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AUTHOR OF NINE BOOKS
Trilobite For Today
METOPOLICHAS breviceps.
I still remember the day I went to Waldron, Indiana and dug through the Silurian deposit in an old quarry. That place is now closed to the public. There was a spoils pile there and I like to poke around to see what I could find in old piles. Well, I found this partial of the Metopolichas. I asked a trilobite buddy of mine for a quick ID and he nearly went nuts. This is a rare bug especially he said that is the best and thickest exoskeleton he had ever seen and by the look of it, it was a complete specimen. He jumped right in next to me and we both looked through the pile for an additional hour and did not find the rest. 😞
I still dream about this guy from time to time, thinking what might have been.
METOPOLICHAS breviceps
Silurian Period
Waldron Shale.
Waldron, Indiana.
METOPOLICHAS breviceps.
I still remember the day I went to Waldron, Indiana and dug through the Silurian deposit in an old quarry. That place is now closed to the public. There was a spoils pile there and I like to poke around to see what I could find in old piles. Well, I found this partial of the Metopolichas. I asked a trilobite buddy of mine for a quick ID and he nearly went nuts. This is a rare bug especially he said that is the best and thickest exoskeleton he had ever seen and by the look of it, it was a complete specimen. He jumped right in next to me and we both looked through the pile for an additional hour and did not find the rest. 😞
I still dream about this guy from time to time, thinking what might have been.
METOPOLICHAS breviceps
Silurian Period
Waldron Shale.
Waldron, Indiana.
First of all, Thanks to all the viewers who looked at, commented and shared my post on the Hexagonaria/Petoskey Stone. That was a popular post. Also for people in the groups I don't often post to, please friend me on facebook or check out my facebook post for lots more fossil related posts or check out my website www.paleojoe.com
Today I am posting a large 14 inch by 15 inch Block from the Calvert Cliffs of Maryland.
If you travel to Maryland on vacation this is an area (and the museum) that is a must. A bucket list trip.
Warning - you are not allowed to remove anything from the cliffs, only surface collecting allowed and best time is at low tide.
This is a block with exceptional preservation and obviously very showy. The block, when found over 30 years ago was still very soft with the material falling off it quite easily.
In order to stabilize the block and all the creatures on it, it was heavily brushed with white glue and water and left to dry. Then immersed in a mixture of white glue and water. This mixture set the sand particles and the shells to the block thereby stabilizing the entire piece.
I use this technique from time to time to stabilize large soft fossilized chunks of the sea floor. In many cases this is not necessary but in this case it was critical to the overall appearance of the piece. There are many types of shells on this piece. Scallops, Barnacles, oysters, gastropods and clams and lots of stuff I haven't id'd yet.
Chesapecten neffrens scallop
Chesapecten marylandica scallop
Pycnodonte crassa oyster
Isognomon maxilotta oyster
Chesacardium cockleshell
Balanus concavus barnacle
Miocene Period
Calvert Cliffs
Maryland
Today I am posting a large 14 inch by 15 inch Block from the Calvert Cliffs of Maryland.
If you travel to Maryland on vacation this is an area (and the museum) that is a must. A bucket list trip.
Warning - you are not allowed to remove anything from the cliffs, only surface collecting allowed and best time is at low tide.
This is a block with exceptional preservation and obviously very showy. The block, when found over 30 years ago was still very soft with the material falling off it quite easily.
In order to stabilize the block and all the creatures on it, it was heavily brushed with white glue and water and left to dry. Then immersed in a mixture of white glue and water. This mixture set the sand particles and the shells to the block thereby stabilizing the entire piece.
I use this technique from time to time to stabilize large soft fossilized chunks of the sea floor. In many cases this is not necessary but in this case it was critical to the overall appearance of the piece. There are many types of shells on this piece. Scallops, Barnacles, oysters, gastropods and clams and lots of stuff I haven't id'd yet.
Chesapecten neffrens scallop
Chesapecten marylandica scallop
Pycnodonte crassa oyster
Isognomon maxilotta oyster
Chesacardium cockleshell
Balanus concavus barnacle
Miocene Period
Calvert Cliffs
Maryland
UPDATE - I have listed 6 "Petoskey Stones" on my website store in the recently added sections. www.paleojoe.com/recently-added-products/
Gonna Do those Pesky Petoskey Stones.
Hexagonaria coral, a colonial coral is common in the state of Michigan. We were once the bottom of a salt water tropical sea. We know that because today corals grow in warm shallow tropical seas (or in my salt water aquarium..he he.)
These corals when washed up on beaches around Michigan today have been tumbled by water waves and sand, smoothing them out and at least in the water making those beautiful designs appear.
When taken out of the water they lose that and get chalky white. It is only when you polish them or get them wet do they exhibit that great detail.
Soooo.... it is not a Petoskey Stone until you polish it, in it's natural state it is a hexagonaria coral.
HEXAGONARIA
Devonian Period
Across Michigan and sometimes surrounding Great Lakes States - thanks to glacial activity.
Can you tell that I am bored because the snow is piling up outside.
I will be putting some of these up for sale on my paleojoe.com website store later today in case anyone is interested. Check after noon EST.
Gonna Do those Pesky Petoskey Stones.
Hexagonaria coral, a colonial coral is common in the state of Michigan. We were once the bottom of a salt water tropical sea. We know that because today corals grow in warm shallow tropical seas (or in my salt water aquarium..he he.)
These corals when washed up on beaches around Michigan today have been tumbled by water waves and sand, smoothing them out and at least in the water making those beautiful designs appear.
When taken out of the water they lose that and get chalky white. It is only when you polish them or get them wet do they exhibit that great detail.
Soooo.... it is not a Petoskey Stone until you polish it, in it's natural state it is a hexagonaria coral.
HEXAGONARIA
Devonian Period
Across Michigan and sometimes surrounding Great Lakes States - thanks to glacial activity.
Can you tell that I am bored because the snow is piling up outside.
I will be putting some of these up for sale on my paleojoe.com website store later today in case anyone is interested. Check after noon EST.
Well since it is winter here in Michigan, I will be doing fossil puzzles. One of these puzzles is the remains of a skull cap from a PROTITANICHTHYS a Devonian Placoderm fish.
I discovered it two summers ago now and have put it together - mostly. Now the painstaking process of putting in the smaller pieces.
3 years ago I found a median dorsal segment. It was NOT found associated but in the second picture below I placed it in the approximate position as it would have looked. They are NOT the right size to be placed together, but it gives you a GENERAL idea of what the top of the fish looked like.
PROTITANICHTHYS sp.
Devonian Period
Long Lake Formation
Alpena, Michigan
The Placoderms were "Armor-plated" fish. Their skull and trunk were covered by hard bony osteoderms. It is these hard parts that fossilized as they fell to the bottom of the ancient tropical seas that once covered much of the Midwest.
Picture 1 is the skull cap
Picture 2 is the skull cap and median dorsal
Picture 3 shows some of the pieces yet to go
In picture 3 there is also an anteriodorsal from the right side.(upper left of the picture)
Picture 4 is a representation of a coccosteid to which the Protitanichtys belong.
I discovered it two summers ago now and have put it together - mostly. Now the painstaking process of putting in the smaller pieces.
3 years ago I found a median dorsal segment. It was NOT found associated but in the second picture below I placed it in the approximate position as it would have looked. They are NOT the right size to be placed together, but it gives you a GENERAL idea of what the top of the fish looked like.
PROTITANICHTHYS sp.
Devonian Period
Long Lake Formation
Alpena, Michigan
The Placoderms were "Armor-plated" fish. Their skull and trunk were covered by hard bony osteoderms. It is these hard parts that fossilized as they fell to the bottom of the ancient tropical seas that once covered much of the Midwest.
Picture 1 is the skull cap
Picture 2 is the skull cap and median dorsal
Picture 3 shows some of the pieces yet to go
In picture 3 there is also an anteriodorsal from the right side.(upper left of the picture)
Picture 4 is a representation of a coccosteid to which the Protitanichtys belong.
Gastropods commonly called Snails.
The first is a great example of a Silurian snail from the Rochester Shale formation.
The second is a spectacular PLEUROTOMARIA from the Devonian of Alpena, Michigan.
The third is a nice LOXONEMA sp. from the Mississippian found in the Blue Ridge Esker.
Gastropods belong to the phylum Mollusca. The class of fossil Gastropoda in my collection is comprised of snails from saltwater. I have not yet found any freshwater snails in my travels.
Today snails can be found in salt and freshwater as well as on land.
1. NATICONEMA niagarensis
Silurian Period
Rochester Shale Formation
Caleb's Quarry
Middleport, New York
2. PLEUROTOMARIA sp.
Devonian Period
Ferron Point Formation
Lakeshore, North of Alpena, Michigan
3. LOXONEMA sp.
Mississippian
Marshal Sandstone
Blue Ridge Esker
Jackson, Michigan
The first is a great example of a Silurian snail from the Rochester Shale formation.
The second is a spectacular PLEUROTOMARIA from the Devonian of Alpena, Michigan.
The third is a nice LOXONEMA sp. from the Mississippian found in the Blue Ridge Esker.
Gastropods belong to the phylum Mollusca. The class of fossil Gastropoda in my collection is comprised of snails from saltwater. I have not yet found any freshwater snails in my travels.
Today snails can be found in salt and freshwater as well as on land.
1. NATICONEMA niagarensis
Silurian Period
Rochester Shale Formation
Caleb's Quarry
Middleport, New York
2. PLEUROTOMARIA sp.
Devonian Period
Ferron Point Formation
Lakeshore, North of Alpena, Michigan
3. LOXONEMA sp.
Mississippian
Marshal Sandstone
Blue Ridge Esker
Jackson, Michigan
So many liked my Hi-Res of the GREENOPS last week and asked for more so one last one before I post other Fossil Stuff.
These are a classic trilobites from a classic location. Often found in large death assemblages in the rich black shales of Ontario, these Asaphids are quite common in the deposits they are found in. The are very compressed and often have a whitish film on them. The first one is classic and came from Bowmanville, but the second I received from a friend and I don't know its exact origin. What is interesting is that parts of the thin exoskeleton are still attached to the trilobite which is rare for this area.
Pseudogygites latimarginatus
Ordovician Period
Whitby Formation
Bowmanville, Ontario
These are a classic trilobites from a classic location. Often found in large death assemblages in the rich black shales of Ontario, these Asaphids are quite common in the deposits they are found in. The are very compressed and often have a whitish film on them. The first one is classic and came from Bowmanville, but the second I received from a friend and I don't know its exact origin. What is interesting is that parts of the thin exoskeleton are still attached to the trilobite which is rare for this area.
Pseudogygites latimarginatus
Ordovician Period
Whitby Formation
Bowmanville, Ontario
Yesterday I did some digging through old CD-Rom's and found a bunch of Hi-Res photo's of my trilobites. I will sprinkle them in my posts over the next several weeks.
Love the detail especially the tubercles on the exoskeleton. Just wish his tail was articulated.
Greenops widderensis
Devonian period
Widder Formation
Hungry Hollow
Arkona, Ontario, Canada
Love the detail especially the tubercles on the exoskeleton. Just wish his tail was articulated.
Greenops widderensis
Devonian period
Widder Formation
Hungry Hollow
Arkona, Ontario, Canada
Yesterday I did some digging through old CD-Rom's and found a bunch of Hi-Res photo's of my trilobites. I will sprinkle them in my posts over the next several weeks.
Love the detail especially the tubercles on the exoskeleton. Just wish his tail was articulated.
Greenops widderensis
Devonian period
Widder Formation
Hungry Hollow
Arkona, Ontario, Canada
Prepping fossils is a real joy. Winter in Michigan is a perfect time to prep the previous years discoveries. Did this one last year.
Here is a Triceratops Vertebra from the Cretaceous deposits known as Hell Creek in South Dakota. This vert was in really good shape in the ground though is was missing the neural spine.
I had a wonderful time prepping this. Once I removed a majority of the matrix, the rock and sand around the bone, I saw it would be best to let it break along some of the fracture points, prep out that part of the bone, set it aside and re-assemble it later.
I used dental pics and just briefly my mini jack but most of the material surrounding the bone was soft - hence real joy to prep. As I removed a portion of the material I would apply a bit of vynac to strengthen the bone.
(For some explaination about vynac and consolodants, please check my recent past facebook posts on my feed).
There was just a little reconstruction of bone that was missing or too badly damaged, I would say less that 1 percent to get it looking like the last picture.
Here is a Triceratops Vertebra from the Cretaceous deposits known as Hell Creek in South Dakota. This vert was in really good shape in the ground though is was missing the neural spine.
I had a wonderful time prepping this. Once I removed a majority of the matrix, the rock and sand around the bone, I saw it would be best to let it break along some of the fracture points, prep out that part of the bone, set it aside and re-assemble it later.
I used dental pics and just briefly my mini jack but most of the material surrounding the bone was soft - hence real joy to prep. As I removed a portion of the material I would apply a bit of vynac to strengthen the bone.
(For some explaination about vynac and consolodants, please check my recent past facebook posts on my feed).
There was just a little reconstruction of bone that was missing or too badly damaged, I would say less that 1 percent to get it looking like the last picture.
Trilobites.
The following video is a short snippet of my Trilobite Treasures: Arthropods of the Ancient Seas traveling museum exhibit. This is a comprehensive exhibit of these spectacular creatures. Take a moment to see this short video. It has been traveling across the Midwest since 2005. It is available now through January of 2021 when it gets installed at the Midland Center for the Arts, Hall of Ideas with all of my traveling exhibits and Selected Fossils of the Kchodl Collection.
If you are affiliated with a museum and are interested in hosting this exhibit please don't hesitate to contact me. There is a short black lead in, it will start momentarily.
For more information on this exhibit you can check out my website paleojoe.com and click on the exhibit tab.
The following video is a short snippet of my Trilobite Treasures: Arthropods of the Ancient Seas traveling museum exhibit. This is a comprehensive exhibit of these spectacular creatures. Take a moment to see this short video. It has been traveling across the Midwest since 2005. It is available now through January of 2021 when it gets installed at the Midland Center for the Arts, Hall of Ideas with all of my traveling exhibits and Selected Fossils of the Kchodl Collection.
If you are affiliated with a museum and are interested in hosting this exhibit please don't hesitate to contact me. There is a short black lead in, it will start momentarily.
For more information on this exhibit you can check out my website paleojoe.com and click on the exhibit tab.
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