digit Posted May 20, 2014 Author Share Posted May 20, 2014 I'm going to freeze-thaw that one a couple more times to see if a seam develops. Mazon Creek will soon be a lot closer to me--we're headed back up to Chicago for another visit in a couple of weeks and my wife and I hope to get back out to Mazon Creek again. We've got large suitcases just begging to be ballasted with some nodules again. -Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilized6s Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 Let's get something together, if you want. ~Charlie~ "There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why.....i dream of things that never were, and ask why not?" ~RFK ->Get your Mosasaur print ->How to spot a fake Trilobite ->How to identify a CONCRETION from a DINOSAUR EGG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted May 28, 2014 Author Share Posted May 28, 2014 The freezing and thawing continues. Many of the smaller nodules I've been cycling looked like they might benefit from the business end of a hammer so during one of the thaws I took some outside to lightly tap around the edges with a hammer. Many nodules responded by promptly popping apart cleanly--though none revealed any fossil surprises (though a few had white splotches reminiscent of what sea gulls might leave on your windshield after a day at the beach). I decided to add this hammer nudging treatment to several other nodules that looked like they wanted to pop but hadn't. I was rewarded with many more that gave way like oysters at a shucking contest. Several would open along a nice flat plane except for very near the center where they left a small mound of rock on one half and a concavity on the other. Sometimes there were folds or other interesting shapes in this center area. I've broken a few of these nodules transversely to see if there was any sign of anything in the main plane under the lump but there was no coloration to indicate that there was anything present that could explain this deviation from the plane. One of the small elongate nodules that simply screamed "fern" from the outside delivered a nice leaflet. It looks like more of the pinnules might be hiding under a small covering of rock but I'll likely not try to prep-out any more of this (as I'll likely botch things and ruin it). So many of these small elongate nodules have split to reveal absolutely nothing inside that it is good to see at least one live up to my expectations. Today, one of the larger nodules that had up till now just been flaking its outer layers finally popped revealing a flat-topped barrel-shaped dark blob which I take to be an Essexella asherae jellyfish (though I'm never sure with something this featureless). I had found one smaller Essexella years ago in a half nodule that had been naturally weathered out. I enjoy showing that fossil to friends as I love the look on their faces when I tell them it is a fossilized jellyfish. This understandably seems to be oxymoronic and I always get a grin when you watch them try to process this incongruity after they first give you that look to see if you are pulling their leg. Will continue to photograph anything that looks more fossiliferous than bird droppings appearing out of these nodules. Lighting is so much more tricky trying to make these faint trace fossils look visible that I end up taking a dozen or more photos in different lighting to get one that comes close to what you can see with the naked eye. Meg teeth are so much easier to photograph.... More as it happens. -Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TNGray Posted May 29, 2014 Share Posted May 29, 2014 Sweet fern! Blobs are ... well ... blobs. Looks like lots more fun to come! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrangellian Posted May 29, 2014 Share Posted May 29, 2014 Looks like an Essexella to me (not a difficult bet, anyway)... Good job photo'ing, it's clear enough to me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted June 4, 2014 Author Share Posted June 4, 2014 Might possibly have the first interesting news to report from my "basket of Easter eggs". One of the smaller nodules (~1 x 1.25 inches) popped textbook perfect and for once there seemed to be something contained within. I've looked at it under magnification and it kind of appears shrimp-like but I may be reading more into it than there is. Attached is a photo for those in the know to comment on. Persistence pays off with an early birthday present. Cheers. -Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted June 6, 2014 Author Share Posted June 6, 2014 Bumping this to see if anybody wants to offer an ID as the limit of my Mazon Creek ID skills are Essexella jellyfish and fern parts. Hoping for some more interesting nodules on tomorrow's hunt. -Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stocksdale Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 That's a cool looking one, Ken. Look forward to hearing an ID. Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.–Carl Sagan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Russell Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 That's a nice one, Ken. Well, it's either a shrimp or a worm. I'm not really certain. Hopefully RC will catch up with this thread. Finding my way through life; one fossil at a time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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