Fossil hunting in the Maastrichtian of Maastricht, the Netherlands

[Mart1980]

Yesterday I was in South Limburg, the Netherlands, for an appointment. And after a journey of almost 3 hours, my appointment was canceled due to a sudden toothache. Well nothing can be done about it, all understandable, and with the sun-drenched afternoon ahead I wanted to make the best of it. Armed with only a pair of boots, a pocket knife and Google maps, I went looking for possible fossil hotspots. I'm glad I always have something in the car, for such "emergencies". Of course with respect for nature and the beautiful limestone walls that South Limburg has to offer, I went looking around Maastricht and the Belgium border area!

 

There are still plenty of opportunities to find fossils, especially around abandoned cave entrances. Many rocks are crumbling and around small cave entrances there are sometimes beautiful pieces of limestone and flint that have fallen from the rocks due to erosion. I decided to drive around looking for such places. In any case, it provided beautiful views of the landscape.

 

 

Around Maastricht I found some deserted limestone walls where I tried my luck. Sometimes quite exciting, although I do not enter the caves (safety comes first!), there is sometimes a somewhat strange atmosphere. People have clearly slept in the area where I was looking, in one of the caves there was an abandoned mattress and there are some empty looks of someone who had clearly made it his home.

 

 

Walking a bit further along the road I found large and small pieces of limestone which probably came down in the past period together with pieces of flint.

 

 

Quickly collected some pieces to further investigate (at a distance from the wall) for fossils. I found several nice pieces within an hour. Especially a lot of small Belemnitella, mostly broken, but some still presentable. Pair of very small Bivalves and to top it off a small shark tooth. I had to take a closer look, but a spot search in the database of Paleontica gave me the name Centrophoroides appendiculatus. Here are some pictures  that give an impression of my finds. Not yet well prepared, fresh from the often damp limestone.

 

 

 

 

This is how the day became successful and I am once again richer in shark species from the Limburg Cretaceous. It was very nice to see many shells and flint in limestone walls again, as if caught in time.

 

I brought another bucket with some loose pieces to further explore at home, so who knows what I will find .

[rocket]

nice impressions, thanks for the pics

[Tidgy's Dad]

Great to take such advantage of unexpected free time 

Nice report, good finds and photos. 

Thanks for sharing, 

[doushantuo]

Gaaf!goeie foto's

[FranzBernhard]

2 hours ago, Mart1980 said:

deserted limestone walls where I tried my luck. Sometimes quite exciting, although I do not enter the caves

Are these quarries and mining tunnels?

Btw, thanks for sharing, very nice scenery and fossils!
Franz Bernhard

[ziggycardon]

Nice finds! Good to see there as still some nice spots left in Dutch Limburg.

Nice picture of the castle of Kanne as well!

[pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon]

Excellent idea, Martin! And great finds too 

[FossilDAWG]

Those photos bring back memories of when I lived in the area, about 50 (!!!) years ago.  Those layers of flint nodules look very inviting.  Impressive that you could still collect with a toothache, unless I am misunderstanding.

 

Don

[Mart1980]

On 5/13/2023 at 4:41 PM, FranzBernhard said:

Are these quarries and mining tunnels?

Btw, thanks for sharing, very nice scenery and fossils!
Franz Bernhard

I did not take a good look at these caves from the inside. The spaces were used in earlier times for living or for storage. I think this was also the case for these caves. The tunnels used for mining marl are generally many times wider.

 

On 5/13/2023 at 6:20 PM, ziggycardon said:

Nice finds! Good to see there as still some nice spots left in Dutch Limburg.

Nice picture of the castle of Kanne as well!

 

22 hours ago, pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon said:

Excellent idea, Martin! And great finds too 

Thanks! I was very surprised myself. I started it with no expectation or hope .

 

I now suddenly realize that in the future this topic can lead to people who start searching and thereby destroy the area around the caves in Sint-Pietersberg. I am not referring to people of this forum, they know the rules, but rather future readers. These types of activities should always be undertaken with care and with respect for nature. Walk on the previously formed paths that run along the marl walls and to caves. Place upturned inspected bricks neatly as they were. Taking pieces of fallen marl with you is no problem, but leave nature alone. there is plenty of rubble directly below the walls. Pieces that are in the forest or are overgrown are best left behind because many animals live around them. In short, enjoy the hobby, but with an eye for nature and common sense.

 

The area above ground around Sint-Pietersberg is unique and very interesting. I combine fossil collecting with viewing the biological diversity in the area. And so it became clear to me that Sint-Pietersberg has its own microclimate. It is warmer and drier than in the rest of the Netherlands. Limestone (retains heat) in combination with sheltered slopes plus the open structure of the vegetation ensure that the calcareous grasslands have a higher average temperature than other grasslands. As a result, you will encounter plants and animals that normally occur much further south. Plants are in bloom from early spring to late autumn. Special is the great wealth of orchid species, but also of grasses, herbs and mosses. From Monkey Orchid (Orchis simia), Meadow Marshmallow (Avenula pratensis), Lime Jellyfish (Galium pumilum), Earththistle (Cirsium acaule), Lesser Burning Stone (Sanguisorba minor) and Big Thyme (Thymus pulegioides) to Lime Trip (Centaurea calcitrapa) and Wild Marjolein (Origanum vulgare ), the diversity in the calcareous grasslands is great. The scent of the thyme and marjoram creates very southern illusions.

 

The great diversity of plants in turn attracts many birds, insects - including rare butterflies such as the brown tadpole (Erynnis tages) or the strawberry butterfly (Pyrgus malvae) - and reptiles. Also for a number of toad species, for example the yellow-bellied toad (Bombina variegata),  the warmest spots of the calcareous grasslands are an attractive land biotope.

 

There can also be 'climate differences' between the various calcareous grass areas, depending on whether they are located on the north or south, for example. All this creates a very own ecosystem on site. As early as the sixteenth century, botanists came to Sint-Pietersberg because of all the special plants that can be found there. In 1738, Linnaeus studied the calcareous flora there.

 

But there is more to see on Sint-Pietersberg. There are  slope forests, such as the Maasbos on the eastern slope with a large assortment of forest plants; in addition, there are fields full of field herbs, especially in the Poppelmonde valley; there is the Eagle Owl Valley, where the Eagle Owl has lived since 1997 and of course there is 'D'n Observant', the hump on the mountain. In addition to special plant species, we also find all kinds of special animals in these parts of Sint-Pietersberg. Badger (Meles meles), weasel (Mustela nivalis) and eagle owl (Bubo bubo) are common sightings, alongside many rare butterfly and locust species and in the marl caves of course the bats. There are about 15 different species living in this cave, 7 of which are very endangered species, and the eagle owl is also very active. Eagle owls like to live in an environment with rocky slopes, hills and valleys. They breed in cavities, which provide protection and rest. Eagle owls like to use niches in Sint-Pietersberg for this purpose.

 

The alternation of calcareous grasslands, hillside forests and fields provides an ideal meeting place for plants and animals with a northern or southern habitat. The Sint-Pietersberg is therefore the northernmost distribution area of all kinds of southern European plant species.

 

I therefore hope that this topic will not call for chopping into the beautiful marl walls, or for pulling over shrubs and trees to get better at the walls. On the other hand, enjoy the environment while searching for unloaded material that has fallen into gangs and become one with nature. This way we can enjoy this unique biotope for a long time to come and, in time, find an interesting fossil.

 

21 hours ago, FossilDAWG said:

Those photos bring back memories of when I lived in the area, about 50 (!!!) years ago.  Those layers of flint nodules look very inviting.  Impressive that you could still collect with a toothache, unless I am misunderstanding.

 

Don

It also made me feel like I was stepping back in time. Although this was perhaps even more beautiful with nature around me than in the ENCI quarry itself. By the way, I didn't have an earache myself. It was the guy I had an appointment with who called off with an earache. I can't recommend doing this with an earache to anyone, and I'm not such a diehard with perseverance myself. 

Edited May 14, 2023 by Mart1980

[pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon]

4 hours ago, Mart1980 said:

I therefore hope that this topic will not call for chopping into the beautiful marl walls, or for pulling over shrubs and trees to get better at the walls. On the other hand, enjoy the environment while searching for unloaded material that has fallen into gangs and become one with nature. This way we can enjoy this unique biotope for a long time to come and, in time, find an interesting fossil.

 

A very well expressed sentiment, Martin! Indeed, the Pietersberg biotope is too rare and fragile to risk damaging!

[doushantuo]

Not to mention its enormous interest to those of us who study the Maastrichtian- to-MECO interval,

Edited May 15, 2023 by doushantuo