August Micro (and a few Macro!) Finds - Tx Cretaceous

[JamieLynn]

It's been HOT in Texas, as it usually is during the summer, so it's no real surprise there....but I am definitely finding myself not enthused about going hunting! So I spend a little time in the heat, maybe make a few finds, fill a bucket, and then go home and enjoy my A/C and find the tiny stuff! 

 

We had a couple of respites from the heat (a couple of days with storms, so it kept the temps down) and I try to take advantage of those days!

Hit up a couple of my favorite Upper and Lower Glen Rose Formation spots and was rewarded with a few nice things.. 

 

 

Fish Pycnodonte teeth are not common finds, and finding associated teeth is fairly unusual. These were some really pretty little purply blue grey ones:

1/2 inch

 

 

I didn't collect any micro matrix from that site, but did stop at an Upper Glen Rose site and found a nice little echie Loriolia rosana

 

 

 

and then collected some micro matrix from another Lower Glen Rose spot and found a couple of nice little things:

 

A tiny Leptosalenia sp. 

 

 

A little Comatulid Crinoid (probably Solanocrintes) 1/16 inch

 

 

 

 

And a new type of crab claw I've not found in the Glen Rose before. Have seen it in the younger Walnut formation but not Glen Rose.

 

 

 

A friend from the Austin Paleo Society invited me to join them at an Austin Chalk Formation site they had been hunting for a while and while I didn't find much "macro" except this really cool LARGE echinoid Spine (likely a Cidarid - 1 1/2 inch)  the micro stuff yielded a lovely variety.

 

 

 

Micro stuff, all around 1/4- 1/8 inch

 

Lots of these little tiny coral Micrabacia sp. 

 

 

 

a really nice Foramanifiera Dentalina mutabilis

 

 

 

A surprisingly intact tiny crinoid segment  - I find many single sections of crinoids in many of the upper Cretaceous Texas formations, but this is the best example of a branching section.

 

 

 

 

And this pretty little gastropod which might be a Semineritina although it is not listed as being found in the Austin Chalk Form. 

 

 

My friend was on a shark finding bonanza and found multiple shark teeth, including two beautiful BIG ptychodus teeth, but I was skunked.  Ah well. Another day! 

 

I also hit up some North Texas sites on my way to Arkansas for a little four day getaway to Eureka Springs! But I'll save that for another post....

[Mikrogeophagus]

I do love seeing micro hunting thrive during the summer months. Those echs are beauties!

 

44 minutes ago, JamieLynn said:

I also hit up some North Texas sites on my way to Arkansas for a little four day getaway to Eureka Springs! But I'll save that for another post....

 

Hmm I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess NSR!  Any chance to hunt in Arkansas? Supposed to have some cool stuff out there...

 

[JamieLynn]

@Mikrogeophagus Nope! Not NSR!  And no, didn't get to do anything in Arkansas...we only had a few days and while I did look in a couple of creeks, I didn't see anything. 

[Notidanodon]

Nice  finds as always  

[old bones]

Lovely finds. I really like the crinoid bits!

[ClearLake]

Very nice!  I really like that Dentalina.