It's truly spring. The snow is virtually gone down here in SW Ontario. We even recorded a high of 20 C this week (although the temps look to dip toward more seasonal norms for the following week). I have been out in the field, checking on my crops, and prospecting a relatively untouched one. I can tell you I whiffed three times, and ate more than my share of Devonian trash salad. But on the upside I can say I bumped into 7 trilobite species this week, even if all of them were fragmentary. Most of my time was spent in the Dundee Fm, with some little bolts of Bois Blanc Fm as the vicissitudes of glacial errata doth provide on its own whims and mercies. All three spots were local, so my expectations were already fairly low; and I have a few other local spots to check in on or prospect. I am doubtful of any game-changers until I am on the road again by the end of this semester. I hardly took photos. I barely took anything home, and of that fairly underwhelming. But here is a photo roll of some work in the Dundee today: So in the mix of mixed up stuff would be a lot of packstone filled with crinoidal debris, but also the larger brachs and rostroconchs I would find at a place outside of town. In fact, the lithology is identical. Unfortunately, that particular facies is in a distinct minority (about 1% of the material, clustered in one area). Definitely Pseudodechenella sp. pyigidia (there were much more than pictured), an Odontocephalus n. sp. pygidium (that was the only piece I took home on account of collecting all examples in the hopes of a formal description one day), and some heartbreaking Coronura aspectans fragments. I can safely cross this spot off my list of "return visits." But this week wasn't all bad. I got a prep job done and some great stuff from the Postal Formation. First up, loose-end prep. Since my Pferd stylus shattered, and it will be six weeks to get a replacement, any prep will have to mostly rely on abrasion. I was looking in my display cabinet and noticed some trilobites that I had parked in there that I didn't really spruce up. Back when I found this one several years back (a Flexicalymene senaria roller), I didn't have the tools or techniques to do more than stick it in a membrane holder with its other cousins. The site where this was found has been closed to collectors now for several years, and it is a tragedy -- we are talking full exposures of the Bobcaygeon and Verulam Fms in Simcoe County. When it came to trilobites or cystoids, pure gold flowed out of this quarry. I was too recently back into collecting to appreciate that, nor was I skilled enough to read the rocks far better. So this was the dirty bugger: It's just a Flexi roller, right? These things roll on out of the walls and into talus. They are common to the point of nuisance. Well, maybe not so much in Ontario as opposed to Indiana roadcuts, but they rarely get much love. People prefer prones. Many of these rollers I see on the market are just brutal blasts that fur over the finer microsculpture. I decided to take my time with this one under lower pressures. Result. I could do just one more minor pass and blow out the dolomite, but all the tiny granulations are intact. Sadly, it is missing the tips of the cheeks, but this is still a job done with care. For me, it was a loose end that needed tying up. As temps dip again, I may dig around for similar adventures. Ironically, I've prepped tons of F. senaria prone, but not rollers. I mentioned the Postal Formation, most often so kind. First up is a prep job for me, but I have to wait until my Pferd stylus arrives. This represents winter prep project 4 of 4, Dysplanus acutigenia. It is fully enrolled. I might decide to free it of its matrix entirely, but that is a decision I can make once I get into it. Here's a real gem. The photos hardly do it justice. This is a semi-prone Calymene clavicula of the Silurian Henryhouse Formation, Arbuckle Mountains, Oklahoma. Most of the ones I've seen are just disarticulated messes. This one my good friend sent my way. And this other acquisition was a surprise. When one hears of the McKay Group, one expects the usual Cambrian suspects, but this is a more obscure taxon. Kendalina greenensis from Bull River Valley, BC. So, the season is too early for me to expect my "Terataspis moment" like I had back in May 2020, or the species list busting trips to Manitoulin and Quebec, but rest assured those very productive trips are in the finalization stage. I'm not sure I can top 2020, but I sure can try -- time, opportunity, and my tools willing!
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Kane Faucher
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February 2024
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