Fossil Hunting Trip

[DWhatley]

I think spring would be a lovely time to visit relatives in Alabama with a side trip to TN

 

[Terri]

Anyone recognize this V shaped thing?

Ventral view of a lower mandible? I was reading Hajars "Beak" thread and viewing the link posted there, pic. A3 looks a lot like your "V". It's the closest thing I've seen.

 

[Architeuthoceras]

Ventral view of a lower mandible?

Interesting hypothesis!

 

[Architeuthoceras]

Another Lusitanoceras granosum from the Mississippian Chainman shale.


Two views of a coiled Ordovician nautiloid, Plectolites sp., as you can see, someone tried to collect it without much luck The pic on the right was taken a few years ago, the one on the left, last Saturday.


One good thing about all the rain and snow this year, it makes the desert purdy

 

[Terri]

Really nice Kevin! From the Ordovician to the Mississippian, what a great place you have to hunt. I bet you hated to see that second fossil destroyed, it survives for many millions of years from the Ordovician period and is gone in a few minutes from an inexperienced hand.

 

[Architeuthoceras]

Not that I haven't destroyed my share... I just did it a little farther from the beaten path, and on less detailed fossils. Everyone has to learn, like those who did this, a photograph is worth a million rock splinters... but a preserved fossil is priceless.

It is nice to have rocks from both the Paleozoic and Mesozoic to look in!

 

[Architeuthoceras]

How many ammonoid molds can you find?

The photo above was taken in the bottom of this wash, the hammer is on the same layer in both photos. This is in the Early Triassic Sinbad Limestone. There are quite a few bivalve molds also.


I really like hunting in this area, the views are spectacular.

 

[Terri]

the views are spectacular

Spectacular is an understatement in my book.....

How many ammonoid molds can you find?

Still looking....

 

[DWhatley]

Terri's are easier! I don't think I got any of these right

 

[Terri]

This is a hard one, my eyes hurt, still looking...

 

[Architeuthoceras]

D got 2 ~30% Most of those small molds are bivalves.

 

[Terri]

I think I see at least 4, maybe 5 (including the 2 larger ones D circled). None of them are bi-valve sized. I would circle them for you but I just realized I have this snippit tool and I haven't figured out how to move the pic.

 

[DWhatley]

Having no clue on size, I am glad that I atleast SOME of the things I circled SOMETHING other than rock ;>). I'm try again for half credit.

 

[Terri]

Cool, I learned how to use paint..(realized the snipping thing wasn't the right thing to use.) D, you may have gotten more right then I did, just can't see enough detail on the smaller ones, only a couple I'm fairly sure of. I keep wanting to see something large(ish) above the hammer kind of centered in pic.

 

[Architeuthoceras]

These are those I saw.

I'll have to go back out and verify who is right.