RickNC
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Fabulous find, Malcolm (serious drool-factor), and your narrative is in league with "Forum's Best".

I'm still catching my breath!

"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!

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