Cormoran2 Posted April 27, 2013 Share Posted April 27, 2013 I am a total newbie in fossil collection. I live a couple of hours away from Arkona Ontario, and would like to visit that site. I would prefer to do so when other collectors are present for orientation purposes. Does anyone know of anything planned in the next couple of weeks? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cormoran2 Posted April 29, 2013 Author Share Posted April 29, 2013 My plans are to go there this week, Wednesday maybe. I am completely new at this. Any tips or advice as to where to go exactly ? Are permissions required ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northern Sharks Posted April 29, 2013 Share Posted April 29, 2013 No permissions are needed. I'm at work, so I can't spend the time to type all the pertinent info, but do a search on the forum for Arkona. Directions, formation info, collecting spots etc. have all been posted before 1 There's no limit to what you can accomplish when you're supposed to be doing something else Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blastoid Posted July 19, 2013 Share Posted July 19, 2013 Did you get out to Arkona, Cormoran? If you want the ten cent tour, I can show you around, live 15 minutes away. Too hot now, I'd suggest waiting for cooler weather, it'd be an oven in there by 9 AM, and buggy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cormoran2 Posted July 19, 2013 Author Share Posted July 19, 2013 Not yet Blastoid. A major summer project (moving to Ottawa) has taken up much of our time and attention. I have been in contact with another member of this forum (Lmacfadden) from Arkona who has also very kindly offered to guide us (my wife and I) whenever we can go, but the project has been on hold since then because of the changes in our summer agenda. But we will be home (Stoney Point on Lake St-Clair) for a few weeks so when the heat subsides, we were planning to do the trip. Our daughter is visiting, so there could be 3 of us going. I have not yet made plans with the other member, but when I have done that I will inform you in case you would be interested in joining us. Thank you so much for your invitation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilDAWG Posted July 19, 2013 Share Posted July 19, 2013 A 10 cent tour at Arkona would be worth $100 anywhere else. That place is fantastic. Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blastoid Posted July 19, 2013 Share Posted July 19, 2013 And collecting remains superb. A paleo grad student was out last week, her second trip. Found a lovely crinoid calyx on a slab of crinoidal limestone. A couple of weeks before that she scored a very rare crinoid anchor. She's clearly a natural fossil magnet. I was collecting very casually that day, still managed to find a double microcyclus (one in a thousand? literally!) and a nearly perfect pyritized pelecypod, very common, but normally small, and oddly eaten away till only a bit of the hinge remains. All sitting there on the surface. Good fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acryzona Posted July 19, 2013 Share Posted July 19, 2013 Don't forget to bring a container so you can take a sample to search for micros later. Arkona has ostracods and is the easiest sample to process. Just add water, decant the clayey water and repeat until it runs clear. Then dry and enjoy the hunt! Acryzona Collecting Microfossils - a hobby concerning much about many of the little paraphrased from Dr. Robert Kesling's book Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cormoran2 Posted August 8, 2013 Author Share Posted August 8, 2013 I finally got around to visit Hungry Hollow in the company of two forum members, Blastoid and LMacFadden. It was a fantastic experience. It was like shooting fish in a barrel! The ground was literally covered with fossils. For a newbie like me, a shovel and a pail would probably have been the best equipment! I very much appreciated the expertize and the enthusiasm of my two forum companions. Without them, I would have simply been overwhelmed by what was there and would have had problems making any sense of it. Thank you both! Here is a sample of an item I brought back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmacfadden Posted August 8, 2013 Share Posted August 8, 2013 That's a really nice specimen you took home! You have found a nice piece of crinoid "hash". If you're lucky enough to find the hash layer when you're digging, straight above it is where you can find whole crinoid calyxes and crowns. I keep hoping. If I'm wrong about that, somebody correct me! It was a pleasure meeting you both (and Tim). I look forward to next time! Lise ~Lise MacFadden - Arkona, Ontario, Canada Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regg Cato Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 Arkona's a great place...whenever I go I have to target my collecting and go with a focus, it's too easy to get overwhelmed with everything there XD...what a lovely problem I'm still sorting through stuff from my last time there, there's been good stuff coming out of there for decades and it keeps coming. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blastoid Posted August 11, 2013 Share Posted August 11, 2013 Tentaculite with a platyceras, wee brachiopods and of course crinoid columnals. A stellar day with lovely people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cormoran2 Posted August 11, 2013 Author Share Posted August 11, 2013 Tentaculite with a platyceras, wee brachiopods and of course crinoid columnals. . Love it !! What an amazing fount of knowledge you are Tim! And your infectious enthusiasm! My daughter and I were priviledged to have you and Lise as guides for this ''Devonian excursion''... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cormoran2 Posted August 12, 2013 Author Share Posted August 12, 2013 In the spirit of a Fossil 101 course for this newcomer, would anyone care to put names on 8 of the 'critters' randomly pointed to in this photo ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmacfadden Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 In the spirit of a Fossil 101 course for this newcomer, would anyone care to put names on 8 of the 'critters' randomly pointed to in this photo ? OK here's my shot at it: 1) crinoid stem 2) crinoid section 3) crinoid section 4) crinoid stem 5) crinoid columnal 6) brachiopod 7) brachiopod 8) tentaculite You missed one... the big black thing between #1 and #2 - that is a gastropod (platyceras) I will edit if I am able to be more specific before someone else comments... ~Lise MacFadden - Arkona, Ontario, Canada Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blastoid Posted August 14, 2013 Share Posted August 14, 2013 I'd go further and suggest the wee brachs are chonetes. Note the bumps on the platyceras, that sucker had spines like a... like a... er... wee spiny thingy. They were rarely preserved, and got up to like 3cm! I love the idea of a spiny snail, slowly weaving about amongst the coral. Want to see hundreds of excellent, sharp, large photos of Arkona fossils, from average to STELLAR quality, not just museum pieces, but stuff you can actually find any day of the week at Arkona? Get thee here: http://strata.geology.wisc.edu/mibasin/search.php This is an incredible piece of work, over 1,000 photos, many from Arkona. It has made life sooo much easier for us Devonian nuts that have been pestering rare book dealers for hundred year old reprints, dealing with name changes and revisions over the decades, struggling for ID's. Some of the folks on this forum have contributed, and are to be congratulated. This site is an example of the Internet at its best. Enjoy. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regg Cato Posted August 15, 2013 Share Posted August 15, 2013 how did i not find that sooner...thanks for the link Blastoid! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmacfadden Posted August 15, 2013 Share Posted August 15, 2013 I'd go further and suggest the wee brachs are chonetes. Note the bumps on the platyceras, that sucker had spines like a... like a... er... wee spiny thingy. They were rarely preserved, and got up to like 3cm! I love the idea of a spiny snail, slowly weaving about amongst the coral. Want to see hundreds of excellent, sharp, large photos of Arkona fossils, from average to STELLAR quality, not just museum pieces, but stuff you can actually find any day of the week at Arkona? Get thee here: http://strata.geology.wisc.edu/mibasin/search.php This is an incredible piece of work, over 1,000 photos, many from Arkona. It has made life sooo much easier for us Devonian nuts that have been pestering rare book dealers for hundred year old reprints, dealing with name changes and revisions over the decades, struggling for ID's. Some of the folks on this forum have contributed, and are to be congratulated. This site is an example of the Internet at its best. Enjoy. It didn't occur to me about the spines on the Platyceras... that's cool. Here's an artist's rendition that can give you an idea of what it might have looked like: I use that link all the time now - it's great for helping you identify stuff - thanks again Tim! ~Lise MacFadden - Arkona, Ontario, Canada Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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