Fossil-Quest!

Texas Fossil Day Trips: Jacksboro

Texas has such an incredible diversity of ecosystems and geology. In Central Texas, we typically have Cretaceous rocks and fossils (65-150 MYO) but head a bit North and there are rocks that are more than TWICE as old…from the Carboniferous Period, around 300 MYO. One of the most amazing place is in Jacksboro TX , just a bit North-East of Fort Worth. There are numerous sites around the entire area, with the Mineral Wells Fossil Park being one of the places I recommend all the time…a public access fossil park where you get to keep everything you find! As part of the Paleontological Society of Austin, we are lucky to have permission to hunt some of the more “out of the way” localities. This spot in Jacksboro is one such place. It is one of those sites that you can literally spend hours and hours fossil hunting! Everytime I go I find something new that I’ve never found before. This time was no exception!

The PSoA took our annual trip there a few months ago and we had a lovely day for fossil hunting…not too cool, not too hot.. and days like that are very special in Texas! I also hauled out two 5 Gallon buckets of micro matrix to process when I got home. And I am glad I did….some of the micro stuff is superb!

The Pennsylvanian Period within the Carboniferous is primarily brachiopods, crinoids, corals, bryozoans and gastropods, with nautiloids, straight shelled cephalopods and goniatites as special sprinkles throughout. There are some other really special fossil found at this site too: an interesting early bivalve called a Rostroconch, shark teeth and trilobites (although I havn’t found any of those!) and the occasional echinoid fragment.

This is a lovely big Rostroconch I found this time. I’ve only found two others, they are not exactly common. Apotocardium lanterna

This brachiopod is a new find for me – Fimbrinia sp…it’s a very pretty spiny little brach that I have been hoping to find for some time. Another nice find was this Kozlowskia splendens, a beautiful brach with a pearlescent shell.

The ammonoid Goniatites are always a prized find at Jacksboro. Sometimes you’ll find a decent sized on in the field, typically broken or othewise weathered, but if you are especially lucky, a good one. I have collected a quite a few pieces of an amazing Goniatite called Gonioloboceras. They are known for their zig zag pattern sutures. I thought I had finally found a whole one, was so thrilled I nearly tripped over myself climbing up to get it:

I was a bit sad to find out that the center was gone, but it’s still the most complete one I’ve found so far. The other side is more complete, but more weathered too.

I found one other tiny goniatite while onsite, but the micro matrix yielded a plethora of the tiny ammonoids.

Top Row- R: Glaphyrites millsi C: Imitoceras grahamensis L: Neodimorphoceras texanum

Bottom Row: Prouddenites grafordensis C: Wiedeyoceras pingue L: Unknown

Although I have found a variety of crinoid parts (spines, columnals, etc) I had not found a complete calyx yet. Happily I found two this trip!

These are a couple of the micro crinoid finds – the first is a primibrachial auxillary, but the second piece is something which I have no idea what it is…except I am fairly sure it’s crinoidy.

A few more of my favorite finds are the Gastropods – there are many different gastopods found in the Pennsylvanian Period and this Cymatospira montfortianus is my absolute favorite.

While not all of these were found on this trip, these are some of the Gastropods typically found at the Jacksboro site:

Top Row: Trepospira discoidalis, Glabrocingulum sp., and Pharkidonotus percarinatus

Second Row : Worthenia tabulata, Euphemites vittatus, and Straparollus sp.

Bottom Row: Strobeus sp., Spiroscala pagoda and Pseudozygopleura scitula

And finally, some little corals. The Lophophylidium are very common, the other two, not as much. Top: Lophophylidium spinosum (L) and profundum (R)

Striatopora plummeri (L) and Palaeacis perpendicularis (R)

I am already excited about heading back out to Jacksboro and plan on going to Mineral Wells Fossil Park – it’s been a few years since I’ve been there and amazingly, even though hundreds and hundreds of people hunt there….there’s always more fossils to find! And if you want more Fossil-Quest – check out www.fossil-quest.com! Happy Hunting!

Micro Fossils! Hunting from Home- Jurassic UK

The Jurassic Coast of England is a UNESCO World Heritage site – it is the famous home of Mary Anning who made some of the most important discoveries of marine reptiles in England. Lyme Regis is the most well known site, with its Ammonite Pavement and shops catering to fossil hunting tourists. I, however, chose to go to a lesser known location in the little town of Weymouth. If you read my post on Fossil-Quest Trips: Jurassic Coast, England you will learn more about my little jaunt to the coast! After a very successful hunt on location, I realized I wasn’t quite done with my Jurassic Coast obsession, so I contacted my fossil guide and talked him into sending me (through the post!) some micro matrix from the site we had collected at. He wasn’t really sure why I wanted dirt at first, but finally acquiesced to my request! And oh my was it worth it. So many tiny things that escape detection until you get it under a microscope. So here are some favorite finds from the Oxford Clay formation microfossils from the Jurassic Coast!

Ammonites Kosmoceras spinosum (L) and Distichoceras bicostatum (R)

Ammonites Kosmoceras spinosum (L) and (R) Quenstedtoceras sp.

Of course, the ammonites are my favorite. Who doesn’t love their elegant spiral and varied decor? And some of these are pyratized to add even more amazingness to them! The Quenstedtoceras is limonite replaced as opposed to pyrite, you can see the difference in coloration. But as much as I love ammonites, I might just love crab claws the same amount! The first one is Glyphaea sp. It is the only one I have been able to confidently ID.

And some Crab Legs!

As you can tell, this was a marine environment: shallow bays surrounded by deeper seas in which roamed the mosasaurs, ichthyosaurs and pliosaurs….and sharks….

Carpet Shark Akaimia sp. (L) and Angel Shark Pseudorhina sp.

Shark Heterodontus sp. (L) and Unknown Genus (R)

A variety of other marine vertebrates- what I think is a Ray tooth (Top) and Fish teeth – Amia sp. (bottom L) and Sphenodus sp. (R)

Some of the most exciting finds for me were tiny starfish bits – there are two different types starfish fossils I found in the Jurassic micromatrix, with only one of them that I know is described in scientific literature – the brittlestar Ophiomusium weymouthiense. I found some bits and pieces, nothing quite as amazing as a whole one, but hey, I’ll take any bit I can find! The first piece (front and back) are a bit of leg and the last may be a bit of the central body.

This is a second type of starfish, a fatter asteroidea style. These ossicles are similar to ones I have found in the Cretaceous formation (Glen Rose) of Texas.

A small bit of multiple ossicles -the patterning on them is very unusual.

And while on the subject of Echinoderms….you can’t forget the Crinoids! They are called Fairy Stars or Fairy Coins in England. They are VERY abundant! And very beautiful:

Of course, being a marine environment there are lots of gastropods also. Some are even pyratized, like the ammonites!

Gastropod Dicroloma trifida (L and middle) and Gastropod Procerithium damonis (R)

Gastropod Unknown (L) Gastropod Ooliticia oxfordiensis (middle) Gastropod Unknown (R)

And finally, a little pyratized bivalve Dacryomya acuta

As I said, SO MANY LITTLE THINGS you can completely miss! So next time you are out fossil hunting, grab a bag of dirt too..you never know what you’ll find! Keep your nose to the ground and Happy Hunting! And here’s my little website for more fossil fun! www.fossil-quest.com

Micro-Fossils: Hunting from Home- Florida Bone Valley

Florida is well known for its beautiful beaches, amazing Everglades and the occasional alligator…. What is less known (except for us fossil hunters!) is the abundance of fossils from the last 64 million years – from the Oligocene through the Pleistocene. Different parts of the state yield a variety of marine and land environment fossils. One of the most famous is the Peace River. There you find Miocene to Pleistocene era fossils. The Bone Valley Formation dates from the Middle Miocene through the Late Pliocene and is famous for it’s VERY colorful fossils. Most of the Peace River is phosphatic fossil replacement, so black fossils abound, but these are wonderfully colorful, with blues and yellows and oranges in every variation.

The Micro Matrix that I have been getting is from PaleoCris. He always throws in a few extra “big” fossils too! But it’s the micro matrix that I love! So many shark teeth, fish teeth and the occasional surprise Ray tooth plus lots of other goodies. Here are some of my favorites!

I have to start with this gloriously blue Galeocerdo contortus. It is truly one of my favorite fossil shark teeth I’ve ever found. It’s only about 1/4 inch big!

Next favorite is this amazingly patterned Ginglymostoma lehneri.

This little one is only 1/8 inch.

A few more little shark teeth above: Left Carcharhinus plumbeus Middle Carcharhinus obscurus and Right Unknown

Here are a few more Ginglymostoma lehneri or Nurse Shark Teeth.

Another of my favorite things to find is these unusual little ray teeth! These are Rhynchobatus sp. and they have a lot of variation in shape and color.

A selection of other Ray Teeth

A very common little find are Crab Claws. They are not often well preserved, but here are a few of the better ones.

Fish Teeth are also very common in the Micro Matrix. This is an interesting mouthplate of a Wrasse fish called Labrodon sp.

Some more of the various Fish Teeth

There are many more interesting fossils to be found in the Micro Matrix, like corals, gastropods, ray spines and vertebra.

I hope you enjoyed these beautiful fossils as much as I do! Their colors and patterns are some of the prettiest fossils I’ve ever come across. And if you want to see more micro fossils, check out my other blog posts! Keep your nose to the ground and happy fossil hunting! And check out my little website for more fossil fun! www.fossil-quest.com

Micro Fossils! Hunting from Home-Aurora NC

I have never been to North Carolina. But I have found lots of fossils from there! The Aurora Fossil Museum is famous for its amazing Miocene and Pliocene fossils and you can collect there if you are in the area…..OR they can send you micro matrix to peruse in the comfort of your own home! Here are some of my favorite fossils I’ve found from the Pungo River Formation matrix.

First up- SHARKS! Everyone loves the sharks….they are probably the most popular fossil finds. And granted, they are a cool as heck kinda find. Who doesn’t love a tiny shark tooth? And these are indeed tiny! About 1/4 to 1/8 inch, some a little smaller.

First are the Lamniforms:

Hardnose Shark Carcharhinus cf macloti (Left) Sand Tiger Shark Carcharias sp (Right)

Sharpnose Shark Rhizoprionodon fischeuri (Left) Tiger Shark Galeocerdo aduncus (Right)

Next up is are some “specialty” teeth…a variety of interesting sharks.

Cat Shark Scyliorhinus sp. (Left) Cookie Cutter Shark Isistius sp. (Right)

Whale Shark Rhincodon cf typus (Left) Denticle of Bramble Shark Echinorhinus brucus (Right)

Also common are Ray teeth – Dasyatis sp. (left) and Mobula sp. (Right)

Myliobatid (Left) and Raja sp. (Right)

Some of the other astounding things that can be found in the Aurora matrix:

Dolphin Tooth (Right) and Burr Fish Mouthplate (Left)

Little crab claws

Corals and Bryozoans

Tiny Vertebrae

Sting Ray Tail Spine (Left) and Echinoid Spine (Right)

There are many many more interesting tiny things found in this matrix. I still have some more of it to look through and who knows what I will find next! I you want to see more Micro Matrix finds, check out my other blog posts or visit my little website at www.fossil-quest.com! Happy Fossiling!

Micro Fossils! Hunting from Home

I LOVE HUNTING FOSSILS…..and I love making trips to interesting places and mucking about in nature to find these beautiful things. But I have also discovered how nice it is to hunt from my own home! I have become a bit obsessed with finding micro matrix to bring home and look at under my little Celestron microscope (which plugs right into my computer, so the screen is where you see the tiny fossils!). I sit and enjoy the comfort of my chair and Air Conditioning (being in Texas, A/C is a necessity) and have fun finding all kinds of tiny things!

You can find some micro matrix online – I recently got some from PaleoCris, a great batch of Bone Valley Formation from Florida. But most often I will just get a gallon bag of dirt/gravel from a “local” site and clean it up myself. It takes some hours (or days!) to get it all cleaned, and a multi-sized sieve is a must. But the results are astounding….what may seem like a not very productive site can have the most amazing tiny stuff!

So here are some of my most recent favorite fossil finds….in micro!

From the Bone Valley Formation in Florida. Miocene to Pliocene Epoch. The colors are just amazing.

Left: Shark Carcharhinus plumbeus Right: Shark Galeocerdo contortus

Left: Ray Rhynchobatus sp. Right: Fish Labrodon sp.

A bit closer to home, I was lucky to find a small outcropping of Cretaceous Del Rio/Grayson formation in the riverbed. It didn’t seem like much- just a bunch of rams horn oysters, but I knew the Del Rio had good micro stuff, so collected 60 lbs of mud and it took DAYS to break it down to get to the fossils!

Left: Ammonite Anisoceras sp. Right: Unknown Crab Claws

Left: Unknown Crab Claw Right: Crinoid Roveocrinus signatus

Some Texas Pennsylvanian Microfauna:

Left: Goniatite Peritrochia sp. Right: Rostroconch Apotocardium sp.

Left: Trilobite Genal Spine Right: Goniatite Uddenites sp.

Another “close to home” for me is Cretaceous Glen Rose Formation. It is always one of my favorites because of the Echinoderms – both sea urchins (Echinoids) and starfish stuff.

Left: Echinoid Hyposalenia phillipsae Left: Shark Vertebra

Left: Starfish Madreporite Right: Crinoid Solanocrinites sp.

I finally got to go to Oklahoma to some special hunting spots with the Paleontological Society of Austin. And of course, I brought home some matrix! Devonian and Silurian Eras.

Left: Trilobite Pygydium Right: Crinoid Arm

Left: Brachiopod Dicoelosia sp. Right: Bryozoan

Left: Crinoid stem fragment Right: Bryozoan

And the finale for this blog post (there’s more!! but that will have to be another post!) is from the Browning Cretaceous Fossil Park in Mississippi. I sieved a three gallon bucket full in the creek and while I didn’t find anything on site (nothing big enough to be of notice) I found some AMAZING stuff under the microscope!

Left: Shark Odontaspis sp. Right: possibly Scyliorhinus sp

Left: Fish Xiphactinus sp. Right: Unknown Fish Tooth

Left: Worm Hamulus onyx Right: Unknown Tooth

I hope you enjoyed this little foray into the micro world! And as always, check out my little website www.fossil-quest.com and other blog posts for more fun fossil finds! Keep your nose to the ground and happy hunting!

Texas Fossil Day Trips: Whiskey Bridge

The Brazos River runs through Central Texas from up near Lubbock all the way to the Gulf Coast. On its meandering way it goes just south of Bryan/College Station. (If you want a great book about the Brazos check out this book : Exploring The Brazos River written and photographed by my Mom and Dad!) The Whiskey Bridge as it is locally known, crosses the Brazos and is a lovely photo moment…with an old train tressle and a dramatic drop to the river. And some great fossil hunting.

It is an Eocene (33-55 MYA) outcrop which is fairly rare for Central Texas which is primarily Cretaceous (65-100 MYA). A wide variety of marine species can be found in fantastically preserved condition. They seem like seashells that you might have just picked up on the shore, but they are quite a bit older! And can be quite fragile too. They ARE fossilized (they sink in water- that’s how you can tell if you picked up a modern snail shell in with your fossil shells, as I did this last trip…thought I’d found something new! Ah well). But they are abundant and beautiful. There are some rare finds to be found as well – shark teeth, ray teeth, crab material and a really cool thing – a cuttlefish prong.

The first time I went, the river was flooded. I had never been there before, but was passing through so stopped to check it out and was unable to get anywhere near the good fossiling because the water was so high, but I poked around on the high ground and was happily rewarded with my best cuttlefish prong to date. Subsequent trips I was able to climb down to the more productive cliff banks. It can be a very treacherous climb if it has been raining. The dark brown soil is VERY slick and the river can rise quickly, so make sure it hasn’t been raining anywhere upstream!

The main fossils – gastropods, bivalves, bryozoans and corals- are easy to see. They are white against the dark soil. The vertebrate material is much more difficult- the shark teeth, ray teeth, fish bones and such are dark black/brown and are almost impossible to see unless you are looking in just the right spot or light. But they are there! Here are some of my favorite finds so far. I have been there many times and will go many times more!

The Sharks: Clockwise from Left: Serratolamna koerti (size 1 1/2 inch), Shark Abdounia enniskilleni (size 1/4 inch) and Unknown Shark Tooth (size 1/2 inch). There are a couple of other sharks represented in the fauna at Whiskey Bridge, but I have not found them yet.

Other interesting vertebrate stuff: Cuttlefish Prong Belosaepia ungula Size 1 inch

Clockwise from Upper Left: Ray Myliobatis, Fish Tooth Amia sp., Crab Claw, Fish Spine, Unknown Vertebra and a different species Crab Claw

The Coral and Bryozoans are some of my favorite things – they are less common, but still fairly abundant. The Bryozoans tend to be very small…I find most of those when I look through the micro matrix (I always take a gallon baggie of dirt home with me to search through later on my microscope camera!)

Corals : Clockwise from Left: Madracis johnsoni, Endopachys maclurii, Turbinolia pharetra and Balanophyllia desmophyllum

Bryozoans: Lunulites bouei and Schizorthosecos sp.

And the MOST abundant fossils are the Gastropods. So many gastropods! And each are amazing – so varied in their architecture. I am not EVEN going to post all of them, just my favorites….and there’s quite a few of those!

I’ll just post them (mostly) alphabetically: Architectonica scrobiculata and elaborata

Athleta lisbonensis and petrosus

Bonellitia parilis – – Buccitriton texanum

Distorsio septemdentata – – Cochlespiropsis engonata

Conus sauridens and tortilis

Gegania antiquata – – Hastula houstonia

Latirus moorei – -Levifusus mortoniopsis

Mesalia clairbornensis – -Papillina dumosa

Terebra texagyra – -Tiburnus texanus

There are many many more genera of gastropods at this site! I have a few I still hope to find someday. Keeps me going back, for sure. Another of the very interesting things found at Whiskey Bridge are ootoliths. They are actually fossilized fish ear bones. They are tiny and fascinating. Signata stenzeli and Ekokenia eporrecta

There are also some lovely bivalves, not as many as one might expect from a marine environment, but these are my favorite: Venericardia rotunda, Vokesula smithvillensis and Barbatia uxorispalmeri

The sheer amount of fossils at Whiskey Bridge keeps me returning again and again. Each time I find something new or a better specimen. So keep an eye out for that train tressle and climb down the embankment (and mind the river!) and go find some fossils! Keep your nose to the ground!

For more Fossiling Fun, visit my website www.fossil-quest.com Happy Hunting!

PS. and check out my other blogs too! 🙂

Texas Fossil Day Trips : North Sulphur River

From Central Texas (San Marcos) it is a bit of a drive up to the North Sulphur River. A 5 hour drive to be exact! So that means I don’t get up there very often, but I have visited 4 times. Each time the river gives up something special. I have not had the pleasure of finding the mosasaur material I have wanted, the NSR seems to not be willing to give up those treasures to me, but I have found some very nice stuff and been gifted my “treasures” by other fossil hunters who are lucky enough to find them! Often fossil hunting is a combination of luck and time…..being able to go to a place many times and just a little luck usually means you’ll find the good stuff!

As I mentioned, Mosasaur fossils are the big draw on the NSR, but the ammonites are a close second. There are some amazingly preserved ammonites and other cephalopods (particularly the baculites- they can be found in abundance!) Also, lovely gastropods, the occasional shark tooth or vert, turtle and fish material can be found if you know what to look for. The water level can change dramatically so always check the river levels (google it!) before you go.

Sadly, the very fossil rich areas are going to be under a new lake in a short time (2025) and the dam being built has necessitated the move of the Ladonia Fossil Park to an area that is more mud than gravel bank, but the river IS still accessible at this point.

Here are some of my favorite finds from my few times on the North Sulphur. I never found my mosasaur tooth or vertebra, but maybe I’ll get back there before the lake is filled. But thanks to the generosity of other fossil hunter friends, I DO have those “treasures” in my collection!

My most “coveted” – a mosasaur tooth Tylosaur sp. Size: 1 3/4 inch A Big Thanks to my friend George for gifting it to me. He apparently has found SO MANY he doesn’t mind giving them away….hahahah!

Mosasaur Vertebra Size 2 inches A Thank You to Lance for this lovely chunk o bone!

I may not have found my own Mosasaur Vertebra, but I was happy to find this big ole shark vertebra on my last trip! It’s a beauty. 1 inch

Shark Teeth are found fairly regularly on the NSR with Goblin Shark Scapanoryhnchus and my favorite, Squalicorax, being the most commonly found.

Squalicorx falcatus Scapanorhynchus texanus

The straight cephalopod Baculites are one of the most common things you will find – they are literally everywhere. Big chunks, small chunks, not very well preserved ones and some remarkably so. I love them. I have a hard time NOT picking up ALL of them!

One of my very most favorite finds are these amazing ammonites called Trachyscaphites spiniger. They are one of the most unusual looking ammonites. Finding a whole one is a real treat. The first one was gifted to me by my friend John (THANK YOU!) and then I finally found myself one. I love my little red one with the bit of nacre still on it.

Often all you find is chunks. Whole ammonites are a bit rare, unless you are willing to do some serious excavating. Some people are happy to chip away at limestone, but I am more of a “pick it up off the ground” kind of hunter. So I only have chunks of a variety of ammonite species that are found there.

Pachydiscus paulsoni 4 inches

This ammonite is rarely found in a “take home” condition. They are very very fragile. I was happy to find one that, while not in great condition, was still good enough to take home!

This was a beautiful big one, with a couple of Inoceramid clams too.

I’ve been lucky enough to find a couple of turtle pieces, too. The first is a plastron (1.25 inch) , part of the shell and the second is a coracoid bone (1.5 inch) , part of the upper arm.

And while I have not found a mosasaur vert or tooth, I have found some other bits and pieces – a part of the jaw called a quadrate. Size 4 inches

Rib Bone 2 inches

And while I didn’t find THIS, I was there when it was found by my friend Lance! He snagged it right out from under me! He saw it…I didn’t. Lucky guy. Jaw section with tooth roots. Size 2 inches

Another neat “chunk-o-saurus” unidentified bone Size 4 inches

Fish stuff is also found at NSR. This is probably part of a jawbone of an Enchodus, a sharp toothed fish that could get VERY large.

An Enchodus tooth Size 3/4 inch

I love the variety of colors of the fossils from North Sulphur River -the phosphorous black and the “red beds” . These gastropods illustrate the two colors. Gyrodes upper left, probably Anchura top right and bottom right. Other is unknown.

And finally, another “very special” piece that was gifted to me and is one I love to show off to friends asking if they can guess what it might be. So far no one has guessed! It’s Coprolite – fossilized excrement! It’s quite beautiful, I think! Don’t you? 😀

For more Fossil Fun, check out my other blog posts and my website www.fossil-quest.com! Happy Hunting!

Texas Fossil Day Trips: Del Rio Formation

There are only a few spots that you can access the Del Rio Formation in Central Texas and the most “famous” is the Waco Pit. Now Waco is an interesting place….you may or may not have heard of of it from various points of view (it’s been on the news and TV shows) but you may not know that it has a fantastic Zoo AND the Mammoth National Monument! A group of Colombian mammoths and other Pleistocene animals were discovered in a creek bed and have been excavated and housed in a wonderful walk through facility. Highly recommended for a little Day Trip! But right down the road is also the Waco Pit….an amazing fossiliferous area that is only accessible with a Permit from the Corps of Engineers. AND….you only get to take TWO fossils. It’s a bit ridiculous, considering how fossiliferous it is, but thems the rules.

There are also some other areas that access the Del Rio (also knows as Grayson Formation further in North Texas) but those are strictly Fossil Hunter Secret Spots.

The Del Rio/Grayson is famous for its heteromorph ammonites called Mariellas (the bottom right image above) – an amazingly lovely spiraling ammonite that can be tiny (1/2 inch – picture above) or rather large 6-12 inches or more, like this one!

Mariella brazoensis 7 inches

A variety of echinoids are also found in the Del Rio, from Ceonholectypus and Hemiaster calvini to a really interesting one called Goniophorus scotti. The first one I found was LARGE (3/4 inch) but squished a bit. The second one was TINY but perfect (1/4 inch)

One of the more rare finds in the Del Rio are crustaceans. Whole crabs have been found at the Waco Pit, one with its EYES perfectly preserved, which was a scientific rarity and has helped further studies of ancient crabs (it was found by one of the Austin Paleontological Society Members….lucky duck). I have been happy to find a few crab claws at a couple of different locations. The are tiny, but fascinating:

Another of the MOST SPECTACULAR finds in the Del Rio are the starfish Ophiura sp. In some areas they are found preserved on flat plates of matrix, whole starfish with all legs and body parts assembled. I have yet to find something like that, but I have found numerous little leg sections – these are brittlestars, so their legs are long and whiplike. Here is a brittlestar from my collection (it is from Germany) so you can see what they look like fossilized as a whole:

Here are a couple of bits of brittlestar leg I have found from Central Texas, :

And of course, the Ammonites – my all time favorite! In addition to the Mariellas metioned above, there are a variety of “regular” ammonites found in the Del Rio. Here are a couple of different ones, all from the Waco Pit and all about 1/2 inch. And they are pyratized!

Adkinsia bosquensis, Otoscaphites subevolutus, and Paracalycoceras sp.

And speaking of pyratized….this brings me to one of my all time favorite finds! You may recognize it from my previous post! I stumbled across a tiny area in a creek that had pyratized Rams Horns (Illymatogyra arietina) and collected maybe 30 of them. I have gone back to the same place a few times since and it has always been underwater! I sometimes find one or two, but not like that day where it was dried up and they were all exposed. So sometimes, you just have a lucky day and find GOLD! Well, Fools Gold, anyways!

Hope you enjoyed the fossils from the Del Rio Formation! Hopefully I will find MORE for another post at another date! As always, Happy Hunting and keep your nose to the ground! For more fossil fun, go to www.fossil-quest.com or check out my other blog posts! Oh, and here are some pics of the Mammoth Monument! Go see it….it’s really amazing.

Texas Fossil Day Trips: Shoal Creek

Central Texas is well known for it’s creeks, rivers and lakes. All of which make for pretty good fossil hunting, especially if you know where to look! An out of state friend said “I think Texas is paved with fossils!” While that may not be completely true (there are certainly areas devoid of fossils) you can almost always find a few little somethings if you look hard enough. Around the Austin area, one of my favorite places is Shoal Creek. Most fossil hunters are not willing to share hunting spots, but Shoal Creek is a well known and frequented area, with a greenbelt park that runs almost the length of it.

The most commonly found fossils there are Ram’s Horn oysters – Illymatogyra arietina and Devil’s Toenails – Texigrypheae. But sometimes you can find ammonite fragments (or a whole one if you are really lucky!) or an echinoid or other interesting bits and bobs. Here are some of my favorites, including some of the little micro matrix finds. Not all fossils are big! The tiny ones, for me are sometimes even more special!

Shoal Creek represents a variety of formations: Buda, Georgetown, Del Rio/Grayson, and Eagle Ford Formations. It is a bit tricky knowing what fossil comes from what formation sometimes.

One of the rare whole ammonite I have found in Central Texas- usually it’s just fragments but sometimes, you get really lucky and find a lovely whole one! Budaiceras elegantior -2 inches

Another uncommon Ammonite from the Buda Formation: Faraudiella archerae – Size 1 1/4 inch

Often the ammonites are pretty waterworn, but it’s still exciting to find one! Paracalycoceras crotaloides – Size 1 1/2 inch

Echinoids are rather less common that ammonites, I’ve only found four or so, but they are there! Coenholectypus planatus, most likely from the Georgetown Formation. Size 1 inch

A very waterworn Leptosalenia volana from the Buda Formation. Size 3/4 inch

One of my “bucket list” fossils is a Trigonia clavigera. I have found MANY impressions, but never the actual fossil. I found these two “halves” about 100 feet apart. Sometimes the impression is almost as good as the actual fossil! I’ll keep telling myself that……

Coral is another relatively common find in Shoal Creek…sometimes it is tricky trying to distinguish coral from regular water eroded limestone, but looking for the regular “Star-like” pattern is key. Coral Montastrea sp. Size 2 inches

Ram’s Horn Oysters – Illymatogyra arietina are plentiful in Shoal Creek…literally in the thousands! Heck, probably millions! I love them. They are one fossil I can never get enough of. They range in size from 1/8 inch to 2 inches and the coloring varies wildly.

And, if you are really lucky, there is a spot that produces pyratized ones! I’ve only stumbled upon it once when it was not submerged underwater and collected a handful of glittery ram’s horns.

There are even more fossil finds when you look “small”….these are all 1/8 inch and smaller…Micro Fossils! While I have never found any big crab claws in Shoal Creek, I have found many tiny ones!

Another exciting Mini Fossil find are floating crinoids (comatulids) of a couple of different kinds. From the Del Rio/Grayson Formation: Crinoid Roveacrinus signatus

This one is TINY – about 1/16 inch -Crinoid Plotocrinus spiculatus

And finally, my two most favorite finds from the Shoal Creek Micro Fossils – a couple of bits of brittlestar arms- Ophiura sp. (from the Del Rio Formation) and a Ray tooth- Pseudohypolophus ellipsis from the Eagle Ford Formation

Well, there’s still more fossils to find out in the Creek! So keep your nose to the ground and find some fossils! And if you want more fossil info, check out my other blog posts and my little website www.fossil-quest.com . Happy Hunting!

Texas Fossil Day Trips: Walnut Formation -Gastropods

Summertime in Texas is usually a bit hot to be out fossil hunting, but this year has been surprisingly cool and rainy! So what better to do than take advantage of the good weather! The Walnut Formation is a very productive geologic layer that is approximately 105 Million Years Old. It pops up in a variety of locations in Central Texas, from Austin all the way up to North Texas. One of my favorite finds from the Walnut Formation are gastropods- there are so many different ones found in this formation! Plus quite a few that I have yet to find a good ID for…. So here are some of my favorites from the Walnut Formation!