Collecting from the Blue Springs, MS. Coon Creek Member, Ripley Formation

[Jeffrey P]

A little over a week ago I flew to Memphis and then drove down to Tupelo, Mississippi to spend two days collecting at the nearby Blue Springs fossil site, Upper Cretaceous, Ripley Formation, Coon Creek Member. It was my fourth trip there in the past two years. Weather was decent- 65 degrees the first day, 55 the second., a mix of sun and clouds both days. The site was very mucky the first day there, but it dried up for the most part by the second. The first time I visited there, the surface collecting was excellent. Not so much the last three times and this time was exceptionally poor. So, as you can see from the photo, I did a lot of digging. The softer material near the top did have fossils, but normally they crumpled as soon as they were exposed. One particular small nautiloid that was original shell material and mostly gold color was especially heart breaking. As I dug deeper,  more intact fossils appeared in the now tougher marl, mostly mollusks with at least some shell material though much of it came off when the rock split. 

 

[Jeffrey P]

Here are some bivalves I found: Here are a couple specimens of Pterotrigonia thoracia'

[Jeffrey P]

And this is Cyprimeria alta. It is three and a half inches across and includes both valves:

[Jeffrey P]

Two specimens of the Geoduck Clam- Panopea decisa

[Jeffrey P]

When I was trimming the one on top, revealed its other valve:

 

 

[Jeffrey P]

A partial specimen of the Venus Clam, Veniella concardi with a view of the umbo:

 

 

[Jeffrey P]

A Crassatella vadosa (both valves) with most of its shell material intact:

Edited March 26 by Jeffrey P

[Jeffrey P]

And this bad boy! A partial cockel shell, Cardium stanloni over 5 inches long. 

[Jeffrey P]

Finally, a piece of matrix with shells:

 

 

Edited March 26 by Jeffrey P

[Jeffrey P]

On to gastropods: My overall favorite find for the trip and a new species for my collection- Gyrodes major. it is over an inch and a half across.

Edited March 26 by Jeffrey P

[Jeffrey P]

Another bad boy! A partial Volutamorpha valida, missing its top and bottom, still over three and a half inches long:

[Jeffrey P]

A few Palameta cancellaria:. These are less than an inch.

Edited March 26 by Jeffrey P

[Jeffrey P]

An Odontobasis australis (left) an inch and a quarter and an Anchura pergracilis (right), also new for my collection . 

Edited March 26 by Jeffrey P

[Jeffrey P]

A couple gastropods I have yet to ID: 

[Jeffrey P]

And finally this one, I'm thinking is Pyropsis proxima, about an inch across, another new species for the collection:

[Jeffrey P]

Oh, before I leave mollusks, I did find this piece of an ammonite, probably a Sphenodiscus:

 

[Jeffrey P]

Now most people are attracted to the Blue Springs site for its decapods, especially the crab, Dakoticancer austalis. Didn't find a lot of those this time, but here is a claw and carapace:

 

 

Edited March 26 by Jeffrey P

[Jeffrey P]

And there's this specimen where the claw and carapace actually attach:

 

 

[Jeffrey P]

Finally, this button coral, Micrabacia hilgardi, is a quarter inch across, by far my biggest specimen:

[Jeffrey P]

So, that's what I found in two days of digging. Nothing especially brag worthy, but some excellent additions to my growing collection. Having collected Upper Cretaceous marine fossils from New Jersey, New Mexico, Texas, Colorado, Wyoming, and Mississippi, there is now a fair amount of comparative material that I'm hoping provides a broader view of marine life during that age. Thankis for looking and hope you enjoy!

[Praefectus]

Nice finds!

[Jeffrey P]

On 3/26/2024 at 4:59 PM, Praefectus said:

Nice finds!

Thanks. Glad you appreciate them.

[AK hiker]

Lots of variety, thanks for sharing. I enjoy seeing cephalopods from the Cretaceous to compare to what I see locally and on my travels.

[Fossildude19]

Great report Jeff!

Wonderful finds, as well.
Glad you had a productive trip there.
Thanks for posting the report!

[frankh8147]

Nice!! Those Coon Creek gastropods are amazing! That's another spot I want to get to 'one of these days', which obviously might be a few years in my case.