My Hunting trip to Eben Emael (Maastrichtian of Belgium)

[pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon]

4 hours ago, Manticocerasman said:

The idea was to join that field trip of the BVP last weekend, but I spent the weekend out of action due to illness.  :/ 

 

That's a pity, especially since this was the last trip of the year

Hope you're feeling better now, though!

[ziggycardon]

On 10/20/2023 at 1:48 PM, pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon said:

 

Hold on, that's me in orange and jeans in the foreground there! Great photograph of me "in action"! I don't actually have too many of those!

 

 

What a beauty! Great job in getting it out the way you did too! I did find a couple, but all fell entirely apart on extraction

 

I, too, didn't bring back too much from that outing, though I still have some rather sub-par shrimp bits to work on (sub-par, except for the one I got from you, of course! ), as well as block full of bryozoa. On the latter I think we counted three different types in the field, visible from both top and bottom, including traces of epibiota. So, while that's not a particularly spectacular piece to look at, it's certainly very interesting...

Yeah I am quite happy with the Hemipneustes, chances are that they break entirely and I am glad that didn't happen.

I am glad you're happy with the claw, you'll find a nice one yourself soon enough

 

On 10/20/2023 at 2:38 PM, Manticocerasman said:

The idea was to join that field trip of the BVP last weekend, but I spent the weekend out of action due to illness.  :/ 

 

A pity to hear you couldn't make it due to illness, especially since you weren't feeling during you last trip there either.
Well third time's a charm they say, hopefully you have a great next time

 

On 10/20/2023 at 2:52 PM, Tidgy's Dad said:

Great thread.

Love the fossils you found.

And you have a very nice smile.

Thank you!
I always enjoy this quarry, for the fossils as well as the great company

Edited October 24, 2023 by ziggycardon

[ziggycardon]

The collection so far from the Limburg/Liege chalk deposits (most are self collected).

[Jasperfossils]

nice collection ken!

 

ill post my finds of that day and my Limurg-Luik collection later.

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

That's a really nice looking collection from that area.

Most impressive.

Edited October 30, 2023 by Tidgy's Dad

[FossilDAWG]

Very nice collection

 

Don

[Denis Arcand]

Wow, what a nice collection! 

[ziggycardon]

Three months ago our club organised an Cretaceous weekend to two different localities in the Liége/Limburg Limestone deposits.
The first day we visited the Kreco quarry in Hallembaye, Haccourt and the second day we visited Eben-Emael again.

 

Day 1: Kreco quarry, Hallembaye, Haccourt, Liége, Belgium - Cretaceous, Maastrichtian/Campanian, 82 - 68 million years old.

Multiple layers in this quarry are exposed.
The youngest layers belong the Gulpen formation and date back to the early Maastrichtian. Most common finds here are urchins, oyster, brachiopods and belemnites.
There is also a flintstone eluvium where gorgous fossils in flint can be found.

 

Most layers in the quarry date back to the Campanian. The oldest layers from the Gulpen formation (chalk of zeven wegen) as well as the Vaalser Greensand formation.
The Vaalser greensand formation is the main reason for our visit, these layers are only rarely exposed, last time was 36 years ago. So this material is quite valuable for us collectors as well as for scientists!

In the Vaalser Greensand we can commonly find the ichnofossil Gyrolithes davreuxi, Belemnites (Belemnitella mucronata & Gonioteuthis quadrata), Gastropods (Turritella sp.), Bivalves but also Ammonites, Nautilus and shark teeth.

 

Due to be rarely exposed we mainly searched in the Greensand heaps where most of the finds where done.
Though after lunch I also ventured with a small group to prospect the rest of the quarry a while where I managed to collect some Belemnites and an Echinocorys.

 

I found some nice bivalves and ichnofossils and got a rare ammonite from a friend.
Quite a lot of Nautilus fossils were found as well as some shark teeth.
My friend Jonathan managed to find an enormous chamber from an ammonite.

 

 

The second day we visited the Romontbos quarry in Eben-Emael, Cretaceous, Maastrichtian, 68 mya

I mainly searched in the company of Tineke Jonathan and his student as they were searching for Dercetidae specimens for their research. (We managed to find a couple )

 

After I while I also joined Tom who located a fossil rich layer (Horizont van Lava if I remember correctly) where Tom managed to find a nice Rhombodus binkhorstii tooth.

 

 

 

 

 

[ziggycardon]

I came home with a decent haul!

 

 

My finds from the Vaalser Greensand Formation - Cretaceous, Campanian, 82 - 77,5 mya:

 

Spondylus spinosus

 

 

Trochacantus tuberculantocinctus

 

 

Scaphites sp.

 

 

Gyrolithes davreuxii

 

 

Belemnites

 

 

Turritella sexlineata

 

 

Crassatella sp.

 

 

Fish scales and bones in a fossil lobster burrow

 

 

Neitheia sexcostata

 

 

An oyster, probably Hyotissa semiplana or Oscillopha armata

 

 

A foraminifera

 

 

Echinocorys sp. found in the Gulpen formation

 

 

Belemnites found in the Gulpen formation

[ziggycardon]

And some of the finds from Eben-Emael

 

Enchodus sp.

 

 

Individual and multiblocks with Oolopygus pyriformis

 

 

Trigonosemus pectiniformis

 

 

Neitheia regularis

 

 

Acutostrea uncinella

 

 

Dentallidae

 

 

 

[dries85]

Hey,

Great trip report and finds! I actually was there too on the second day in Eben-Emael. This would be me...

As you see still more in the background as it was my first trip to Eben-Emael. I think you were the enthousiastic guy with the Limburg accent 😏. We didn't properly meet back then but i guess we might in the future, cause i had a great time there with some great people and some interesting finds.

Didn't get to posting a trip report, but would you mind if i joined with some pictures of the trip and some fossil finds? You obviously know way more about the locality so i might learn..

 

Grtz,

Dries

[ziggycardon]

20 hours ago, dries85 said:

Hey,

Great trip report and finds! I actually was there too on the second day in Eben-Emael. This would be me...

As you see still more in the background as it was my first trip to Eben-Emael. I think you were the enthousiastic guy with the Limburg accent 😏. We didn't properly meet back then but i guess we might in the future, cause i had a great time there with some great people and some interesting finds.

Didn't get to posting a trip report, but would you mind if i joined with some pictures of the trip and some fossil finds? You obviously know way more about the locality so i might learn..

 

Grtz,

Dries

Hahaha that was probably me indeed! I am sure we will preperly meet in the future indeed!

And feel free to share your pictures and finds from Eben Emael! Would love to see them

[ziggycardon]

Last weekend (august 10&11) I went with my local fossil club (BVP) on a two day hunting trip to my local cretaceous deposits. 

 

DISCLAIMER: Again it is forbidden to go enter these quarries on your own!

This is illegal trespassing! Only certain fossil clubs on the designated excursion days are allowed to enter these locations.

Recently a couple of people have been caught trespassing in both quarries, the actions of a few selfish folk could ruin it for all...

 

 

The first day we visited the Kreco quarry, Hallembaye, Haccourt, Liége, Belgium - Cretaceous, Maastrichtian/Campanian, 82 - 68 million years old.

I mainly searched in the spoil heaps with Vaalser Greensand (Vaalst Formation) material due to them rarely being exposed (last time was over 30 years ago) and due to them being very fossil rich.

 

Though we first went into the quarry for 30 minutes to find some fossils from the younger layers.

Unfortunately the conditions weren't great for fossils this day, though I managed to find a couple of things.

 

A gorgeous preserved bivalve in a hard limestone boulder, not sure which layer.

 

 

An Echinocorys sp.

 

 

After going into the quarry we finally decided to go to the Greensand spoil heaps where I found my best finds.

 

Here are my Vaalser Greensand fossils

A Belemnitella sp.

 

My best find, a gorgeous complete Turritella sexlineata

 

 

Neithea sexcostata

 

 

A small coral (probably Parasmilia centralis) which I was given by @Natalie81

 

 

A Trochacanthus tuberculatocincus

 

 

Pseudolimea granulata

 

 

Gyclymeris geinitzi

 

 

Crassatellacea indet

 

 

Crassatella sp.

 

 

Tellina sp.

 

 

Better pics of my Oscillopha armata I found last time.

 

As always a good trip, though quite hot!
But had a great time with great people!

Edited August 15 by ziggycardon

[ziggycardon]

The second day we went to the Romontbos quarry in Eben Emael.

Another very hot day, but I had great day nonetheless. I mainly searched with my friend Tom, Tineke & Anne.

While I didn't find much, I did come home with some cool micromaterial (Thecidea papillata and Isocrania brachiopods) and two large Pinna which was my best find.
Pinna are quite rare to find unfragmented, so this is quite a cool find, I found them in the lower part of the quarry which is usually flooded. Though to this the outer shell eroded away, but the other valve (still inside the stone) seems intact. I am quite excited to see how it turns out after prep.

 

 

Belemnitella junior found by Tom

 

 

Neithea regularis

 

 

Block with both Pinna

[ziggycardon]

With the new material from the past year I also redone and added some more display space.
So I wanted to share my updated Liege/Limburg Cretaceous displays.

 

The Main display with Bivalves, Gastropods, Belemnites, Sea Urchins, Crinoïds, Decapods and Sea Grass

 

 

Display focussing on the Vaalser Greensand and Maastrichtian Flint fossils

 

 

New display in the glass showcase focussed on the vertebrate fossils, ammonites, brachiopods, small urchins and microfauna

 

 

Maastrichtian Type locality micro fossil drawer

 

 

Vaalser Greensand drawer

[Jaybot]

Nice trip report!  Thanks for sharing

[Jeffrey P]

 Great finds! Especially the many bivalve species. Big congrats and thanks for sharing.

[Manticocerasman]

Great report Ken, glad we could meet up that day. 

It was a nice trip despite the realy hot weather conditions.

 

 

[Notidanodon]

Very very cool fossils  

[dries85]

On 8/15/2024 at 11:31 AM, ziggycardon said:

Last weekend (august 10&11) I went with my local fossil club (BVP) on a two day hunting trip to my local cretaceous deposits. 

 

DISCLAIMER: Again it is forbidden to go enter these quarries on your own!

This is illegal trespassing! Only certain fossil clubs on the designated excursion days are allowed to enter these locations.

Recently a couple of people have been caught trespassing in both quarries, the actions of a few selfish folk could ruin it for all...

 

 

The first day we visited the Kreco quarry, Hallembaye, Haccourt, Liége, Belgium - Cretaceous, Maastrichtian/Campanian, 82 - 68 million years old.

I mainly searched in the spoil heaps with Vaalser Greensand (Vaalst Formation) material due to them rarely being exposed (last time was over 30 years ago) and due to them being very fossil rich.

 

Though we first went into the quarry for 30 minutes to find some fossils from the younger layers.

Unfortunately the conditions weren't great for fossils this day, though I managed to find a couple of things.

 

A gorgeous preserved bivalve in a hard limestone boulder, not sure which layer.

 

 

An Echinocorys sp.

 

 

After going into the quarry we finally decided to go to the Greensand spoil heaps where I found my best finds.

 

Here are my Vaalser Greensand fossils

A Belemnitella sp.

 

My best find, a gorgeous complete Turritella sexlineata

 

 

Neithea sexcostata

 

 

A small coral (probably Parasmilia centralis) which I was given by @Natalie81

 

 

A Trochacanthus tuberculatocincus

 

 

Pseudolimea granulata

 

 

Gyclymeris geinitzi

 

 

Crassatellacea indet

 

 

Crassatella sp.

 

 

Tellina sp.

 

 

Better pics of my Oscillopha armata I found last time.

 

As always a good trip, though quite hot!
But had a great time with great people!

 

Hey,

great report of an interesting excursion i also had the chance of being part of as a member of the BVP. It was nice meeting u and your friends in person and thanks again for sharing your wisdom, as i'm still pretty unexperienced in Cretaceous matters.

 

Here's some of my pictures from the Kreco quarry..

 

 

The spoil heaps of Vaalser greensand in the front..

 

 

A partial belemnite like i found it in the burning sun..

 

I didn't get the chance to proper prep and make decent pictures of my finds but here's some of my favorite finds. 

 

Some fish remains from the Vaalser greensand..

 

Echinocorys vulgaris in the chalk, Campanian..

 

Another Echinocorys found in between the piles of chert..

 

Feel free to correct me or add more information.

 

Grtz,

Dries