Greg.Wood Posted December 6, 2017 Share Posted December 6, 2017 It was only 9 days since my previous (and first) trip to HH, but I was itching to go back and decided to take advantage of the mild weather this Monday. I spent most of the day on the north side of the south pit picking tiny fossils out of the mud. There are an astonishing variety of critters to find if you don't mind lying face down in the dirt. 1. Tiny trilobites! I was not expecting to find any trilobites until I spotted the guy on the left. Luckily I had a small ziplock bag or I would have lost these for sure. They are about 2.5 and 3.0 mm across the head. 2. Nautiloids Fragments like these are most common after brachiopod and crinoid bits 3. Ammonites/goniatites Also very common but one of my favorites, I will never find enough of these. 4. Brachiopods and bivalves Fragments everywhere but a bit harder to find complete 5. Another brach Nothing special, just nicely inflated and good detail on both sides 6. Another brach A little more interesting. I only found one like this. 7. Gastropod I found many fragments that suggest this shape but this one is by far the most compete. 8. Crinoid stem fragments Very abundant but these ones caught my eye 9. Part of a crinoid calyx? (opposite sides of the same piece shown) 10. Cystoid plates Could be wrong, I just learned about cystoids so I'm bound to imagine seeing them everywhere 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kane Posted December 6, 2017 Share Posted December 6, 2017 Well done! When I was there a day earlier, the Arkona mud was "blooming," so many of the lovely little bits were obscured. The Goniatites are always a delight to find, and you certainly hoovered up a good number of them! I find that the trilobites in the Arkona Fm tend to be fairly small. I think your #10 are crinoid holdfasts. Looks like you had a fantastic trip! ...How to Philosophize with a Hammer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LiamL Posted December 6, 2017 Share Posted December 6, 2017 I like those tiny Ammonites the most. Yorkshire Coast Fossil Hunter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shamalama Posted December 6, 2017 Share Posted December 6, 2017 24 minutes ago, Greg.Wood said: It was only 9 days since my previous (and first) trip to HH, but I was itching to go back and decided to take advantage of the mild weather this Monday. I spent most of the day on the north side of the south pit picking tiny fossils out of the mud. There are an astonishing variety of critters to find if you don't mind lying face down in the dirt. 1. Tiny trilobites! I was not expecting to find any trilobites until I spotted the guy on the left. Luckily I had a small ziplock bag or I would have lost these for sure. They are about 2.5 and 3.0 mm across the head. 2. Nautiloids Fragments like these are most common after brachiopod and crinoid bits 3. Ammonites/goniatites Also very common but one of my favorites, I will never find enough of these. 4. Brachiopods and bivalves Fragments everywhere but a bit harder to find complete 5. Another brach Nothing special, just nicely inflated and good detail on both sides 6. Another brach A little more interesting. I only found one like this. 7. Gastropod I found many fragments that suggest this shape but this one is by far the most compete. 8. Crinoid stem fragments Very abundant but these ones caught my eye 9. Part of a crinoid calyx? (opposite sides of the same piece shown) 10. Cystoid plates Could be wrong, I just learned about cystoids so I'm bound to imagine seeing them everywhere #4 are all bivalves (Pelecypods) with the bottom row being Paracyclas sp., next up is Nuculites triqueter., and the top row I am unfamiliar with. I'm surprised you didn't find any comma shaped specimens of Phestia which crawling around. #5 is probably a Rhipidomella sp. brachiopod #6 is a Cyrtina sp. brachiopod #7 I'm not sure of but that is a beauty to come out of the Arkona Fm. #9 is the base of a crinoid caylx, possibly Arthrocanta sp. #10 are Crinoid plates from a calyx. Frustratingly common. 16 minutes ago, LiamL said: I like those tiny Ammonites the most. The fossils in pic #3 are not Ammonites, they are Gonaitites. Ammonites don't appear until the Mesozoic. 4 -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...
Kane Posted December 6, 2017 Share Posted December 6, 2017 4 minutes ago, Shamalama said: #10 are Crinoid plates from a calyx. Frustratingly common. The fossils in pic #3 are not Ammonites, they are Gonaitites. Ammonites don't appear until the Mesozoic. Thanks, Dave. I got into the bad habit of just calling those holdfasts for some reason, but you're right that they are plates. Derp! And, yes, the Goniatites are not ammonites, but subclass Ammonoidea ...How to Philosophize with a Hammer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted December 6, 2017 Share Posted December 6, 2017 A splendid assortment of beautiful tiny creatures! Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted December 6, 2017 Share Posted December 6, 2017 Nice little haul! The great thing about these tiny ones is that you don't have to strain yourself to get them back to the car and also that they don't take up all that much space once you get them home Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoyouthinkhesaurusRex Posted December 6, 2017 Share Posted December 6, 2017 Very cool! Nice haul, indeed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miocene_Mason Posted December 6, 2017 Share Posted December 6, 2017 Love the trilos and the Gontiatites! Happy hunting, Mason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobby Rico Posted December 6, 2017 Share Posted December 6, 2017 Fantastic I never thought trilobites can be so small . Beautiful collection. Thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffrey P Posted December 6, 2017 Share Posted December 6, 2017 That's an amazing haul of beautiful pyrite preserved specimens there. The goniatites, nautiloids, bivalves, and the gastropod are my favorites. Congratulations and thanks for posting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Archie Posted December 7, 2017 Share Posted December 7, 2017 Awesome finds! Love the goniates! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossil-Hound Posted December 7, 2017 Share Posted December 7, 2017 Very nice little trilobites. Do or do not. There is no try. - Yoda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldtimer Posted December 7, 2017 Share Posted December 7, 2017 Very nice haul. I like the Brach in #5. It's what we find around my area. Very nice specimen. I also like the crinoid parts in 8 and 9. Thanks for sharing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg.Wood Posted December 7, 2017 Author Share Posted December 7, 2017 22 hours ago, Shamalama said: #4 are all bivalves (Pelecypods) with the bottom row being Paracyclas sp., next up is Nuculites triqueter., and the top row I am unfamiliar with. I'm surprised you didn't find any comma shaped specimens of Phestia which crawling around. I may have mistaken the comma shape for broken fragments at a glance, I'll have to pick some up next time. What do you think of the small one in the bottom row? It has longitudinal ridges rather than lateral like the first 4. Not much detail in this picture so it may be hard to tell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shamalama Posted December 7, 2017 Share Posted December 7, 2017 1 hour ago, Greg.Wood said: I may have mistaken the comma shape for broken fragments at a glance, I'll have to pick some up next time. What do you think of the small one in the bottom row? It has longitudinal ridges rather than lateral like the first 4. Not much detail in this picture so it may be hard to tell. Oops.... missed that little guy. He looks like a brach but it's hard to tell. can you get a pic of him alone and maybe a little closer? Opposite side as well if possible. -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...
Greg.Wood Posted December 7, 2017 Author Share Posted December 7, 2017 3 hours ago, Shamalama said: Oops.... missed that little guy. He looks like a brach but it's hard to tell. can you get a pic of him alone and maybe a little closer? Opposite side as well if possible. Did some messing around with the microscope. Need to figure out the lighting a bit better but it worked pretty well: 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shamalama Posted December 9, 2017 Share Posted December 9, 2017 Thanks @Greg.Wood Ok, that is a tiny oddball you have there. Let's walk through some ID basics. It's hard to tell without seeing it in person but the fossil appears to be symmetrical. It also appears that one valve pokes our a little father from the hinge line than the other. It's also a black color, likely the result of shell replacement with phosphatic material or possibly Pyrite which is oxidized to Goethite on the surface, which is common for mollusk fossils in the Arkona formation. I see thick ribs that extend from the back hinge line to the margin of the shell and in a couple of the pictures you can see evidence for annual growth rings. I do not see a sulcus structure which is often found in many brachiopods and is a matching groove/ridge structure typically centered on the shell. At this point I am leaning towards a Pelecypod but what type is stumping me at the moment. Let me consult some literature and in the meantime let me know if any of my conjecture is incorrect. -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...
crinus Posted December 9, 2017 Share Posted December 9, 2017 I believe that #6 is a brachiopod, aka Cyrtina. Just noticed that someone else caught that also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max-fossils Posted December 11, 2017 Share Posted December 11, 2017 Very cool finds! I like the bivalves in #4. I love the brachiopod in #6 too, what a wicked shape! And that little bivalve in the last pictures is absolutely stunning. Love how well it is preserved and that black color. For ID, reminds me of Cardita sp or Venericardia sp shells. Then again those species were likely not there at that time. So the initial thought was from the Carditidae family, but then (seeing that one of your tags is Devonian, I take into account that all the fossils you found are indeed Devonian) I realized the age wasn't right. Maybe look in the Carditoida order. I know that it's a broad spectrum but maybe it helps. Let me know what you find ID-wise Thanks for sharing by the way! Max Max Derème "I feel an echo of the lightning each time I find a fossil. [...] That is why I am a hunter: to feel that bolt of lightning every day." - Mary Anning >< Remarkable Creatures, Tracy Chevalier Instagram: @world_of_fossils Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nimravis Posted December 14, 2017 Share Posted December 14, 2017 I will give you a run for the smallest trilobite, meet Aphelaspis brachyphasis from the Cambrian Conasauga Formation of Georgia. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica Posted December 29, 2017 Share Posted December 29, 2017 Beautiful finds, @Greg.Wood!!! I really like the detail on your crinoid stem (#8) - the zigzag suture pattern is so clear!!! Congratulations on finding all of your cute little critters! Monica Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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