It's been almost three weeks since I've been out collecting, and something I hope to rectify soon with a local trip tomorrow, a less local trip on Sunday, and then some spots in much farther areas next week. A few plans fell through, so some of the sites I wanted to visit may have to wait until next season. So to break up the long silence, why not post about an older trip? I've done a few visits to the north of the province, with a focus on encrinurids. Some good finds were had, and I won't post them all. Although just a fragment, no less exciting. A partial pygidium of Ekwanoscutellum cf. ekwanensis. This is a ventral example. The fine ornamentation on the shell can be seen here. Finding even a whisper of these is a very rare treat in this material. Weathered surface specimen, but still an interesting one. This one is not the typical Rielaspis cf. elegantulus, but likely some form of Encrinurus sp. Again, just a fragment but the only example of Diacalymene found in this material. I've likely posted these before. A Rielaspis without its cheeks (far more common to find), and one with both cheeks and eyes -- with the added bonus of being completely free from matrix. This one popped off while I was preparing it and thankfully stayed intact! The next is what I would call the prize find. A friend of mine is preparing it and it is not fully done yet. As found. Four individuals showing. Very preliminary prep. Five individuals showing. Where it is so far. Twelve(!) individuals showing. If you can spot it, there is also a tiny crinoid on the plate. As this was found in a tumbled pile, attempts to locate the missing pieces came to naught. Although a number of these are incomplete or disarticulated, it is no less a nice looking plate. The work on the ventral examples is quite lovely, and at least three specimens have both cheeks (so far).
As far as updates, I had to cry uncle over that giant Isotelus, and it is now in the hands of a skilled preparator. And hopefully in the coming week I'll be messing around in the Ordovician again. The soggy July is giving way to the hot and hazy dog days of summer. Comments are closed.
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Kane Faucher
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February 2024
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