Special Fossils Finds (for) Chronicles*

[Mouse]

Nice. I need to get back out to Lyme at some point.

 

[Matteo]

Not far to the south west of the small village in Sicily where my parents-in-law live is Sciacca. Before you get there (so, to the east) you can find a small bay called San Giorgio. It's not very well-known by holidaymakers but the locals know it - you often see families or nonni with their young grandchildren. There is an outcrop of rock at the end of beach from which I've been picking up a few fossils over the years that we've visited. When we went last August I waded/swam a bit further around the outcrop to see if I could find some better specimens (and was successful). Of course, I never bring equipment but normally it's not needed, the rock is fairly friable and so specimens can be found loose or can be broken out of larger rocks.

Age is Middle Pliocene (5 to 2.5mya) so young by geological standards. Mainly bivalves but I did find a nice conicial shell last trip. Species is a bit difficult to determine as there's not a lot of info on-line. As you will see, they would benefit from some cleaning (removing the matrix) but I need some time to do that.

And that's it for my (at one time larger) collection. Next up will be some petrified wood. And if I can persuade my parents to take some photos, (because they now have them) a nice section of fossilised ripples and a very nice slab of pyramidal quartz crystals.

Probably the nicest specimen, an entire bivalve. One half is still in the matrix so it's a bit difficult to see (even in the "top-down" photo) but it is there.

 

[THX1138]

Very nice!
The fossil bed hiking trail near here should be accessible by now. I'll try to get some photos in the next month.

 

[Matteo]

I would have liked to start off with the quartz and ripples...except that my father tells me the slab of ripples had been misplaced. Quite how you can misplace a piece of rock about 40cm long, 20cm wide and 5cm deep, beats me but there you go. As for the quartz (found when I was a kid, and most likely in South Wales (Porthcawl?) but I can't be sure.

And finally, my samples of petrified wood. Found on Lesvos (not the protected area - it can be found elsewhere) in 2000. Formed after an eruption around 17-20 mya.