Synechodus Posted September 17, 2009 Share Posted September 17, 2009 (edited) A report of my latest trip, already toooooooo long ago It's to the same quarry as the previous trip report. For those who missed out on that one: "The location is a quarry where Late Cretaceous deposits are turned into cement. It called "ENCI" and is situated at the outskirts of Maastricht, close the border with Belgium. Close observers will already have guessed the age of those deposits and yes, they are of Maastrichtian origin (what a surprise). In this particular quarry almost the complete Maastrichtian is accessible. As a matter of fact: holds the official stratotype for this period." Once again we (my son Maarten, my friend Gerrit-Jan and me) decided to go for the small echs and once again we had a blast. This time I had annouced to everyone who wanted to hear - or did not for that matter - that I would finally find me a nice Salenia. Check out the pics to find out whether I succeeded.... The roll call in the parking lot, sharing stories. A view of the loading area with two trucks for cement. Heading through the facilities to the quarry in the back. Second holding area: waiting for the all is clear signal and the final briefing. Overview of the quarry. All deposits are of the Late Cretaceous, the Maastrichtian to be precise. On top is the "Meerssen Chalk" where we go hunting for echinoids. Let's go. My son is the one with the safety helmet askew. Anybody seen my contact lens? A landscape of mini hoodoos, chiseled out by the rain. Ideal for hunting small echinoids: just look at the tops of the mini hoodoos. A Procassidulus lapiscancri on top of a mini hoodoo. Another Procassidulus lapiscancri on top of a mini hoodoo. Continued in next post Edited September 17, 2009 by Synechodus "And the men who hold high places, Must be the ones to start To mould a new reality, Closer to the Heart" (Rush, "Closer to the Heart" from the album "A Farewell to Kings") Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Synechodus Posted September 17, 2009 Author Share Posted September 17, 2009 .....Continued from previous post And another one. This one was just lying on the floorbed. Notice how the moss is starting to come out... A Procassidulus lapiscancri upside down on top of another hoodoo. Last but not least ..... 15 minutes into the hunt I found this beautiful salenia, my first. A find that was only equalled by two rare Rhynchopygus marmini, also a first, that I found later on in the hunt. A close-up of this beauty Happy with our finds, we head out again as over our heads ominous black clouds gather. As we drive home the rains pour down, chiseling out a new load of echinoids ...... to be collected on another trip......... Cheers, Paul "And the men who hold high places, Must be the ones to start To mould a new reality, Closer to the Heart" (Rush, "Closer to the Heart" from the album "A Farewell to Kings") Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grandpa Posted September 17, 2009 Share Posted September 17, 2009 Great report, love the photos. Beautiful echs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommabetts Posted September 17, 2009 Share Posted September 17, 2009 Love the pics and story along with it. Very nice echs!!!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnJ Posted September 17, 2009 Share Posted September 17, 2009 Great report and photography, Paul. You have got to love the "mini hoodoos" - nature's pedestals. The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true. - JJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jax Posted September 17, 2009 Share Posted September 17, 2009 Nice trip Paul! Looks like an awesome place to crawl around Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MB Posted September 17, 2009 Share Posted September 17, 2009 Hey there in ENCI are a lot of crabs also. I found there someones. Nice site and nice photos http://www.mbfossilcrabs.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Synechodus Posted September 17, 2009 Author Share Posted September 17, 2009 Great report and photography, Paul. You have got to love the "mini hoodoos" - nature's pedestals. That's exactly right: nature's pedestals that's the right phrase. I have hunted there twice now and I can tell you it's addictive! Cheers, Paul "And the men who hold high places, Must be the ones to start To mould a new reality, Closer to the Heart" (Rush, "Closer to the Heart" from the album "A Farewell to Kings") Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Synechodus Posted September 17, 2009 Author Share Posted September 17, 2009 Nice trip Paul! Looks like an awesome place to crawl around Maybe some day we get to crawl around there together so I can repy my debt to you ......? Cheers, Paul "And the men who hold high places, Must be the ones to start To mould a new reality, Closer to the Heart" (Rush, "Closer to the Heart" from the album "A Farewell to Kings") Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Synechodus Posted September 17, 2009 Author Share Posted September 17, 2009 Hey there in ENCI are a lot of crabs also. I found there someones. Nice site and nice photos Hey MB, I assume you refer to the claws of Protocallianassa faujasi? Those can be very nice indeed. Not my primary interest, but I have collected some in the past. Cheers, Paul "And the men who hold high places, Must be the ones to start To mould a new reality, Closer to the Heart" (Rush, "Closer to the Heart" from the album "A Farewell to Kings") Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted September 17, 2009 Share Posted September 17, 2009 Great pictures. They make me want to go there (where's my passport? ). Looks like a great place to hunt. Nice salenia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MB Posted September 18, 2009 Share Posted September 18, 2009 Hey MB, I assume you refer to the claws of Protocallianassa faujasi? Those can be very nice indeed. Not my primary interest, but I have collected some in the past. Cheers, Paul And few more... but little ones http://www.mbfossilcrabs.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shamalama Posted September 18, 2009 Share Posted September 18, 2009 Beautiful finds and a great way to hunt! Congrats on your Salenia find too! -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...
Martijn Posted September 18, 2009 Share Posted September 18, 2009 Nice Paul! I hope to visit you again next year. I couldn't see your names any longer on the Hannover list, is it a no-go? Ciao Martijn Qua patet orbis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Synechodus Posted September 18, 2009 Author Share Posted September 18, 2009 (edited) Nice Paul! I hope to visit you again next year. I couldn't see your names any longer on the Hannover list, is it a no-go? Ciao Martijn Hé Buddy, Sure missed you and me hunting together this year. When you come over next year, try and include a trip to the ENCI in your schedule. I'll show you the sweet spot(s). Please don't mention Hannover ..... Yes, we are off the list: it's just too far and I still have so much to do to my home and garden before the coming winter and this trip would cost me a whole weekend and more ..... so I don't even bother to raise the issue. I know the answer. Maybe I can and will hit the ENCI that same weekend, that would only cost me half a day and ......there is always next year. Hey, why don't you find me some nice Micraster, Galeola, Galeritis, Echinocorys or Salenia heberti...... I got some Eocene teeth from Maroc, yes: Eocene ......... Take care, Paul Edited September 18, 2009 by Synechodus "And the men who hold high places, Must be the ones to start To mould a new reality, Closer to the Heart" (Rush, "Closer to the Heart" from the album "A Farewell to Kings") Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LanceH Posted September 18, 2009 Share Posted September 18, 2009 Too cool! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martijn Posted September 18, 2009 Share Posted September 18, 2009 (edited) Hé Buddy, Sure missed you and me hunting together this year. When you come over next year, try and include a trip to the ENCI in your schedule. I'll show you the sweet spot(s). Please don't mention Hannover ..... Yes, we are off the list: it's just too far and I still have so much to do to my home and garden before the coming winter and this trip would cost me a whole weekend and more ..... so I don't even bother to raise the issue. I know the answer. Maybe I can and will hit the ENCI that same weekend, that would only cost me half a day and ......there is always next year. Hey, why don't you find me some nice Micraster, Galeola, Galeritis, Echinocorys or Salenia heberti...... I got some Eocene teeth from Maroc, yes: Eocene ......... Take care, Paul Hey Bud, Looking forward to hunt the ENCI, I am ashamed to tell you that I haven't been there yet. You know when I was still living in Holland there was only the Miocene-Pliocene that ruled, hahaha. Thanks for your offer, but I am not into Maroc any longer, only when the teeth are big, hahaha. Maybe some Cretaceous Belgic Hemi's Ciao Martijn Edited September 18, 2009 by Martijn Qua patet orbis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eureka Posted September 19, 2009 Share Posted September 19, 2009 Great history behind the pictures. I enjoyed them. Such a nice moments in life, are a big support for your day afetr day basis. Thanks for sharing that moments! Eureka Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred Posted September 25, 2009 Share Posted September 25, 2009 Paul, Very impressive! I like the way you guys dare to be creative, try a non-conformist, low-effort approach, and it's amazing to see how well it pays off. Those finds are absolutely top notch. Paleo database, information and community Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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