Chasing Amberized Dino Tail

More proof dinosaurs probably tasted like chicken. For more on this new discovery from China of a first ever dinosaur tail embalmed in amber from 99 million years ago go HERE. To zoom in left click on image. Photo by RSM/R.C. McKellar (all rights reserved).

Cliff's 2016 Annual Tailgater

This morning I attended Cliff's annual Santa Lucia Rockhounds' rockhound tailgate sales event in Wellsona, just north of Paso Robles, CA.

I am at a point in my life that I'm getting rid of rocks, not acquiring more of them. However, today I found some really cool stuff in club member Jim Mills' booth at left.

These two specimens of Lower Permian (265 m.y.o) petrified wood are from near a petrified forest in Araguaina, Brazil. This particular wood was scorched when it was still organic prior to its petrificiation.

Miocene-era (14 m.y.o.) petrified wood from Badger Flat, Virgin Valley, Humboldt County, NV, showing signs of brown rot fungus destruction from its pre-petrification days. All photos by Kim Patrick Noyes (all rights reserved).

Visiting a Rockhounding Legend

En route back home from Jalama Beach last weekend, the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen visited the private museum of the arguably most legendary rockhound in California. I withhold his name for the sake and safety and sanctity of the man and his collection. Needless to say this infamously peripatetic rockhound and raconteur regaled us with many a tale of adventure and graciously showed us his fine collection of the fruits of his lifelong labor of love. To view the Jalama Beach part of this adventure go HERE.

The largest shark teeth are megalodon teeth.

Lots of Desmostylus teeth here as well as a tusk at right.

This is essentially a petrified shark skull sans the skull which is made of cartilage but the teeth are in their original configuration.

The collection of local petrified wood was the most interesting thing to me aside from the shark-related items.

Petrified burl or root.

This petrified limb was found encased in a concretion.

This is another concretion-encased petrified wood limb.

Since being a child I have been intrigued with Nipomo agate. Nipomo beanfield agate is at center in the geode.

Nipomo sagenitic agate.

Nipomo sagenitic (at left) and marcasitic (at right) agate.

Nipomo marcasitic agate.

A bit of everything Nipomo agate here: beanfield at bottom, marcasitic at left and top, sagenitic at right.

He told me he got this petrified whale skull for me but I did not follow up on it and now I fear he does not want to give this up having grown fond of it being in his yard. Let the game commence!
All photos by Kim Patrick Noyes (all right reserved)

Of Giant Sloth Turds and Ammonite Bites

My friends Jon Marsh and Patsy Dow availed ourselves of the "museum free Tuesday" deal at Balboa Park in San Diego, CA, to enjoy the Natural History Museum. Below are the high points for me.

Note: below are some other posts relating to this visit to San Diego.

My Last Night Into Morning At Bannister House
No Whaley House Wailing
Sitting Pat In Petco Park
Snakebitten by Mojave Green

I love banyan trees. 

San Diego Museum of Natural History. 

The museum is in Balboa Park so plants figure prominently. 

Megalodon manikin.

Petrified wood is one of my favorite mineral items of interest. 

The fossil sample above seen being removed from its discovery site.

My friends Jon & Patsy. 

Mastodon skeleton

Mastodon mouth parts and tusks.

Finding one of these is on my bucket list,

Giant ground sloth

This cave is in Mojave County, Arizona, to which I'm well-aquainted and it contains awesome extinct sloth poops.

Fossilized extinct giant ground sloth coprolite.

I LOVE fossilized whale bone as much as petrified wood. 

Fossilized walrus skulls and tusks.

I LOVE megalodon teeth!

I was surprised to discover that the infamous Don Wobber nephrite jade boulder "Big Thumper" erroneously declared the largest jade boulder ever extracted from the Big Sur Coast of Central California (retrieved in 1969) was not only here but now owned by the CFMS.

I love slickenslided surfaces!

Orbicular gabbro which is a new thing to me... this from San Diego County. 

         

Twenty-eight million year-old carnivorous goat-like Oreodont skeleton from Carlsbad, CA. 

Twenty-nine million year-old cat-like Nimravid skull from John Day Fossil Beds, OR. 

Forty million year-old rhino-like Brontothere skull.

Forty-three million year-old tortoise carapace from El Cajon, CA. 

Not sure if this is authentic or a mock-up but it shows the K-T Boundary (End Cretaceous Boundary) caused by the Chicxulub Impact and the Deccan Traps flood basalt event at the same time in geologic history. This is from Sussex, WY, or is a model of material from there. 

The ammonites and the ones below are all 75 million years old and were found in Carlsbad, CA. 

I LOVE ammonites!

I love it when a fossil does this: notice what I'm talking about?

THIS! (secondary crystalization within the chambers of the chambered mollusk fossil. 

Whom, I wonder what bit this puncture holes in this ammonite?

Oh this did it! I'm not certain but I do believe that is a mosasaur skeleton on the attack. 

This 500,000 year-old fossilized Colombian Mammoth was discovered in 2009 in downtown San Diego in a construction project. 

I found these modern turtle and tortoise skull collection most intriguing. 

The layout and architecture of this museum is most pleasing to the eye.
All photos by Kim Patrick Noyes (all rights reserved).