All posts by andysfossils

Disappointments, delights and a small surprise

You might have guessed, I’m currently spending some time prepping the finds from my last Yorkshire visit…

Here are a few updates on the fossils I’ve found and their prep status :
Lytoceras, no inner whorl :(

Lytoceras, no inner whorl 😦

The lower lias Lytoceras has become a disappointment,  as I was working around the whorl towards the inside of the nodule, several gaps in the shell appeared, where the whorl had broken apart, probably during the process of the fossilization.  The outermost part of the whorl is squashed, as I was “digging” for the inner whorls, nothing was there…
This is not unusual for luridum subzone Lytoceras, but they can be found with inner whorls preserved, as shown in the next picture of a specimen found ex-situ during another visit:
Lytoceras fimbriatum, 12 cm, with inner whorl :)

Lytoceras fimbriatum, 12 cm, with inner whorl 🙂

The Pleuroceras I´ve shown you earlier also  has become a disappointment after a promising start – there´s a big hole (more like half the whorl missing) in the outer whorl, the inner whorl is there, but it´s brittle Calcite. Oh well, another one for the graveyard of failed prep attempts aka the gravel patch beside our house…
Pleuroceras, whorl stops :(

Pleuroceras, whorl stops 😦

But there have also been delights and a small surprise…
An upper toarcian Ammonite that had recently fallen from the cliff and was just covered by a thin layer of soft mudstone went  directly to the air abrader, details that are usually lost when they roll around in the waves (or when they are embedded in hard mudstone nodules)  could be recovered, like the wonderful complete spines or this especially delightful small spiny Peronoceras (fragment ?) inside the aperture of the larger Peronoceras subarmatum.
Catacoeloceras subarmatum, 7 cm

Peronoceras  subarmatum, 7 cm

Aperture of the Catacoeloceras, with another small Catacoeloceras fragment inside

Aperture of the Catacoeloceras, with another small Catacoeloceras fragment inside

With some fossils, they may not look like anything when found but can yield surprises :
Peronoceras turriculatum, as found

Peronoceras turriculatum, as found

While roughing this Peronoceras turriculatum from the nodule, I noticed a small shelly fossil appearing after a matrix piece of about 1 x 1 cm size was dislodged by the airpen.  I stopped the airpen to take a closer look :
Peronoceras turriculatum, during preparation

Peronoceras turriculatum, during preparation

It’s a small aptychus, part of the ammonites jaw apparatus !
Apytchus inner mould, 10 x 7 mm

Apytchus inner mould, 10 x 4 mm

Since it is not inside the shell of the ammonite, it can not be safely concluded that it belongs to the ammonite, but form and size (may be a bit on the small side) seem about right, and it’s at least close to the aperture of the Peronoceras…
Peronoceras turriculatum, 7.5 cm, with aptychus

Peronoceras turriculatum, 7.5 cm, with aptychus

There is very little literature about Dactylioceratid aptychi, the only article I found is by Ulrich Lehmann describing remains of the jaw apparatus inside a Dactylioceras tenuicostatum
(Palaeonology Vol. 22, part 1, pages 265-271). He does notice that the jaw apparatus that was found inside that Dactylioceras was also smaller than expected.
Inside my prep box I then went looking for the bit of matrix that flew away (I did not see where it landed) because it took with it most of the actual shell of the aptychus. This was about half an hour after I started work on the Peronoceras and my prep box was filled with hundreds if not thousands of similar matrix shreds… While contemplating the time it would take going through the splinters one by one I picked up a few likely looking ones and after about 5 pieces I found it –  you have to lucky sometimes  !
Apytchus shell, 9 x 7 mm

Aptychus shell, 9 x 7 mm

This has been tweaked somewhat in Photoshop to better show the structure of the aptychus – the colors are not 100% exact.
In my experience, every time I come to Yorkshire to collect I usually get to take with me one special piece – this time, it´s got to be the ammonite with the aptychus !
And, as a little bonus, since this is my 30th post, here is one of the highlights of  the previous visit in April : A double Androgynoceras lataecosta, 6 & 7 cm –
what makes this one special is a Goniomya bivalve which with its v-shaped ornament sits decoratively on the whorl of the ammonite…
Androgynoceras lataecosta, 6 & 7 cm, with Goniomya bivalve

Androgynoceras lataecosta, 6 & 7 cm, with Goniomya bivalve

AndyS
by andysfossils on September 12, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Ammonites, Preparation

Posted by andysfossils on September 12, 2012

https://andysfossils.com/2012/09/12/disappointments-delights-and-a-small-surprise/

Arnioceras or A frustratingly sticky matrix

Arnioceras semicostatum, 4 & 4.5 cm, Holderness Coast

Arnioceras semicostatum, 4 & 4.5 cm, Holderness Coast

I must admit in my more than 20 years of collecting on the Yorkshire  coast I have not really had much luck with finding Arnioceras or with prepping it. When I see beautiful large slabs of Arnioceras, skillfully  prepared, I’m often somewhat frustrated with my own feeble attempts of prepping this sort of matrix from Robin Hoods Bay, where I most often collect. Another german collector once told me that Arnioceras material from the glacial drift (e.g. Holderness coast) does seem to prep easier, with the matrix being less “sticky”, may be due to longer weathering. So while I do still have some slabs of Arnioceras blocks found in Robin Hoods Bay waiting to be prepped in my cellar, most of the better pieces shown here are actually purchased from other collectors and orginating from the Holderness coast. Maybe I should give my slabs a few years of additional weathering in the garden…
To really see the differences between the Arnioceras species you need to look closely :
Arnioceras acuticarinatum, 4 cm, Robin Hoods Bay

Arnioceras acuticarinatum, 4 cm, Robin Hoods Bay

Arnioceras acuticarinatum, keel view

Arnioceras acuticarinatum, keel view

Arnioceras acuticarinatum is the easiest of the lot to identify. It has rursiradiate ribs, i.e. when you look at the whorl of an ammonite with the aperture to the right, you see that the ribs while going over the flank from umbilicus to venter point away from the aperture, they´re leaning backward towards the venter. It has quite an “acute”  (sharp, well-developed) keel as one might translate the latin species name. The partial one shown is actually found by myself, but I do have pictures of better specimen from other collections for the book…
Arnioceras kridioides, 3.5 & 4 cm, Holderness Coast

Arnioceras kridioides, 3.5 & 4 cm, Holderness Coast

Arnioceras kridioides, keel view

Arnioceras kridioides, keel view

Arnioceras kridioides in contrast has no pronounced keel and a very short stadium without ribs on the inner whorls. Keel wise it’s almost like a Gagaticeras.
Arnioceras falcaries, 4.5 cm, Robin Hoods Bay

Arnioceras falcaries, 4.5 cm, Robin Hoods Bay

Arnioceras falcaries, keel view

Arnioceras falcaries, keel view

Arnioceras falcaries has convex ribs, it might be mistaken for A. acuticarinatum at first sight, but it differs in having less dense ribs especially on the inner whorls and
a keel with small side keels. Both A. falcaries and A. acuticarinatum are smooth until about 1 cm diameter.
Arnioceras semicostatum, 3.5 cm, Robin Hoods Bay

Arnioceras semicostatum, 3.5 cm, Robin Hoods Bay

Arnioceras semicostatum, keel view

Arnioceras semicostatum, keel view

This specimen of Arnioceras semicostatum, the Index fossil of the semicostatum zone, was actually found in situ on the most seaward fringe of the reef in the middle of Robin Hoods Bay in 1991 by myself – I had gone there especially on a very low spring tide and could not believe my luck when I found the small limestone nodule in situ containing the ammonite (according to HOWARTH 2002, even Bairstow did not find any !) As HOWARTH writes in his 2002 paper about the chances of repeating Leslie Bairstow’s collection in Robin Hoods Bay today “Such a collection would be difficult to repeat today, because so many of the accessible ammonites have been removed from the Bay.” – 10 years on, this feels even more true, especially due to the reef being more and more overgrown with algae – in the 1930s and 1950s pictures in the same paper, the reefs do look a lot less overgrown.
The smooth stadium of A. semicostatum is usually about 2 cm in diameter, it’s keel is a bit more pronounced than A. kridioides, but less developed than A. acuticarinatum, a bit like A. falcaries, but just a touch of side keels at larger sizes.
Arnioceras miserabile, 2cm, Robin Hoods Bay

Arnioceras miserabile, 2cm, Robin Hoods Bay

Arnioceras miserabile, keel view

Arnioceras miserabile, keel view

Arnioceras miserabile is the “odd one out”, being a small, almost totally smooth ammonite with no pronounced keel, but just an edge where the flanks meet. It is easy to mistake inner whorls of Arnioceras semicostatum as A. miserabile, a safe identification is only possible, when A. miserabile shows typical signs of adulthood, i.e. complete body chamber with preserved aperture and/or crowding of the sutures, i.e. decreased distance between sutures before the body chamber.  There are theories that this “species” may actually be a microconch of another species.
As a reference for all the different names of ribs, sections, shell elements etc of ammonites there is a very nice web page on Tonmo by Kevin Bylund :
I found it when looking for the english name for backwards bending ribs – rursiradiate – which are actually called retroradiate in german literature…

AndyS
by andysfossils on September 2, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Ammonites, Preparation

Posted by andysfossils on September 2, 2012

https://andysfossils.com/2012/09/02/arnioceras-or-a-frustratingly-sticky-matrix/

Measuring an ammonite or How fat is a “fat Dac” ?

Measuring an ammonite with a pair of callipers

Measuring an ammonite with a pair of callipers

Perception is a wonderful thing – it´s different for everybody. When two persons look at one and the same ammonite they may come to totally different conclusions depending on what light they see it in, what they think they are seeing and maybe also what they want to see…

As I´ve shown you earlier, this even becomes more difficult when you look at the same ammonite species photographed in black & white or in color, or ammonites from different locations preserved differently – e.g. limestone or pyrite, with shell or as an internal mould.
To alleviate this problem of non-objective descriptions of ammonites, several measurements have been developed to provide objective measurements for ammonite shells.
I do not know when this actually started, I´ve seen tables with measurements in SPATH´s Liparoceratidae in 1938, wonderful scatter diagrams of various measurements in HOWARTH´s Amaltheidae and Hildoceratidae monographs from the late 1950s and early 1990s, but I think the german author Dr. Rudolf Schlegelmilch has so far provided the most all-embracing measurements for liassic (and also middle and upper jurassic in later books) ammonites so far in his 1976 publication (and the 1992 second edition)  “Die Ammoniten des süddeutschen Lias” (The ammonites of the south german lias), which is actually very much applicable to liassic ammonites from locations outside of Germany as well. I´m planning to use the types of measurements that are used in this publication for the ammonites pictured in the planned book as well – so I think it is time to explain them a little and maybe also help non-german speaking users of the SCHLEGELMILCH book, who might be struggeling with the german explanations.
For measuring the ammonite, using a vernier, dial or digital caliper is useful, since it helps in the process of taking the measurements, but precision is only needed to full millimeters.
First a picture showing the simple measurements :
Ammonite measurements

Ammonite measurements

  • Shell diameter (d – Schlegelmilch, D – Howarth) :
    It is important to take a set measurements at as close to the same diameter as possible, since
    they may vary with diameter, i.e. an ammonite´s shell can have another whorl height or width
    in an earlier stage of life than an adult ammonite.
    When giving numbers for all of the following measurements it is thus always necessary to
    also quote the diameter at which they were taken.
  • Umbilical width (n – Schlegelmilch, U – Howarth)
  • Whorl height (h – Schlegelmilch, Wh – Howarth)
  • Whorl breadth (b – Schlegelmilch, Wb – Howarth)
  • Rib count  (Z – Schlegelmilch) – Ribs per whorl at a given diameter

For comparing ammonite shells, it has proven useful to create relative, compound measurements :

  • Relative umbilical width (N – Schlegelmilch) : Umbilical width divided by diameter (N = n/d = U/D)
    A larger umbilicus would have a large N, like the quite evolute Dactylioceras commune (like the one shown above) which
    has an N between 54 and 62 %, whereas a much more involute ammonite like an Oxynoticeras exhibits an N of only 14 % at 7 cm.
  • Relative whorl height (H in the Schlegelmilch book) : Whorl height divided by diameter (H = h/d = Wh/D)
    H is a factor in how many whorls there are in a shell, when you look back at the post describing the difference between
    Gagaticeras  and Androgynoceras, I noted that there are more whorls for the same diameter in Gagaticeras and you see it in the numbers :
    Gagaticeras has a H of between 23 and 26 %  , while Androgynoceras is higher at around 30 %
  • Relative whorl section (Q in the Schlegelmilch book) : Whorl height divided by whorl width (Q = h/b = Wh/Wb)
    A large number for Q would describe an ammonite with high, slender whorls like an Amaltheus stokesi, for which Schlegelmilch
    notes a Q of 2.3 (at all sizes), whereas a low Q would describe an ammonite with whorls broader than high, usually of a coronate shell form
    like a Catacoeloceras crassum for which Schlegelmilch quotes a Q of 0.7 (at 7.2 cm diameter ;-))
When you collect a lot of ammonites of the same species, all sorts of statistical analysis becomes possible with these measurements
(as long as you´ve got a large enough sample size…), and this allows you to not only calculate variability of the species within a population,
but also show species differences independant from the perception of an individual.
AndyS
by andysfossils on August 20, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Ammonites, Introductory

Posted by andysfossils on August 20, 2012

https://andysfossils.com/2012/08/20/measuring-an-ammonite-or-how-fat-is-a-fat-dac/

A Yorkshire holiday and Be safe…

Bay Ness, Robin Hoods Bay, in the evening light at low tide

Bay Ness, Robin Hoods Bay, in the evening light at low tide

You might have noticed the rate of my posts going down in the last couple of weeks – simple reason : I was on holiday, on the Yorkshire coast, collecting and photographing ammonites.
On the collecting side, it  was hard work but some of the more remote locations I visited proved to be relatively productive – at least better than I had feared during this smooth-sea summer time. Nothing obviously being a fossil remains lying on the beach for long these days, accumulations of the so-called “cannon ball” nodules mostly containing Eleganticeras ammonites that we experienced during our first visits in the late 1980s are a thing of the past. Nowadays you need to look more closely, be at the right spot at the right time (after smaller or larger cliff falls have occurred) and be persistent, re-visit often to be there when large tides rework falls or the accumulated cliff debris on the beach.

On a more sad and earnest note, I guess tragic accidents like the one a couple of weeks ago at Burton Bradstock, Dorset,  where a young woman was killed by a huge rockfall, can happen on the Yorkshire coast as well – I have seen the craters in the shingle produced by freshly fallen large sandstone blocks from the very top, so be safe when you walk along those ever crumbling cliffs.
And if some bloke with a beard did remind you to stop your kids hammering at the foot of the cliff, that was probably me…

On the photographing side, it was most interesting – I was given the opportunity to photograph a lot of ammonites where offhand I did not have a clue as to their species, did not know that they existed in such sizes or took my breath away due to their rarity, preservation and preparation. A big “Thankyou !” to all who helped  so far shortening the “wants lists”, you know who you are, I will certainly be able to scratch out a few species off the list, once I´ve properly identified them…
Looking back at the pictures I´ve made during the holiday, I think I can say that my light “on holiday” photography setup (which I will show you in due course) did work, even in the sale room of a well-known Whitby fossil shop…
Thanks also to all old friends who came to join me again in my collecting trips, it is so much more fun to collect with you out there than alone, and thanks also to new friends who I met first time in person, it was a great pleasure to get to know you !
You might also have noticed that I have updated the earlier “Rare and re-bedded” post with some new pictures and text – I did have the ammonite sent to our holiday location, the picture shown in the post previously was by kind permission of the seller of the ammonite – thanks again, Daniel !
And also, what you might rightfully be waiting for, here are a few pictures of “teasers” – unprepped ammonites I took with me this time and a few I left behind…
I chose these especially to show you that ammonites when freshly found very, very rarely look as I´ve shown you in some of my previous posts – a lot of prep work is necessary to make them presentable. I will add pictures in their prepped state and possibly some prep photos once they´re ready…
AndyS
by andysfossils on August 9, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Ammonites

Posted by andysfossils on August 9, 2012

https://andysfossils.com/2012/08/09/a-yorkshire-holiday-and-be-safe/

Rare and re-bedded

Phymatoceras rude, 1.4 cm

Phymatoceras rude, 1.4 cm

This wee little 1.4 cm diameter ammonite that came off an eBay auction is a big rarity both in terms of species and in terms of where it was found : Port Mulgrave.

The species isthe ultra-rare Phymatoceras rude (hurray, another species from my “wants list” down !), and it usually comes from the striatulum subzone of the upper lias, the Peak Mudstone member at Ravenscar, where the beds were protected by the downthrow of the Peak Fault from the erosion that everywhere else at the end of the upper toarcian eroded a lot of the uppermost toarcian.
Now wait, you will say, if these beds were eroded everywhere else, then how come this ammonite can be found at Port Mulgrave ?
There are two possible theories (and I think I can trust the data given by the seller, who wasn´t even selling it as a Phymatoceras, so that excludes the third option that the seller tried to make a bit of extra money by selling a rare ammonite that comes from somewhere else…) :
  1. When you look closely at the ammonite, you see a rusty brown sandy substance in the umbilicus.
    I think this is middle jurassic sandstone, and that the ammonite was naturally eroded from the striatulum subzone and then re-bedded when the aalenian sandstone was sedimented. I have seen small badly eroded fragments of ammonites in these sandstones before, but never a recognizable ammonite.
    I think somebody even told me about a nautilus from the sandstones as well…
  2. Somebody found this ammonite at Ravenscar and lost it at Port Mulgrave. Much less interesting…
I like theory 1 best, what do you think ?
AndyS
P.S.: If you are the seller of this ammonite : I know you might think that the sales price was a little low now that you´ve read this.
Console yourself with the tought that you´ve earned yourself a copy of the book once it´s ready !
Edit 09.08.2012 :
I’ve updated this post with a new set of pictures of the Phymatoceras and during our holiday in Yorkshire these last 2 weeks I’ve made of few pictures “on location” that provide some evidence for my theory number 1 :
A large aalenian sandstone block with a re-bedded layer of toarcian pebbles, including what looks like a rounded fragment of an upper toarcian Grammoceras !
I’ve looked at many of these blocks during my last collection trip and almost every one of them showed some ammonite fragments !
Aalenian sandstone block with reworked pebble layer, the tip of the hammer pointing to a Grammoceras fragment

Aalenian sandstone block with reworked pebble layer, the tip of the hammer pointing to a Grammoceras fragment

by andysfossils on July 20, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Ammonites

Posted by andysfossils on July 20, 2012

https://andysfossils.com/2012/07/20/rare-and-re-bedded/

A view through the chambers or Translucent ammonites

On the Yorkshire coast, most ammonites are most usually preserved mud-infilled or pyritized. Calcite preservation of a significant part of the whorls is relatively rare, but does occur occasionally, in my experience for example with

  • Psiloceras
  • Arnioceras
  • Euagassiceras
  • Pleuroceras
  • Eleganticeras
There are rare calcite preserved ammonites where the calcite is so translucent that you can almost look through it – I´d like to show you 2 examples :
The first one is a Psiloceras erugatum from the glacial drift (more on the lower lias ammonites from the glacial drift later) :
Psiloceras erugatum, 3 cm

Psiloceras erugatum, 3 cm

I photographed it against the light on my light table and pulled up the contrast in Photoshop to maximum to show the most of the translucent chambers.
The second is an Eleganticeras elegantulum that you might have seen earlier in one of my Christmas postings on the UKGE forum,
the resemblance of the sutures with Christmas trees was just too tempting…
Eleganticeras elegantulum, width of ammonite 4 cm

Eleganticeras elegantulum, width of ammonite 4 cm

With this one I did a little HDR setup, photographing it with a number of exposure settings and combined the pictures with a software later to capture the maximum dynamic range.
Of course beside the right preservation you also have to prep the ammonite completely free of matrix to see the light shine through – with the two examples shown I was lucky with the Psiloceras, it “jumped” off a multi block matrix free, the Eleganticeras was a lot more work involving air pen, diamond cutter and air abrader to remove all the matrix surrounding it without braking the fragile calcite inner mould.
AndyS
by andysfossils on July 18, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Ammonites, Photography

Posted by andysfossils on July 18, 2012

https://andysfossils.com/2012/07/18/a-view-through-the-chambers-or-translucent-ammonites/

“Wants list” upper lias

The upper lias is  for many collectors a firm favourite.  There is a bit of a problem with some of the ammonites on the “wants list”, especially the Dactylioceras genus : Many of those have been described by the great Sydney Savoury Buckman, in his “Yorkshire Type Ammonites” – but not many times afterwards.  So some of these may not be “real” species…

What do you do if you think you have one of the ammonites on the list ?

Simple : Post a comment in the specific post (you have to leave your e-mail address but noone else but me can see it) and I will contact you !

So here´s the upper lias list : Some of these are real rarities, some may not even occur in Yorkshire, but please surprise me !

AndyS

Brodieia pingue (Simpson)
Catacoeloceras dumortieri (Maubeuge)
Catacoeloceras foveatum (Simpson)
Collina mucronata (d’Orbigny)
Dactylioceras annuliferum (SIMPSON, 1855)
Dactylioceras attenuatum  (SIMPSON, 1855)
Dactylioceras consimile (Buckman)
Dactylioceras crassescens (Simpson)
Dactylioceras delectum (Simpson 1855)
Dactylioceras praepositum (Buckman)
Dactylioceras temperatum (Buckman)
Dactylioceras vermis (Simpson)
Dumortieria levesquei (D`ORBIGNY, 1845)
Harpoceras serpentinum (SCHLOTHEIM, 1813)
Harpoceras subplanatum (OPPEL, 1856)
Haugia beani (Simpson)
Haugia jugosa (Quenstedt)
Haugia obliquata (Young and Bird)
Hildaites forte (BUCKMAN, 1921)
Hildaites murleyi (MOXON, 1841)
Hildaites subserpentinus BUCKMAN, 1921
Hildoceras semipolitum BUCKMAN, 1902
Meneghiniceras lariense
Nodicoeloceras dayi (Reynes)
Nodicoeloceras fonticulus (Simpson 1855)
Nodicoeloceras incrassatum (Simpson)
Pachylytoceras crenatum (Buckman)
Pachylytoceras gubernator (Simpson)
Phylseogrammoceras dispansum (LYCETT, 1860)
Phymatoceras fabale (Simpson)
Phymatoceras rude (SIMPSON, 1843) – found on eBay, see post “Rare and re-bedded” !
Porpoceras vorticellum (Simpson)
Protogrammoceras (Protogrammoceras) paltum (BUCKMAN, 1922)
Trachylytoceras (syn. Lytoceras) fasciatum (Simpson)
by andysfossils on July 11, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in "Wants lists"

Posted by andysfossils on July 11, 2012

https://andysfossils.com/2012/07/11/wants-list-upper-lias/

“Wants list” middle lias

The “Wants list” of the middle lias is relatively short (that may have to do something with the fact that I´m collecting in these beds quite often) :

Amaltheus (Amaltheus) reticularis (SIMPSON, 1843)
Amaltheus (Pseudoamaltheus) engelhardti (D`ORBIGNY, 1844)
Canavaria cultraroni (Fucini 1931)
Pleuroceras birdi (SIMPSON, 1843)
Pleuroceras hawskerense (YOUNG & BIRD, 1828) transient elaboratum (SIMPSON,1884)
Pleuroceras spinatum (BRUGUIÈRE, 1789)
Protogrammoceras (Protogrammoceras) turgidulum (Funcini 1904)
Pseudogrammoceras latecens (Simpson)

Some of these are real rarities, some may not even occur in Yorkshire, but please surprise me !

What do you do if you think you have one of the ammonites on the list ?

Simple : Post a comment in the specific post (you have to leave your e-mail address but noone else but me can see it) and I will contact you !

AndyS

 

by andysfossils on July 11, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in "Wants lists"

Posted by andysfossils on July 11, 2012

https://andysfossils.com/2012/07/11/wants-list-middle-lias/

“Wants list” lower lias

The next three posts will be quite dull – no pictures, just lists of ammonites I´m looking for to photograph for the book.

Let me re-iterate the conditions :

  • Found on the Yorkshire coast  – or –
  • Found on the Redcar & Cleveland coast (Redcar, Marske,…)  – or –
  • Found in the quarries around Scunthorpe

The first post is the lower lias one.

Bear with me if the list is not completely perfect – I´m still sorting through it to weed out the ones that are synonyms, have only ever been found or pictured once, etc.
If you have any information to that effect, please also let me know !

What do you do if you think you have one of the ammonites on the list ?

Simple : Post a comment in the specific post (you have to leave your e-mail address but noone else but me can see it) and I will contact you !

So here comes  :

Aegasteroceras crassum SPATH, 1925
Agassiceras decipiens (Spath, 1923)
Angulaticeras densilobatum (POMPECKJ)
Apodoceras sinuatum (Simpson)
Bifericeras donovani DOMMERGUES & MEISTER, 1992
Caloceras belcheri (SIMPSON, 1843)
Caloceras convolutum (SIMPSON,  1855)
Caloceras wrighti SPATH, 1924
Coeloderoceras panula (Bremer)
Coeloderoceras sociale (Simpson)
Coroniceras (Arietites) alcinoe (REYNÈS, 1879)
Coroniceras (Arietites) cf. planaries (REYNÈS, 1879)
Coroniceras (Arietites) obesulus (BLAKE, 1876)
Coroniceras (Arietites) radiatus (SIMPSON, 1843)
Coroniceras (Primarietites) schloenbachi (Reynes)
Coroniceras (Primarietites) vercingetorix (Reynes)
Crucilobiceras obsoletum (BLAKE)
Cymbites laevigatus (SOWERBY, 1827)
Echioceras aureolum (Simpson 1855)
Echioceras cereum (Simpson 1855)
Echioceras exoratum (Simpson 1855)
Echioceras intermedium (Trueman & Williams, 1925)
Echioceras raricostoides (VADASZ, 1908)
Eoderoceras anguiforme (Simpson)
Eoderoceras armatum (SOWERBY, 1815)
Eoderoceras hastatum (YOUNG & BIRD, 1828)
Eparietites bairstowi HOWARTH 2002
Epophioceras landrioti (D`ORBIGNY, 1849)
Gemmellaroceras peregrinum (Haug)
Gemmellaroceras rutilans (SIMPSON, 1843)
Gemmellaroceras tubellum (SIMPSON, 1855)
Gleviceras doris (Reynès, 1879)
Hyperderoceras mamilllatum (Simpson)
Hyperderoceras nativum (Simpson)
Hyperderoceras retusum (SIMPSON, 1855)
Hyperderoceras validum (SIMPSON 1855)
Liparoceras (L.) naptonense SPATH, 1938
Macrogammites antiquatum (SIMPSON, 1855)
Microderoceras scoresbyi (SIMPSON,1843)
Paltechioceras regustatum BUCKMAN, 1914
Paracymbites dennyi (SIMPSON, 1843)
Paraoxynoticeras salisburgense (HAUER, 1856)
Parinodiceras parinodum (Quenstedt, 1884)
Phricodoceras nodosum (QUENSTEDT, 1846)
Platypleuroceras aureum (SIMPSON, 1855)
Platypleuroceras brevispina (SOWERBY, 1827)
Platypleuroceras obsoleta (SIMPSON, 1843)
Platypleuroceras ripleyi (Simpson 1843)
Polymorphites bronni (ROEMER, 1836)
Polymorphites caprarius (QUENSTEDT, 1856)
Promicroceras capricornoides (Quenstedt, 1883)
Psiloceras sampsoni (PORTLOCK, 1843)
Psilocras (Caloceras) bloomfieldense (Donovan)
Radstockiceras sphenonotum(MONKE, 1888)
Saxoceras aequale (SIMPSON, 1855)
Tragophylloceras ibex (QUENSTEDT, 1843)
Tragophylloceras loscombi (SOWERBY, 1817)
Tropidoceras futtereri (Spath 1923)
Tropidoceras masseanum ((d’Orbigny) var. rotundum ((Futterer, 1893)
Uptonia jamesoni (SOWERBY, 1827)
Uptonia lata (QUENSTEDT, 1845)
Uptonia obsoleta (Simpson 1843)
Vermiceras multanfractum (SIMPSON, 1855)

AndyS

by andysfossils on July 11, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in "Wants lists"

Posted by andysfossils on July 11, 2012

https://andysfossils.com/2012/07/11/wants-list-lower-lias/

20 posts or Who photographs the photographer

My little studio

My little studio

20 posts so far – that calls for a little excursion into photography and some reflection about my general workflow…
As you can see, this is my little studio where I photograph the fossils, with the “ensemble” of the Amaltheidae post still present.
It´s just a little Novoflex macro table, that I´ve put onto another table to reach comfortable working height. There are 2 flexible lamps with 5400 °K permanent light from above and another from below the slightly transparent table to provide a little contour light from below. There´s another led spot clamped to the table if I need it for a special spotlight etc. In front of the table I have positioned a sturdy tripod with a 3D geared head that holds the camera with a 150 mm macro lens which gets me to 1:1 size if I need to.  The geared head makes precisely framing the shot very easy, I find it a lot more suited to the task than a normal ball head. Depending on the size of the fossil I photograph, I move the tripod closer or further away from the table – the maximum size fossil I can do with this kit is about 30 x 30 cm.
If I photograph fossils for any post I´m planning, I will always do a lot more pictures than you actually get to see in the post. One reason is that I obviously do several different photos where I vary lighting, sharpness points, positioning of the fossil etc to get the best shot possible. The other reason of course is that I do not photograph only for the post – there are a lot more detail photos and shots of additional fossils that I get to be used later for the book !
I normally research the ammonites I´m planning to write about first, so the text usually comes before the pictures.
For writing the text I use a software called Evernote (it´s a free editor that saves the texts etc in the cloud) – It allows me to continue writing on my texts even if I´m not at home or not at my main computer.  Once the text is about ready, I select the fossils from my collection and do a photo session. Today´s photo session for the Amaltheidae took about 5 hours (while outside a thunderstorm with torrential rain & hail was going on…).
As the thunderstorm subsided, I switched my computer back on and began editing the photos. I run the pictures through a software called DXO first – it does a lot of automatic corrections for colour, white balance, sharpness, lens distortion etc for me. After that is done I do the masking, cropping and combining of pictures in Adobe Photoshop. If the picture will get used in the book I save it uncompressed for maximum quality in Photoshop´s own format so I can later use it without further problems in Adobe InDesign, the publishing software I´m going to use for the book. If it gets used in the blog as well, it will be re-sized for web use, marked with a copyright notice (If you like my pictures and would like to use them – contact me) and saved as a jpeg file, in a setting optimized for both size and visual quality of the picture.
Once text and photos are complete, I upload the picture files to the WordPress media library, add any pictures comments and paste the text for the new post from Evernote into the WordPress editor. I then add the links to the pictures in the media library, do a final spell & visual check – and publish the post !
This workflow has worked quite well for me so far, I feel that writing the blog posts gives me an intermediate goal that continues to drive my work for the book.
With over 2000 views to date (not much for a blog, but this is also a very specialized topic with a small target group), you readers out there seem to enjoy it as well
 – thanks for reading, wherever you are  !
  AndyS

Blog visitor statistics 07.07.2012

Blog visitor statistics 07.07.2012

by andysfossils on July 7, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Introductory, Photography

Posted by andysfossils on July 7, 2012

https://andysfossils.com/2012/07/07/20-posts-or-who-photographs-the-photographer/

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