Lower Triassic ammonites island of Chios Greece

[Dimitris]

Hello everyone!

First of all, I would like to publicly thank my friend Panayiotis for the amazing research he has done in order to locate the localities of this outcrop.

Fast forward to the topic, the outcrop is a small section on a hill West of the main port of the island of Chios and represents one of the oldest Triassic ammonites of the Tethis sea. Similar outcrops are observed in Albania and in Turkey.

According to C. Reinz, Marmarotrapeza formation*1, ranges between Lower Triassic (Olenkian) and Lowest part of the Middle Triassic (Early Anisian).

The most important locality of the formation, is this small protrusion of Triassic rocks.

 

If I understood well, the part closest to the north is Olenkian, and with direction to the south, the outcrop reaches up to lowest part of Anisian.

There are more outcrops *2 of this formation in the island, one of which is described to be richer in cephalopods 

 

Since this place was a quarry for such a long time, a large amount of ammonites can be found on paved streets and on some mansion walls.

The extraction from the formation is almost impossible, unless you use power tools. 

I personally took advantage of the debris caused by the quarring process.

Here you can see some coring and stratigraphy

This is probably ammonite sampling, correct me if I am wrong. (samples 89-169 layer?)

 

The most common finds in situ were weathered cross sections. I collected a couple with the intention to polish them, hoping at least to define up to Genus. 

 

The greatest enemies of these fossils, are the weather and some goats that roam around. Their replacement is mostly calcite, so they are easily falling apart. 

 

I found some decent samples as well.

 

The split euro coin has diameter of 1"

 

This is the first block I started working, some orthoconic nautiloids, maybe Atractites sp.

I cannot define the ammonite since no suture line is preserved and its size is quite small. Maybe a picture under a loop would help, but I still do not have one 

 

 

Here is whatever is left of a Leiophyllites sp

 

 

 

Here is a decent find, which I believe it is Albanites sp.

My woman tried to draw the suture line and according to the publications, the closest match  was an  Albanites sp.

 

 

My visit was met with some criticism by the locals and there were publications in social media pages that were probably used as a pre election campaign, Bread and circuses aka panem et circenses. They even left the possibility that the collection is done with a financial benefit. Ridiculous...

Or at least this is my very personal opinion of how I undestood their post...

Nevertheless, two months before the elections, they have made some attempts to include this NOT PROTECTED and FREE TO COLLECT area as an UNESCO geosite. Lets see if they will remember it after the elections. The human memory is short.

 

On the other side, I believe I rescued some ammonites that were either way left to decay from the mechanical corrosion of the weather elements.

I have collected around 40 samples, most of them are average to poor quality, howerver, there are around 4-5 multiblocks with quite dense mortality.

If I manage to prep them properly, I will update this topic with some nice speciments. 

The two problems I have to overcome are the hardness of this limestone and the tendency to be too sticky close to the fossil. 

I know that these are not top quality examples, yet there are some triassic nerds out there (like me of course) that  crave to see such goodies.

 

 

 

 

 *1: Marmarotrapeza means Marmaro (Marble) + trapeza (Bank) and was a major source of marble for the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantines). I think that this name was given to the formation by Ktenas and Renz, due to this historical fact, but might be wrong.

*2: I managed to locate another outcrop that is lost in time, however I did not have time to explore it. Due to that fact, there is high chance to visit again the island, this time as a group.

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Triassic nerd, here. 

As you know, I am fascinated by this material.

Sorry that the locals got into a bit of a snit. 

But thanks for sharing, there are some nice specimens there, my friend. 

[Dimitris]

You know Adam, if you are not a Triassic nerd, you cannot appreciate this stuff.

 

C. Renz has made some amazing for the time publications for the Tethys triassic.

One point is in Bosnia, which has already this amazing post, and  some color pictures which was a luxury during the Renz time.

Epidaurus is known to most people at least in Europe and is Hallstatt type. 

The next point is the island of Hydra and we are planning visiting this November.

 

Being around the same rocks Renz once was, is at least amazing.

[Dimitris]

Today, one year ago, we were in the ship with direction Chios island and I was daydreaming what fossils I may find.

Later, I found myself with some kilograms of rocks that I wasn't able to clean.

The formation there is HanBulog type and the limestone has a strange, grainy, standstone like texture, reinforced with some kind of resin.

Andreas gave me some advice to try some acid therapy combined with mechanical prep, which worked. It wasn't the result I was looking for, yet I had only citric acid and acidic acid (not vinegar but lab quality) I will try formic acid soon as I get.

 

So, here is the first, which I can proudly say that managed to reveal. A whole glorious centimeter and some 4mm.. Yes they are small, it is not Texas. Sorry, I did not take picture of original condition, cause I believed I would ruin my first.

 

It looks like a Japonites sp or Ussurites kingi, which is depicted in the book. Your thoughts? Compare it against the sample of the third picture (black and white).

Since it was not extracted from the formation, it can by between Spathian - Lower Anisian (Aegean)

 

With a book I found in AZ

 

 

My second piece, which resembles to Leiophylites sp

As found

 

This is the point where chemical cleaning could not proceed anymore

 

 

After some Alu oxide blasting. On this small block, there is another one eroded on top right, one just below the cleaned and some orthoconic nautiloid bottom left.

 

 

Close up