Hunting In Austin Chalk

[joecooper84]

I am so excited. I went to an Austin Chalk site shown to me by Dan and was lucky enough to see many fossils. I started hammering this one out around the edge, and, being stupid, got lazy half-way though and started going at it directly. I broke it in a few pieces, but that gave me a puzzle project to do at home and I got it mostly back together.

If anyone knows the name of it, I'd be happy to learn!

Raw in the ground

After it popped out

Side which was visible earlier

[joecooper84]

And here is the top view of the semi-prepped piece. I'd like to dust it off a bit more. Any tips on how to do it safely? Wire brush? Soft-bristle toothbrush?

I had seen this one at first. Hit around it a couple of times and though "nah, that's too hard to get out". After getting out my first one, I so wish I could have found this again! I bet it would have been near perfect.

Edited October 23, 2013 by joecooper84

[Uncle Siphuncle]

Nice display piece. I'd go with Eutrephoceras campbelli. Enjoy your handsome new acquisition.

As for cleaning, I'd just go with water and a plastic brush.

Man, that Austin Chalk is hard in certain beds! Makes an old broken down guy like me more selective. At times I'm afraid the ricocheting hand sledge is going to hit me in the head!

[PFOOLEY]

[Foshunter]

Nice find, keep on hunting, please show us your lates discoveries----Tom

[PFOOLEY]

Go "refind" the other.

[joecooper84]

Saturday the 1st I had an opportunity to go back and "refind" that one nautilus I had foolishly skipped, and was lucky enough to find it. This time I took out my phone and recorded a video of all my surroundings so I could find it again if I had to come back in the future.

I worked on it for two hours or so, hopping back and forth between this one and another nautilus in the Austin Chalk, and finally found a clearly visible guy who I just had to take home. It took less than ten whacks with the hammer and chisel, and broke apart, but did so in such a beautiful way.

I went back yesterday and began working on that original nautilus. While hammering away a father and son who were fossil hunting for their second time asked to see what I was working on. I could see they were excited, so I showed them some other, easier to access fossils nearby, and we shared tools and had a good time. It was nice to be able to share the experience, and I hope when my 2 year old gets older, she will enjoy fossil hunting with me.

I was a bit jealous of Mike and his son, as they had earlier found an ammonite in the area, which I have only seen imprints of. Very lucky. They also found what absolutely appears to be a long bone, and it was deep in rock. They were earlier taking a sledge hammer and beating boulders willy-nilly and found it. I asked them to join the forum and post pics of it so we could find out what it is.

Below are pics of the nautilus I worked hours on. It broke near the end, and Mike and his son exclaimed that what they had been calling "banana clams" were actually the inside chambers of a nautilus. It made them feel happy that they had found nautiluses earlier and didn't know it.

You can see the sun is getting lower, as the photos get more blue...

I thought I was so close to the bottom! I bet it was like the tip of an iceberg.

And it broke... now you can see a "banana clam"

The only part I was able to take home before the sun went down.

Thanks for looking!

[erose]

nice job.

[Uncle Siphuncle]

glad yall had fun! as i said, i left many for more motivated, younger strongbacks than myself. one thing is for dang sure...the austin chalk is not for work shy types!