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Post by neuropteris on Jul 9, 2007 15:00:56 GMT -5
Hi folks. Hope the trip to China went well. Thought you might be interested in seeing my latest find - had a trip up the the magnesian limestone quarries of County Durham recently and managed to find this little beauty. Getting dangerously close to the Mesozoic here I know but I hope Permian doesn't fall too much outside the remit of the website ;D Anyway cracked open a block of marl stone and revealed this, a Platysomus. I was rather chuffed! i80.photobucket.com/albums/j178/neuropteris/Platysoma1.jpgAll the best Andy
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Post by Joe Botting on Jul 28, 2007 15:23:13 GMT -5
Hi Andy, In technical language, that is an absolute stonker! You seem to have quite a gift for finding fossils, no matter what age rock you go to... I know those quarries are famous for their fish, but I still don't think they're easy to get. Well done indeed! China was quite something. It's an amazing place, and we were lucky enough to see everything from the poor suburbs of the big cities to the traditional farms and villages of Guizhou. There's little of what we see in the west as traditional Chinese culture left (since the Cultural Revolution, of course), but the people in the villages are friendly, extremely hospitable, and they have kept a lot of their old ways of living. The rice fields had become normal by the end of the three weeks. What really imprints itself on the memory, though, is the vast scale of the construction work, wherever you go. If they don't need buildings, they're making roads and bridges... anything, really. Almost as if it is to prove that they can. The outcrops are staggering, too. It makes you appreciate how fossiliferous the UK localities often are, to see kilometre-thick sequences where fossils are really hard to find. All fascinating stuff, though. To give you a taste of it, the first few photos are up on Flickr: flickr.com/photos/77849983@N00/sets/72157601062244484/All the best, Joe
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Post by neuropteris on Jul 30, 2007 15:07:20 GMT -5
Hi Joe
It is a nice one. I've had a couple of trips there and picked up a couple of Palaeoniscus before but this was a bit special. Also found a large skull about 5 minutes after arriving which is round at a mates being cleaned. The Platysomus was a bit delicate so I got some advice and after a blast of air abrasive to clean it I gave what I thought was a mild coat of paraloid to stabilise it. Was fairly horrified by the result - looked like I'd coated it in gloss varnish. Thought I'd wrecked it but a wipe down with acetone has removed the excess and its looking much better.
Your chinese trip sounds interesting. Its not a part of the world I've been to though I am going to Hong Kong on holiday this Autumn. I do remember reading a story about someone on an expedition to China being savaged by huge wasps - was it Richard Fortey? Can't remember - anyway hope you didn't encounter them
The photo link doesn't seem to work - can you send it again?
Andy
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Post by reighan on Jul 31, 2007 3:25:48 GMT -5
Hi, Andy
Try copying the link into your browser address box. At least it worked for me. :-)
Nice thumbnails, Joe. I'll take a better look when we've re-entered the 21st century.
ATB, Reighan
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Post by neuropteris on Jul 31, 2007 4:23:01 GMT -5
Success! Thanks Reighan
Great photos Joe - its a lot greener there than I expected for some reason and good bug photos. No giant wasps either.
Andy
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