Palaeontology of SW Germany 3.1.9: heaps from Hauff

Heaps of cool stuff, that is…. after the whopper crinoid colony in the last post, which drew unprecedented re-tweets and very many site visitors, today I’m back to finish the “rock stair” that shows the stratigraphic section at Holzmaden.

We’d gotten as far down as the Untere Stein (Lias ε II5) last time. It is underlain by the Untere Schiefer (Lias ε II4), from which I can show you wonderful and huge ammonites – sorry I couldn’t get better shots.

Next down is already the Fleins – the famous Fleins (Lias ε II3, sometimes also Fleinz, the prime level stone for pool tables and with the best fossils – in Holzmaden, that is. Elsewhere, it is not quite that nice. Here, I can show you some assorted fossils: 1. Steinmannia radiata, a bivalve that used to be called Posidonia magna (so this is not the Posidonia the Posidonia Shale was named after), 3. Teudopsis subcostata, a squid, 4. Seirocrinus subangularis, a crinoid – 90% of crinoids come from the Lias ε I2, II2, and especially II3.

Oh, I forgot number 2? Did I, now?

Well, if you can tell me what that is……???
And then there’s this:

On we move, ever down into the Koblenzer (Lias ε II1), from which I bring you an amazingly beautiful belemnite animal:

Remember the belemnites I showed you earlier from the Lias ζ (at the very top of the first

image you can see a tiny part of one) and the really neat one from my collection that came out of the Lias δ? Now you see why I said the preservation in the Lias ε is so special! You can see the mantle, you can see the body, you can see the tiny hooks on the tentacles. Cool hu?

Now, three more fossils from the Koblenzer, showing off the usually excellent preservation.

2b is Phragmotheutis conocauda, and 2c is Chitinobelus acifer – both squids. And 3. – I guess you can recognize an ammonite by now. This one is probably a Dactylioceras or close relative of it. OK, next fossil takes us into the Aschgraue Mergel (ashgrey marls – that name is a dead giveaway), the Lias ε I4:

Marls, yes – and obviously quite well aerated ones. There’s even tiny brachipods on that slab with the dactyliocerate adn the belemnites Passalotheutis bisulcata, and the next photo shows indeterminate shells of bivalves.

Baaad photo, I know – sorry! I took a shot of the sign, and these were in the background. Never thought to take a pic of them.

But now, finally, for some really deoxygenated stuff again, with accordingly excellent preservation of soft tissues: the Tafelfleins Lias ε II2

Stenopterygius quadrisscisus, barely 50 cm long – a baby with a wonderful skin envelope. Click through for the file page, then click again for a larger version, it’s worth it!

I passed by some layers, simply because I do not have any interesting photos to show, but here’s one fossil I still wan to show you, from the Mittlerer Schiefer (II6):

Yeah, Steneosaurus bollensis (I guess) again… ain’t they sweet?

I have another Passalotheutis from the “rock stair”, but it is not quite as nice as the one above. Thus, I’ll pass. and rather move on to what’s ABOVE the rocks:

Hybodus hauffianus again. and prey.

Dapedium – there is a whole school of these fish-that-look-like-a-pinecone up there.

here’s the real fossil – I am (as always) amazed by the incredible preservation!

then, there is the obligatory ichthyosaur:

and a rather vicious looking plesiosaur

as promised, I’ll have something to say about these models and the way they are presented, but that’s for another day and post. Almost 2 a.m. here by now, ‘night everybody