January 24 Through February 4—TUCSON, ARIZONA: Annual show
Welcome to the GemologyOnline.com Forum
A non-profit Forum for the exchange of gemological ideas
It is currently Thu Mar 28, 2024 8:09 pm

All times are UTC - 4 hours




Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 4 posts ] 
Author Message
 Post subject: Ammonites
PostPosted: Sat Aug 01, 2009 12:00 pm 
Offline
Valued Contributor

Joined: Sat Jul 07, 2007 8:06 am
Posts: 418
Location: uk
Hi everyone

Collected these Ammonities on Tuesday at Port Mulsgrave Bay some ten miles north of Whitby. Actually they are limestone pseudomorphes casts of ammonites containing also calcite and often pyrite. Ammonites existed 240-65 million years ago. They became extinct at the same time as the dinosaurs in the Cretaceous period in the K-T mass extinction. The chambers in the ammonite were linked with each other by a tube and by filling and emptying them with water or air could move through the water. They belong to a group of predators known as cephaloidea. Their living relations are octopus, cuttlefish and nautilus.

Port Mulgrave ammonites are often coated with pyrite. In the 1800's a great deal of ironstone was shipped from here to Middlesborough and Jarrow to produce steel.

Port Mulgrave is now famous for its fossils. The jurassic and cretaceous limestone and shail is exposed. It contains many fossils inluding dinosaur and reptile fossil remains.

Image

Image


Here are some more pictures taken in my back yard

Image

Image

_________________
http://www.mexicanamber.org.uk


Last edited by davegibson on Mon Aug 03, 2009 1:53 pm, edited 3 times in total.

Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sat Aug 01, 2009 12:53 pm 
Offline
Gemology Online Übergoddess

Joined: Tue Nov 06, 2007 3:16 am
Posts: 3170
8) dave,
really nice ammonites!! in your back yard pics, did you build the wall with the ammonites??

by the way, cuttlefish are strange critters! 8)


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sat Aug 08, 2009 11:43 am 
Offline
Valued Contributor

Joined: Sat Jul 07, 2007 8:06 am
Posts: 418
Location: uk
Here is a photo of Port Mulgrave and the abandoned Alum quarry of Kettleness in the distance.

Image

Here is some information about Kettleness

Marine reptiles - Plesiosaurs, Ichthyosaurs, and crocodiles - swam in the shallow seas of the lower Jurassic period. When they died their remains were preserved in the soft shales that were being formed on the seabed. The shales were lifted up to form part of the landmass of Great Britain but the fossilised bones lay undisturbed for more than 180 million years. Then in the 1600's the shales were found to be a valuable source of a chemical called Alum. As the shale was dug out of the cliffs, thousands of different types of fossils were discovered. In the 1800's people began to understand that these were scientifically and commericially valuable and so they were preserved. The most spectacular finds were the fossilised bones of the great sea reptiles, often 3 to 6 metres in length. Fortunately some of these were bought by local museums and are still still on display.

Hi Gingerkid - I built the wall and added the fossils in later

_________________
http://www.mexicanamber.org.uk


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sat Aug 08, 2009 12:37 pm 
Offline
Gemology Online Übergoddess

Joined: Tue Nov 06, 2007 3:16 am
Posts: 3170
:D excellent information, thanks for sharing, dave!!

by the way, i really admire the fossil wall which you built!! 8) and artistic!!


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 4 posts ] 

All times are UTC - 4 hours


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 9 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Search for:
Jump to:  
Powered by phpBB © 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007 phpBB Group
Gemology Style ported to phpBB3 by Christian Bullock