Austin Area Toys-r-us

[makoken]

Went to the Toys-R-us and did a little looking around. Most of what I found is from a mountain bike trail. There where also quite a few homeless camps. Millions of what I believe are Ilmatogyra arietina, plus a couple other oysters ? I did find one broken sharks tooth. Some of the shells appear to be covered in iron.

[mommabetts]

nice finds

[MikeD]

Nice. I've heard of that spot a few times (before today), but never got the chance to stop there. If I had known there were teeth there, I might have made more of an effort.

[makoken]

Nice. I've heard of that spot a few times (before today), but never got the chance to stop there. If I had known there were teeth there, I might have made more of an effort.

Yeah, I only found that one, but did'nt spend to much time there. I heard there is a creek bed further down, that might be more productive?

[jkfoam]

I don't know exactly where in Austin you are talking about but there use to be an exposure in south Austin (about where S. US 183/Tex 71 crossed S. Lamar) where there were a bunch of Ilymatogyra arietina that were coated with marcasite. Since all the road construction out in that area it has changed so much I doubt I could find the site again. In fact the I. arietina was about the only thing to be found there.

JKFoam

[Traviscounty]

I don't know exactly where in Austin you are talking about but there use to be an exposure in south Austin (about where S. US 183/Tex 71 crossed S. Lamar) where there were a bunch of Ilymatogyra arietina that were coated with marcasite. Since all the road construction out in that area it has changed so much I doubt I could find the site again. In fact the I. arietina was about the only thing to be found there.

JKFoam

The other day I drove around for two hours looking for a creekbed in south Austin I went to back in the early '90s. It was more of a dark shale that produced some nice teeth and these really cool pyrite nodules. I had found it with a UT geology field book. Austin has changed a lot since then.

I am still looking through boxes to find that thing. Maybe they have a copy at the University Library.

[Traviscounty]

Went to the Toys-R-us and did a little looking around. Most of what I found is from a mountain bike trail. There where also quite a few homeless camps. Millions of what I believe are Ilmatogyra arietina, plus a couple other oysters ? I did find one broken sharks tooth. Some of the shells appear to be covered in iron.

I noticed the iron color. I only picked up a couple of things.

[Oh-Man]

Cool - at least there's a little something left there.

I'd wait until after the next rain then hit the hill on all 4's.

Hopefully you'll find the gray shale with the teeth and pyrite.

[JohnJ]

I noticed the iron color. I only picked up a couple of things.

Top left looks like a cross section of a gastropod next to a couple of Neithea fragments which are above 3 Kingena wacoensis.

[makoken]

I don't know exactly where in Austin you are talking about but there use to be an exposure in south Austin (about where S. US 183/Tex 71 crossed S. Lamar) where there were a bunch of Ilymatogyra arietina that were coated with marcasite. Since all the road construction out in that area it has changed so much I doubt I could find the site again. In fact the I. arietina was about the only thing to be found there.

JKFoam

Sounds like the same place I. arietina are everywhere. Maybe I was is the wrong spot(mountain bike trail)? Lots of trees, not what I expected and couldn't find signs of any previous digging.

[makoken]

The other day I drove around for two hours looking for a creekbed in south Austin I went to back in the early '90s. It was more of a dark shale that produced some nice teeth and these really cool pyrite nodules. I had found it with a UT geology field book. Austin has changed a lot since then.

I am still looking through boxes to find that thing. Maybe they have a copy at the University Library.

We'll have to get together and go out sometime. I'm new to the area, and just trying to find good spots.

[Traviscounty]

I don't know if the UT classes still go out there or not. It did look a little different than when I went last. I parked at TOYSRUS and walked down the back corner. If you follow it down there's a creek. If you go over the next rise and down you hit Barton Creek. There is actually a city park of some sort right above Barton Cr. next to some office bldgs. When I get back from N Tx., I'll get in touch.

[Uncle Siphuncle]

Looks like Toys R Us is Del Rio formation based on the presence of Neithea, I. arietina, and K. wacoensis as well as the color and nature of the matrix (although it is gray farther north). Shark teeth do occur in the Del Rio as we all saw in Waco. Keep an eye out for occasional regular and irregular echinoids, crabs, ammonites Graysonites and Plesioturrilites, and Paracymatoceras nautiloids as well as Protocardia bivalves. This formation outcrops in the San Antonio area as well in a few places. It is most often recognized by the innumerable I. arietina oysters. If you get lucky enough to find a virgin outcrop of the contact of the Del Rio with the Georgetown formation (thin in San Antonio, apparently represented by the Main Street member) you can sometimes find bowling ball sized nautiloids, 8-12 inch Plesioturrilites brazoensis ammonites, and abundant Coenholectypus echinoids in the 2-3 inch range. I've picked up a few Hemiaster calvini and Phymosoma volanum around here too. I've only found one killer site in this zone and it is pretty small so I'm able to go over it inch by inch after each rain - come on rain! Also, look for pyrite/marcasite rosettes in this formation, both free and adhered to the fossils. Have fun.

[makoken]

I don't know if the UT classes still go out there or not. It did look a little different than when I went last. I parked at TOYSRUS and walked down the back corner. If you follow it down there's a creek. If you go over the next rise and down you hit Barton Creek. There is actually a city park of some sort right above Barton Cr. next to some office bldgs. When I get back from N Tx., I'll get in touch.

Yeah that's where I was. I probably didn't walk far enough down. I found the sharktooth near the top & stayed up there.