THE FOSSIL
COLLECTOR

BULLETIN N° 42 JANUARY 1994

Published by

THE FOSSIL COLLECTORS ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALASIA

ISSN 1037-2997

Page 2 - January 1994

THE FOSSIL COLLECTOR

FOSSIL COLLECTORS' ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALASIA

SECRETARY/EDITOR

F. C. Holmes, 15 Kenbry Rd, Heathmont, Victoria, 3135.

REPRESENTATIVES

AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY

Mrs. M. Webb, Fairlight Stn, R.M.B. 141, Weston, 2611.
NEW SOUTH WALES

Eric Nowak, 29 Bungalow Rd, Roselands, 2196.

QUEENSLAND

Ian Sobbe, M/S 422, Clifton, 4361.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

John Barrie, 1 George Terrace, Coonalpyn, 5265.
TASMANIA

John Fennell, R.S.D. 533, Allport St, Leith, 7315,.
VICTORIA

Frank Holmes, 15 Kenbry Rd, Heathmont, 3135.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Mrs. L. Schekkerman, 11 Marion St, Innaloo, 6018.

(03) 7290447

(062) 365123
(02) 7581728
(076) 973372
(085) 711172
(004) 282543
(03) 7290447
(09) 4463583

CONTENTS

Editorial Notes: Deadline for the next issue; Subscriptions;

Protection of Movable Cultural Heritage Regulations (Amendment); 3

Wanted - publications on the Devonian of Australia; Overseas

collectors wishing to exchange 4

In The News:

- Fossil traffickers face prison sentences 4

Petrified (Permineralized) Wood in Western Australia:

Stephen McLauchlin and Marisa Worth 5

More on Fossil King Crabs: John Pickett 17

Otoliths: K. W. Bell 22

Fossil Hunting in Russia: David Cassel 26

Some Cambrian Faunas of North-west Queensland: Tim Spencer 28

In The News (cont.):

- Monsters from the deep reveal an ancient era 32

- Fatal flaw fingers fake fossil fly 33

- The Soon Shale: a unique Ordovician konservat-

lagerstratte from South Africa 34

Books and Book Reviews:

- Lower Devonian Pelecypoda from southeastern Australia 34

- Palaeontological studies in honour of Ken Campbell 34

- The collectors guide to fossil sharks and rays from the

Cretaceous of Texas 35

- Fossils of the Santana and Crato Formations, Brazil 35

FRONT COVER: Maurotarion mystax Holloway and Sandford, 1993, from the Early Silurian
(Late Llandovery) Richea Siltstone, Tiger Range, south-west Tasmania. Photograph
of holotype, Museum of Victoria specimen P137206, x 5, courtesy of Dr D. Holloway.
[Reference: An Early Silurian trilobite fauna from Tasmania. Memoir 15 of the
Association of Australasian Palaeontologists: pp. 85-102.]

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January 1994 - Page 3

EDITORIAL NOTES

deadline for the next issue

Material for the next issue should be submitted by 20th April, 1994, unless otherwise
arranged with the Editor, As always articles and extracts are urgently needed.

SUBSCRIPTIONS

Subscriptions for the 1994/95 financial year are due on 1st March (renewal form
enclosed). Payment before the end of April would be appreciated to avoid the expense
of sending out reminder notices. As reserves are still adequate for our needs and as
as far as we can ascertain there are unlikely to be any major increases in postal
or printing costs, annual subscriptions will remain unchanged, namely:-

Surface Mail : Australia, New Zealand, Papua/New Guinea $ 7.50

All other countries $ 9.00

Air Mail : New Zealand, Papua/New Guinea $ 10.00

East Asia $ 12.00

USA, Canada $ 12.50

UK, Europe $ 14.00

(All subscriptions are quoted in Australian dollars)

PROTECTION OF MOVABLE CULTURAL HERITAGE REGULATIONS (AMENDMENT). Statutory Rules
1993 No. 215 (Notified in the Commonwealth of Australia Gazette on 3 August, 1993).

In the above amendment to the regulations, the $1,000 valuation limit on
palaeontological objects has been removed so that all fossils, irrespective of value,
are now subject to the Regulations and require the issue of a permit before they
can be exported from Australia. The only other amendment to the Protection of
Movable Heritage Act 1986, Part V - Natural Science Objects of Australian Origin,
relates to the definition of holotype, which in the case of palaeontological objects,
extinct flora and fauna, and minerals, has been expanded to include lectotype,
neotype, paratype and syntype.

Members wishing to export fossils for whatever reason (gift, exchange or sale etc.)
should write to the Heritage Protection Section, Department of Arts and
Administrative Services, GP0 Box 1920, Canberra, ACT 2601 or phone (06) 274 1111,
requesting an 'Application for an Export Permit'. This form requires, as well as
normal applicant details, the following questions to be answered about the fossils
to be exported:- what is it, what size is it, what age is it, when and where was
it found, who found it, what is its current market value in AUS$, details of any
publication in which it has been listed or photographed, does it have any
distinguishing marks, and any other information including rarity or importance -
if known.

In addition, the applicant is required to provide photographic evidence as follows
for single objects, a photograph, either in black-and-white or colour (a snapshot,
provided the object is clearly visible and identifiable, or a clear photocopy of
a photograph of the object(s) published in a book or catalogue may be adequate);
for collections, one photographic print of the most rare or significant examples
is sufficient. Large collections are likely to be inspected. Further details are
required concerning the reason for the export, whether permanent or temporary.

Although a request was made to the National Cultural Heritage Committee to be kept
informed of any changes to the Act (FCAA letter, 22 February, 1993), we were only
advised that the above amendment was to be considered. Consequently it was not

Page 4 - January 1994

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PROTECTOR OF MOVABLE CULTURAL HERITAGE REGULATORS (Cont.)

possible to print this information in Bulletin 41 - in fact we only found out about
the change because of the Editor's association with the Museum of Victoria.

While this amendment will make the export of fossils an arduous and time consuming
process, members wishing to continue exchanging with overseas collectors should
not be put off, as provided the Australian material being exchanged is not rare
and has been fully described in a scientific publication, it would seem unlikely
that a permit would be refused.

Full details of the Act and previous amendments were published in Bulletin No. 36,
January, 1992, pp. 6-10.

WANTED: PUBLICATIONS ON THE DEVONIAN OF AUSTRALIA

Alan Goldstein, Naturalist (Paleontologist), who is responsible for the collections
and resource library at the new "Falls of the Ohio State Park" in Indiana (opened
January 25th, 1994), would welcome the donation of any publications on the Devonian
of Australia for the Park's reference library. Anyone who can assist should send
material to Alan, C/o. Division of State Parks, Falls of the Ohio State Park, 201
W. Riverside Drive, Clarkville, Indiana 47129, U.S.A.

OVERSEAS COLLECTORS WISHING TO EXCHANGE FOSSILS

John Faa, 4052 Uplands Drive, Nanaimo, Vancouver Island, B.C. V9T-4H1, Canada,
is interested in finding out about Australian fossils, especially ammonites, crabs,
fruits and seeds. Has similar Canadian material for exchange.

Henk van Noordenburg, Schaapherder 16, 3834 CX Leusden, Netherlands, would like
to acquire Australian echinoids in particular regular and marsupiate specimens (both
male and female). Has a range of over 40 European echinoid species to exchange.

IN THE NEWS

FOSSIL TRAFFICKERS FACE PRISON SENTENCES

The owner of iha most complete skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus rex has been charged
with taking fossils illegally from US government land. But the company concerned,
the Black Hills Institute of Geological Research, says it is innocent.

The company, four of its employees and four other individuals were formally charged
late last month. The indictment does not specifically mention "Sue", the T. rex
skeleton that hit the headlines last year after it was seized by the FBI. The
government impounded the skeleton in 1992 during its investigation into the company's
practices (see Bulletin 37, p.20). The dinosaur was unearthed on Indian land in
the Black Hills region of South Dakota in 1990.

The indictment accuses the company of trafficking illegally in a variety of other
fossils*, including remains of the dinosaurs ( Triceratops , Edmontosaurus ), and fossil
catfish, sharks and turtles. According to the charges, the bones were taken from
Indian reservations as well as government property.

A date has not yet been set for the trial. Each of the 39 counts in the indictment
carries a potential penalty of 10 years in jail and a fine of US$250,000.

Report in New Scientist, 4th December, 1993.

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January 1994 - Page 5

PETRIFIED (PERMINERALIZED) WOOD IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Stephen McLoughlin and Marisa Worth, Dept, of Geology and Geo¬
physics, University of Western Australia, Nedlands, W. A. 6009.

Abstract

The distribution, botanical affinities, process of permineralization,
and palaeoclimatic significance of Western Australian petrified woods
is discussed.

Introduction

Western Australia has fossil wood of various ages. Fossil wood
is even more common in eastern Australia and museum curators and
university researchers probably receive more enquiries about,
and donations of, petrified wood than virtually any other category
of fossils. Fossil wood can yield valuable information about
ancient climates through growth ring studies, and the growing
trade in petrified wood has seen large (1 m) diameter polished
slabs fetching 5 figure sums in North America. Despite this,
the study of fossil wood has been much neglected in Australia.
To date, most research has been essentially descriptive with just
a few palaeoclimatic studies of southern and eastern Australian
Cretaceous and Quaternary woods. The Late Permian, Early Creta¬
ceous, and Eocene all appear to offer great potential for Austra¬
lia wide palaeoclimatic analysis owing to widespread occurrences
of woods of these ages.

Location and age of Western Australian fossil woods

The oldest significant petrified wood in Western Australia occurs
in the Late Permian Condren Sandstone near Christmas Creek, south¬
east of Fitzroy Crossing (Fig. 1). Some poorly preserved Early
Permian wood also occurs in the Minilya River area of the Carnarvon
Basin.

Early to Middle Jurassic wood occurs in various rock units in
the northern Perth Basin especially in the Jurien Bay and Moonyoo-
nooka areas. However, much of this wood is rather fragmentary
or poorly preserved. Furthermore, much of the wood from the
Jurien district is protected within national reserves.

Early Cretaceous fossil wood is abundantly represented in exposures
of the Birdrong Sandstone, Yarraloola Conglomerate, and Nanutarra
Formation in the Kalbarri and Ashburton Fortescue districts of
the Carnarvon Basin. Scarce fossil wood also occurs in the Dand-
aragan Sandstone near Gingin and Dandaragan.

Page 6 - January 1994

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PETRIFIED WOOD IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA (Cont.)

Fig. 1. Map of Western Australia showing principal fossil wood localities,

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January 1994 - Page 7

Eocene fossil woods and roots occur in isolated swamp and lake
sediments north of the Stirling Ranges in the state's southwest
and in the Kennedy Ranges, Carnarvon Basin. The Western
Australian Museum also holds small collections of Tertiary woods
from various other sites including, Kojonup, Walebing, Robe River,
Northcliffe, and Nornalup.

Parent plants

Petrification is not confined to any particular plant group as
organisms ranging from fungi to angiosperms, and even animals,
can become permineralized given the appropriate conditions. Western
Australia's Permian petrified logs are up to 40 cm. in diameter
and probably derive from the dominant plants of that time - the
glossopterids. However, the Canning Basin woods display some
unusual anatomical features including large vessel-like tubes
similar to angiosperms. These woods will be the focus of a re¬
search project over the next three years.

The Western Australian Jurassic and Cretaceous woods have anatomies
characteristic of podocarpacean and araucarian conifers, the
foliage of which are preserved in correlative terrestrial strata
(McLoughlin & Guppy, 1993a).

The little-studied Eocene woods clearly include both conifers
and angiosperms. The conifers probably belong to the Araucaria-
ceae (bunya-pine family), Podocarpaceae (plum-pine family), or
Cupressaceae (cypress family) as leaves of these groups occur
in nearby Eocene deposits at Kojonup (McLoughlin & Guppy, 1993b).
The angiosperm woods are distinguished by prominent water-conduct¬
ing vessels within the wood. Some resemble modern she-oaks
(Casuarinaceae) but others may have affinities to the Proteaceae,
Fagaceae, Myrtaceae or other families which were abundant at that
time (McLoughlin & Guppy, 1993b). Churchill (1973) also considered
some of this wood to be comparable to Barringtonia (Lecythidaceae).

The process of petrifaction

Animals and plants can be fossilised by several quite different
processes. Impressions, or moulds, are cavities left behind in
the sediment after the original organic matter has been leached
away. External moulds are produced by cementation of sediment
around the specimen preserving a negative surface image but yield¬
ing no internal anatomical details. Internal moulds are impressions
of cavity surfaces within animals or plants. Duripartic preserva¬
tion involves preservation of the original hard parts of organisms,

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PETRIFIED WOOD IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA (Cont.)

such as shells, bone and teeth and includes animal hard parts
which have been recrystallised (Schopf, 1975). Casts represent
bulk replacements of organic soft or hard parts by new mineral
matter or sediment. They show a positive image of the original
organism but do not yield internal anatomical details.

Petrifaction (cellular permineralization) is a more specialised
preservational style involving the precipitation of minerals in
the interstices of organic tissues, but not replacement of the
original organic material. Schopf (1975) noted that organic
matter is retained in most petrified woods, although it is some¬
times lost during later stages of alteration or weathering. Hence,
petrifaction is not a case of molecule by molecule replacement
of organic carbon by inorganic material. Rather, it is a case
of the early infiltration of mineral-charged water into the plant
tissue and its permeation into intracellular and interstitial
tissue voids.

Precipitation of raicrocrystalline minerals then impregnates, coats,
and in-fills cavities within the tissues, preserving the original
organic matter. The physical conditions favouring plant petri¬
faction appear to be: a) sediment with good porosity (allowing
the movement of mineral-rich groundwaters; b) slightly acid condi¬
tions; and c) anaerobic conditions (Scurfield, 1979). Petrified
woods are common in ancient riverine sands and gravels and in
sandy sediments of continental shelves. Petrifaction is especial¬
ly common within volcanic ash deposits or where fluvial sediments
are derived from volcanic terraines. Rapid decomposition of
volcanic glass and other unstable minerals provides a rich silica
source for petrifaction (Jefferson, 1987).

Silica is by far the major constituent of petrified wood. Schopf
(1975), Scurfield (1979) and Jefferson (1987) indicated that silica
impregnates the cell walls first, forming chalcedony and/or quartz.
Opaline silica, goethite, haematite, siderite and pyrite are also
commonly reported from petrified woods but calcite, aragonite,
galena, sulfur, and apatite may also be present. Western Austra¬
lian Cretaceous woods occur in glauconitic marine sediments where
both apatite (calcium phosphate) and silicates are the dominant
petrifying agents.

Another interesting form of plant fossilisation occurs in Western
Australia (and at various other locations along the Australian
coast, such as Portland, Victoria). The Nambung National Park

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January 1994 - Page 9

near Cervantes is famous for an area of exhumed calcareous pillars
known as "The Pinnacles". The pinnacles represent solution pipes,
rhizoliths, or rhizoconcretions in Pleistocene aeolian calcareous
sand (McNamara, 1983) and are largely the result of plant root
activity providing a passage for water percolation into the soil.
The zone around the root is usually more acidic and this increases
the rate of dissolution and mobility of the calcareous component
of the soil. The combination of the downward movement of mineral¬
bearing waters and changes in the groundwater chemistry at certain
levels in the soil profile has resulted in the re-precipitation
of minerals in and around the root cavity at depth. Thus the
pinnacles are essentially root casts and coatings and are not
strictly "petrified" in the formal sense.

The uses of fossil wood

Growth banding evident in fossil woods (Fig.2) enable interpreta¬
tion of past climatic conditions by comparing them to the ring
development in modern trees from different climatic belts (Chaloner
& Creber, 1973; Fritts, 1976). A number of environmental factors
may influence the production of growth rings in a plant's woody
tissues but the most important are moisture, temperature and light
which are strongly seasonal parameters at high latitudes (Fritts,
1976; Creber & Chaloner, 1984). Ideally, palaeoclimatic interpre¬
tations for an area should be based on fossilised upright tree
stumps of the same species positioned in relatively close proximity

Fig. 2. Transverse thin section of Cretaceous conifer wood showing the variation in cell
diameter from late season wood to early season wood (x 300).

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PETRIFIED WOOD IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA (Cont.)

Fig. 3. Transverse section of Cretaceous conifer wood showing fungal degraded pockets (x 3).

Fig. 4. Magnification of degraded Cretaceous wood showing fungal filaments in cavities (x60).

THE FOSSIL COLLECTOR

January 1994 - Page 11

so that many of the competing environmental factors will apply
to all specimens. Most fossilised woods have been transported
to some degree but can still provide important general information
about climatic parameters provided a large enough collection of
samples (minimum of 30-50 logs) is studied.

Several qualitative and quantitative measures have been established
for analysing growth bands in assessing palaeoclimate. Qualitative
considerations include the recognition of growth rings and their
degree of prominence within the wood. Quantitative analysis
includes measurement of growth ring widths, cell proportions of
early and late season wood production, variation in cell size
between early and late wood, the number of cells produced per
season, and several measures of ring width variation between
seasons. Annual sensitivity is a measure of the difference in
width between a pair of consecutive growth bands divided by their
average width (Creber, 1977). Mean sensitivity (Fritts, 1976)
is a measure of the average of these values for each tree and
provides an indication of the plant's growth response to variable
climatic factors. It probably offers the most valuable informa¬
tion about past climatic conditions and is calculated using the
following formula :

mean sensitivity = 1/n-l Z l2(X t+ i-X t )/X t+ i+X t l

where X = ring width, t = year number of ring, n = number

of rings in sequence.

In most cases the environmental factors which influence growth
ring production are moisture, temperature, and light. Modern
trees have mean sensitivities ranging from 0 to 1.0. Trees having
a mean sensitivity of <0.3 are considered 'complacent' and typi¬
cally grow under relatively uniform climates. Those having mean
sensitivities >0.3 are regarded as 'sensitive' and grow under
more variable climatic conditions from season to season.

Other information is sometimes available from fossil wood. Some
woods contain evidence of insect borer activity (Scott, 1991).
The Cretaceous woods from Western Australia were mostly deposited
within marine environments and have been intensely bored by marine
bivalves (shipworms) of the families Teredinidae or Pholadidae
although the animals' shells have not been preserved. The Coral
Bay woods have also revealed the first evidence of wood-decaying
fungi from the Australian Cretaceous in the form of delicate hyphae
occupying wood cavities similar to the texture produced by modern
pocket-rot fungi (Figs. 3-4). Where upright fossil stumps are

Page 12 - January 1994

THE FOSSIL COLLECTOR

PETRIFIED WOOD IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA (Cont.)

preserved they can also reveal the spacing of plants in ancient
forest communities which may in turn have been a response to
nutrient and light availability.

Features of the Western Australian fossil woods

The growth characteristics of 48 Early Cretaceous conifer wood
specimens from the Birdrong Sandstone in the Coral Bay area were
recently examined. The woods range from 2.2 to 17 cm in diameter
and show between 5 and 117 distinctive growth bands. Growth
ring width vary from 0.033 ran. to 12.340 mm. with averages for
individual axes in the range 0.177-9.39 mm. Some woods show
relatively little interseasonal variability (Figs. 5A,B) whereas
others show marked inter-yearly fluctuations in wood production

Fig. 5 Plots of the variation of growth ring widths for selected Western Australian
Cretaceous woods. MS = mean sensitivity; ARW = average ring width in mm.

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January 1994 - Page 13

(Figs. 5C,D). Woods display mean sensitivities ranging from
complacent to mildly sensitive (0.148 to 0.673) with the average
mean sensitivity (0.348) falling within the "sensitive" field
(Fig. 6B). False growth rings are produced in modern trees by
adverse environmental conditions during the normal growth season.

They show gradual reduction in cell diameters followed by gradual
increases and differ from true growth rings which show abrupt
transitions between the narrow thick-walled cells of the late
wood and the broad thinwalled cells of the succeeding year's early
wood. Although they are uncommon in the Western Australian woods,
sporadic false growth rings are evident in some axes. Broad
growth rings on some specimens may have in excess of 300 cells
per band while others show as few as 10 cells per season.

Other assemblages of Early Cretaceous fossil wood from the Austra-
lia-Antarctica region (then a connected landmass) include those
from the Otway and Gippsland Basins (Douglas & Williams, 1982),
the Eromanga Basin (Frakes & Francis, 1990), the Carpentaria Basin
(White, 1961), Alexander Island (Jefferson, 1983, 1987), and the
Antarctic Peninsula (Francis, 1986). Early Cretaceous woods from
all of these localities display marked seasonal banding as might
be expected in high latitude floras. However, the presence of
sporadic false growth rings in the Western Australian and Northern
Territory woods (White, 1961) suggests growth within more erratic
climatic conditions probably owing to their location within lower
Cretaceous palaeolatitudes (Veevers et al., 1991).

The Carnarvon Basin woods have growth patterns falling between
the complacent growth values shown by the narrow-ringed Eromanga
Basin and Antarctic Peninsula woods which lack false growth rings
(Francis, 1986; Frakes & Francis, 1990) and the sensitive or
"erratic" growth parameters displayed by the Alexander Island
woods (Jefferson, 1983) and Late Jurassic conifer woods associated
with evaporitic sediments in southern England. . The English
Jurassic woods show erratic ring development comparable to wood
growth in climatically variable 'Mediterranean' vegetation types
(Francis, 1984). The Antarctic and Eromanga Basin woods have
been compared to the modern Nothofagus and conifer forests of
southern Chile, New Zealand, and Tasmania in terms of their growth
ring patterns. The strong mean sensitivity variation of the
Carnarvon Basin woods probably reflects their origin from a range
of hinterland habitats. Taking into account the 45° - 50° palaeo-
latitude of the Carnarvon Basin, the sporadic presence of false
growth rings, the range in growth ring widths, and the relatively
high average mean sensitivity measure, a seasonal mesothermal

No. of wood specimens No. of wood specimens

Page 14 - January 1994

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PETRIFIED WOOD IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA (Cont.)

Tertiary woods: North Stirlings

Mean sensitivity

Permian woods: Christmas Creek

Fig. 6 Histogram of mean sensitivity values for 10 Western Australian Eocene,
48 Cretaceous and 11 Permian woods. AMS = average mean sensitivity.

THE FOSSIL COLLECTOR

January 1994 - Page 15

conifer-dominated vegetation is envisaged for the basin hinterland
during the Early Cretaceous. Climatic fluctuations may have been
slightly more erratic here than in areas peripheral to the higher
latitude Eromanga Basin. Further studies of the Western
Australian, Gippsland, and Carpentaria Basin fossil woods would
enhance our understanding of Australian Early Cretaceous climates.

Only small collections of Western Australian Permian and Eocene
woods have yet been examined. These typically show less pronounced
although often broader growth bands with lesser average mean sensi¬
tivities (Figs. 6A,C; 7). Although Australia was also at high
latitudes during these times, year-round humid conditions may
have reduced growth variability between seasons. Although Austra¬
lia experienced glaciations in the Early Permian, the climate
probably substantially ameliorated by the close of that period
with wet mild temperature climates prevailing. The occurrence

North Stirlings sample TH

Fig. 7 Plots of the variation of growth ring widths for selected Western Australian
Permian and Eocene woods.

Page 16 - January 1994

THE FOSSIL COLLECTOR

PETRIFIED WOOD IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA (Cont.)

of several typical rainforest elements in angiosperm leaf

assemblages in the southwest (McLoughlin & Guppy, 1993b) also
favours a humid climate for the Eocene.

Conclusions

The process of wood petrifaction is much misunderstood in the

general literature and largely involves impregnation, coating
and infilling of cavities within the wood cells. As such it

differs from cast preservation and is not a case of molecule by

molecule substitution of organic material by minerals. Fossil

woods from a range of geological periods (especially the Permian,

Cretaceous and Eocene) offer potential insights into Australia's
past climates via growth ring studies. Western Australian woods
of these ages show features typical of seasonal humid climatic
regimes no longer experienced in most parts of this state. The

Cretaceous woods show somewhat more variable growth patterns than

Permian or Eocene woods suggesting a more erratic climatic regime
for that period. Additionally the Cretaceous woods preserve
the remains of saprophytic fungi and marine bivalve borings which
aid the interpretation of ancient ecosystems and depositional
environments.

References

Chaloner, W. G. 4 Creber, G. T., 1973. Growth rings in fossil woods as
evidence of past climates. In, Tarling, D. H. 4 Runcorn, S. K. (eds),
Implications of continental drift to the earth sciences. Academic press,
London, pp.425-437.

Churchill, D. M., 1973. Die ecological significance of'tropical mangroves
in the Early Tertiary floras of southern Australia. Geol. Soc. Aust.
Spec. Publ. 4: 79-86.

Creber, G. T., 1977. Tree rings: a natural data storage system. Biol. Rev.
52: 349-383.

Creber, G. T. 4 Chaloner, W. G., 1984. Climatic indications from growth
rings in fossil woods. In, Brenchley, P. J, (ed). Fossils and climate.
John Wiley, Chichester, pp.49-77.

Douglas, J. G. 4 Williams, G. E., 1982. Southern polar forests: the early
Cretaceous floras of Victoria and their palaeo climatic significance.
Palaeogeog. Palaeodimatol. Palaeoecol. 40: 199-212.

Frakes, L. A. 4 Francis, J. E., 1990. Cretaceous palaeoclimates. In,
Ginsburg, R. N, 4 Beaudoin, B. (eds), Cretaceous Resources, Events
and Rhythms. Rluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, pp.273-287.

Francis, J. E., 1984. The seasonal environment of the Purbeck (Upper

Jurassic) fossil forests. Palaeogeog. Palaeodimatol. Palaeoecol.
48: 285-307.

Francis, J. E., 1986. Growth rings in Cretaceous and Tertiary wood from
Antarctica and their palaeoclimatic implications. Palaeontology. 29:
665-684.

THE FOSSIL COLLECTOR

January 1994 - Page 17

Fritts, H. C., 1976. Tree rings and climate. Academic Press, London, 576pp
Jefferson, T. H., 1983. Palaeoclimatic significance of some Mesozoic

Antarctic fossil forests. In, Oliver, R. L., James, P. R., & Jago,
J. B. (eds), Antarctic Earth Science. Australian Academy of Science,
Canberra, pp. 593-598.

Jefferson, T. H., 1987. The preservation of conifer wood: examples from
the Lower Cretaceous of Antarctica. Palaeontology 30: 233-249.
McLoughlin, S. & Guppy, L., 1993a. Western Australia's Cretaceous floras.
The Fossil Coll. Bull. 39: 11-21.

McLoughlin, S. & Guppy, L., 1993b. Western Australia's Tertiary floras.
The Fossil Coll. Bull. 40: 13-22.

McNamara, K., 1983. Pinnacles. Western Australian Museum, Perth, 20 pp.
Schopf, J. M., 1975. Modes of fossil preservation. Rev. Palaeobot.
Palynol. 20: 27-53.

Scott, A. C., 1991. Evidence for plant - arthropod interactions in the

fossil record. Geology Today. 7: 58-61.

Scurfield, G., 1979. Wood petrifaction: and aspect of biomineralogy.

Aust. J. Bot. 27: 377-390.

Veevers, J. J., Powell, C.McA. & Roots, S. R., 1991. Review of seafloor
spreading around Australia. 1. Synthesis of the patterns of spreading.
Aust. J. Earth Sci. 38:373-389.

White, M. E., 1961. Report on 1960 collections of Mesozoic plant fossils
from the Northern Territory. Bur. Min. Res. Geol. Geophys. Aust. Rec.
1961/146: 1-26. (unpublished).

MORE ON FOSSIL KING CRABS

John Pickett, Geological Survey of N.S.W., P.0. Box 76,

Lidcombe, N.S.W. 2141.

Fossil king crabs have scored a number of mentions in The Fossil
Collector. The first of these was a summary article by me

(Pickett, 1985) outlining the Australian occurrences known up

until that time (three of them, after a few rejections). The

second was the announcement of the discovery of a fourth specimen,
calling for contributions to a purchase fund, and nobly getting
the fund off to a flying start with a donation of $150. Most
recently, another summary article on fossil chelicerates (Selden,
1993), brought my earlier summary up to date, and indicated that
an article on specimen number four was in press. That article
has now appeared (Pickett, 1993), which means that I can use the
name in print; this is significant, since it was named in honour
of all the good people who contributed to the purchase fund.
As the most generous contributor (apart, as must in fairness be
said, from the N.S.W. Government, which covered contributions

on a dollar-for-dollar basis) was The Fossil Collectors'
Association of Australasia, this journal is an appropriate place
to thank you all.

Page 18 - January 1994

THE FOSSIL COLLECTOR

MORE ON FOSSIL KING CRABS (Cont.)

The specimen was recovered by a couple of men collecting flagstones
at a roadside locality known as "The Dungeons", east of Parkes,
N.S.W. They felt it might earn them a few quid, and so brought
it to Alex Ritchie at the Australian Museum, who quickly recognised
the specimen for what it was and immediately called me over to
see it. The finders initially suggested a purchase price of
$5,000; Alex and I managed to persuade them that $1,000 was more
realistic, but we still needed to raise the money. After the
initial donation from the F.C.A.A. I gave a lecture on king crabs
past and present, under the auspices of the Australian Museum
Society (I cannot claim that Sydneysiders thronged the hall; alas,
invertebrate creatures do not capture the popular imagination
the way their backboned cousins seem to do!), and that helped
a bit; Sue Turner, whom I can recommend to anyone seeking a lively
P.R. agent, passed the hat around at an A.A.P. meeting in Christ¬
church during December 1985; and there were individual donations.
So, by degrees, we raised the money, and the specimen became the
property of the Australian Museum.

Fig. 1 (left). Kasibelinurus amicorum Pickett. 1993. Holotype, latex cast of dorsal
counterpart, x 1.

Fig. 2 (right). Reconstruction of JC. amicorum , by Roger Springthorpe, Australian
Museum, Sydney. The telson (tail), lacking in the original, is hypothetical.

THE FOSSIL COLLECTOR

January 1994 - Page 19

Having finally got the specimen into a situation where I could
examine it in detail and begin to prepare it, my initial reaction
was one of considerable disappointment. Whereas the Triassic
species Dubbolimulus peetae , described earlier (Pickett, 1984),
which is preserved in a fine, hard shale, showed many details,
including most of the appendages, the new specimen occurs in sand¬
stone , so that detail below the size of the sand grains is not
preserved. Apart from that the specimen, which appears to be
a moulted carapace, has suffered some pre-burial damage (no tail
or appendages), the anteriormost right pleura has been lost, and
the anterior left pleura has largely covered the head-shield (the
prosoma). The initial examination indicated that, whereas the
form was clearly new, its preservation was such that important
details would be lacking from a formal description. Consequently
the specimen was set aside for some time, during which the type
locality was visited at every possible occasion, in the hope of
turning up an additional specimen. No luck so far, however.
Other fossils occurring at the locality are the lepidodendroid
Leptophloeum australe and rather macerated plant remains, the
best preserved of which are similar to the material from the Genoa
River described by Dun (1897) as Archaeopteris howitti McCoy.

During 1992 a visit from Paul Selden
of the University of Manchester
encouraged me to renew work on the
specimen, which has now been descr¬
ibed as Kasibelinurus amicorum ; the
species name, from Latin amicus (=
friend), is an expression of thanks
to all of you who helped obtain it
for a public institution. Whereas
the Dubbo species, Dubbolimulus
peetae , was named for its finder,

Judy Peet, who .graciously donated
the holotype specimen, this is not
the case with J(. amicorum ; its
finders have had their reward.

The illustrations (Figs. 1, 2) show
the holotype specimen at twice
natural size, and a reconstruction
of the entire animal by Roger
Springthorpe, of the Australian
Museum. Kasibelinurus has a feature
not known in any of its relatives,
the rather bulbous lobe on the

Fig. 3. Dorsal view of the phacopid
trolobite Reedops sp., showing
anterior position of the
articulating facets.

Page 20 - January 1994

THE FOSSIL COLLECTOR

MORE ON FOSSIL KING CRABS (Cont.)

prosoma in front of the eyes. The area behind this, known as the
cardiac lobe, is present on most limulines (see for instance the
two illustrated by Paul Selden in The Fossil Collector No.41,
p.15), but it never reaches the front of the prosoma. This new
structure has been termed the precardiac field. Why it should
be there and what its implications are for the anatomy and
behaviour of Kasibelinurus remain subjects that can only be guessed
at. Other unusual features of the new genus are the straight
eye-ridges and the quadrant-shaped raised areas behind them.

"Bellinurus

carterae

"Bellinurus"
alleg anyensis

Fig. 4. Line drawings of the four Late Devonian limulines currently referred to
the family lasibelinuridae.

THE FOSSIL COLLECTOR

January 1994 - Page 21

Kasibelinurus , Bellinurus in the broad sense, and Bellinuroopsis
differ from most younger limulines in that the segments of the
opisthosoma ("thorax") are separated, and not fused into a single
inflexible shield, as in all modern limulines. This gives them
a trilobite-like appearance. Most trilobites were capable of
enrolling, and the structure of the pleurae of IC. amicorum indi¬
cates that it too had this ability. However, there is significant
difference. During enrolling the pleurae must slide over one
another, because of the arching of the body in lateral profile.
This results in the development of differentiated areas on the
pleurae known as articulating facets. In trilobites these facets
lie on the front of the pleurae (Fig. 3), while in Kasibelinurus
they occur on the posterior margin.

Kasibelinurus is so different from other known limulines that
it has been made the type of a new family, Kasibelinuridae, to
which two Late Devonian species from eastern North America
( Bellinurus carterae Eller and j}. alleganyensis Eller) and a third
from Russia ( Bellinuroopsis rossicus Chernyshev) have tentatively
been referred (Fig. 4). Published illustrations of these latter
three species are lacking in much critical information, so their
type material is currently being re-examined in order to achieve
a better assessment of their relations to one another and to fC.

amicorum . At the very least, it is clear that the two North

American species do not lie comfortably in the basically

Carboniferous genus Bellinurus .

References

Dun, W. S. t 1897. On the occurrence of Devonian plant-bearing beds on
the Genoa River, County of Auckland. Records of the Geological Survey
of JJ.S.V. 5: 117-121, pi. 10, 11.

Pickett, J. W., 1984. A new freshwater limuloid from the Middle

Triassic of New South Wales. Palaeontology 27: 609-621.

Pickett, J. W., 1985. Australian fossil king-crabs. The Fossil

Collector 15: 22-30.

Pickett, J. W., 1993. A Late Devonian xiphosuran from near Parkes,

New South Wales. Memoirs of the Association of Australasian
Palaeontologists 15: 279-287.

Selden, P. A., 1993. Fossil chelicerates of Australia. The Fossil
Collector 41: 11-20.

Page 22 - January 1994

THE FOSSIL COLLECTOR

OTOLITHS

K. N. Bell, Stony Creek, Victoria 3957.

This is a further note on some of the smaller and unusual fossils,
found in the washings from our fossil localities, which are often
overlooked even though no special techniques are required for
their recovery.

The Tertiary marine deposits in southern Australia have yielded
very few articulated fish fossils. Long (1991) refers to specimens
from the limestones along the Murray River at Morgan, which are
at present undescribed, and to the head of a flathead from the
Upper Oligocene at Wynyard, Tasmania described by Corbett (1980).
This is probably because fish decompose quickly after death and
many carcasses float to the surface and rapidly become disarticu¬
lated; those complete skeletons found coming from fishes which did
not float after death and were probably quickly buried (Schaffer,
1972). However, we know that an extensive fish fauna existed
in those times because of the presence of numerous otoliths or
ear-stones. Only certain parts of the fish skeleton (otoliths,
teeth, dermal bones, scales, vertebrae and spines) are strong
enough to resist transport and abrasion and so be preserved.
The most studied microscopic remains in Tertiary-Recent deposits
are the otoliths and what are called ichthyoliths (microscopic fish
skeletal debris - commonly teeth and scales). Anyone wanting more
information on ichthyoliths is referred to Doyle and Riedel (1979)
for a complete set of figures and list of references up to that
time. Some minute (0.05-0.5 mm) planoconvex and ellipsoidal cal¬
careous particles, termed ossiculiths (Frizzell and Exline, 1958)
have been found as accessories in the auditory labyrinth of recent
fishes and have been recorded from the Middle Eocene of Texas.

Otoliths are small (usually about
10 mm long), flatish, lemonpip-like
in shape, calcium carbonate granules
found in the inner ear of vertebrates.

They are used to register the animal's
position with respect to gravity.

Similar organs are known in inverte¬
brates e.g., cephalopods (Clarke et
al., 1980) and Crustacea (Steurbaut,

1989) and referred to as statoliths.

In fishes the ear is embedded in the
otic bones of the skull where a

FIGURE 1. Diagram of fish memb¬
ranous labyrinth; avc, anterior
vertical canal; he, horizontal
canal; pvc, posterior vertical
canal.

THE FOSSIL COLLECTOR

January 1994 - Page 23

complex closed system of canals, called the membranous labyrinth,
is found. There are three otoliths in each of the left and right
side labyrinths. They are found in the sacculus - the sagitta,
in the utriculus-thelapillus, and in the lagena - the astericus.
The sagitta is usually the largest otolith and normally has a
distinctive shape whilst the other two are much smaller and less
distinctive - for example in the living Australian Salmon the
sagitta is about 12 mm long and the other two only 2-3 mm in
length. The shape, size and sculpture on the sagitta vary with
different genera so it is possible in some cases to make generic
identification with Recent fishes. During ontogenesis changes
do occur although specific differences can be hard to pinpoint
in closely related juveniles, normally however, the adults are
readily distinguishable. Sex dimorphism is not apparently known
to occur within otoliths but side dimorphism does occur with some
flat fish. The carbonate is laid down in yearly layers which
can be easily seen in sectioned specimens thus enabling the age
of the fish to be determined and, with chemical analysis of the
rings, the water details of the habitat. Details of habitat
changes with age can also be found.

The main morphological terms associated with otoliths are shown
in Fig.2.

Otoliths are not normally found as surface fossils although the
larger specimens may be seen with a sharp eye. More commonly
washing sediment through a nest of sieves and then checking the
retained material will release any otoliths present. The depth
of deposition of the rock type will influence greatly the probable
number found - tidal, brackish and lagoonal deposits usually have

Page 24 - January 1994

THE FOSSIL COLLECTOR

OTOLITHS (Cont.)

a sparse fauna, with number of species and specimens increasing
with increasing depositional depth. The number of specimens
to be found in a sample is highly variable; in New Zealand
Schwarzhans (1984) found numbers from several to several thousands
per cubic metre of unsieved material, with an average between
100 and several hundreds per cubic metre.

From the Victorian marine Tertiaries otoliths have been found
from Palaeocene to Pliocene, with the majority coming from Miocene
localities but this may just reflect collecting strategies over
the years. Many of the otoliths indicate that the marine fish
populations of those times were similar to that found today e.g.,
whiting, flathead, flounder, marine eels, snapper. The generic
and specific identification of specimens is not easy due to the
lack of work done on the faunas and to the fact that otoliths
of recent fishes are seldom described, consequently anyone serious¬
ly interested in identifying the fossils is virtually obliged
to make a collection of recent forms for oneself.

Papers actually describing the otolith fauna in Australian Tertiar¬
ies are uncommon:

FIGURE 3. Examples of otoliths: a, Uroconger ; b, Myripristis ; c, Sillago; d,
Coelorhynchus - outer face; e, Coelorhynchus - inner face; f, Percidarum ; g,
Astroconger ; h, Platycephalus ; i, Gadus .

THE FOSSIL COLLECTOR

January 1994 - Page 25

Frost (1928) made the first study of some N. Z. and Victorian
forms. Stinton (1952) described some from the Pliocene of South
Australia, and the same author in 1958 and 1963 described some
Victorian species. Long and Turner (1984) list all the Australian
otolith species and their localities recorded at that time.

In New Zealand the fauna is much better recorded; Stinton (1956)
described a small fauna and Schwarzhans (1984) made a detailed
study of the fauna recording about 160 species and included dia¬
grams of a number of Recent otoliths for comparison.

References

Clarke, M. R. t Maddock, L. and Steurbaut, E., 1980. The first fossil

cephalopod statoliths to be described from Europe. Nature 289 (5783):
628-630.

Corbett, K. D., 1980. An Early Miocene flathead (Pisces: Platycephalidae)
from Wynyard, Tasmania. Proc. R. Soc. Tas. 114: 165-175.

Doyle, P. S. and Riedel, W. R., 1979. Ichthyoliths: Present status of
taxonomy and stratigraphy of microscopic fish skeletal debris. Scripps
Institution of Oceanography Reference Series 79-16, 231p.

Frizzell, D. L. and Exline, H., 1958. Fish ossiculiths: Unrecognised
microfossils. Micropaleontology 4: 281-285.

Frost, G. A., 1928. Otoliths of fishes from the Tertiary formations of New
Zealand and from Balcombe Bay, Victoria. Trans. N. Z. Inst. 59: 91-97.

Long, J. A., 1991. The long history of Australian fossil fishes. In

Vickers-Rich, P., Monaghan, J. M., Baird, R. F., and Rich, T.H. (eds.),
Vertebrate Palaeontology of Australasia. Pioneer Design Studio and
Monash Univ. Publications Committee, Melbourne, 337-428.

Long, J. A. and Turner, S., 1984. A checklist and bibliography of Austral¬
ian fossil fishes. In Archer, M. and Clayton, G. (eds.). Vertebrate
Zoogeography and Evolution in Australasia. Hesperian Press, Carlisle,
235-254.

Schafer, W., 1972. Ecology and Palaeoecology of marine environments,
(transl. by I. Oertel, edit. G. Y. Young). Univ. Chicago Press, 568p.

Schwarzhans, W., 1984. Fish otoliths from the New Zealand Tertiary.

N. Z. Geol. Surv. Rept. 113, 269p.

Steurbaut, E., 1989. The first fossil mysid statolith (Crustacea) to be
described from western Europe. Micropaleontology, 35: 188-189.

Stinton, F. S., 1952. Fish otoliths from the Pliocene of South Australia.
Trans. R. Soc. S. Aust. 76: 66-69.

Stinton, F. S., 1956. Teleostean otoliths from the Tertiary of New Zealand.
Trans. R. Soc. N. Z. 84: 513-517.

Stinton, F. S., 1958. Fish otoliths from the Tertiary strata of Victoria,
Australia. Proc. R. Soc. Viet. 70: 81-93.

Stinton, F. S., 1963. Further studies of Tertiary otoliths of Victoria,

Australia. Proc. R. Soc. Viet. 76: 13-22.

Page 26 - January 1994

THE FOSSIL COLLECTOR

FOSSIL HUNTING IN RUSSIA

David Cassel, 605 Sutape St, Soi 1, Chiang Mai 50000, Thailand

This story begins with me attending a symposium in Chiang Mai, Thailand, in February/
March, 1993, on the palaeontology and biostratigraphy of mainland southeast Asia.
There I met the former head of the Geological Survey of a European country who told
me with great enthusiasm about a fossil site he had visited in Russia "The richest
I've ever seen - the entire formation was condensed down to just a few meters thick.
Large, perfectly preserved ammonites were everywhere, and I couldn't walk around to
look at them without stepping on ichthyosaur bones". Well, this was certainly
intriguing, and from the horse's mouth, so to speak. Further, saying that his host
when he had been there wanted contact with foreign fossil collectors, he gave me
an address in Russia to write to.

After many months, letters, FAXes, telegrams, etc., I found myself in Prague on
a last-minute two-day shopping trip with my friend Henry before we caught the train
to Moscow.

On the train we met a group of Russian business people who introduced us to the
friendly Russian custom of drinking large amounts of vodka. They put us up in
their Moscow apartment, showed us around, fed us new and wonderful Russian foods,
and helped us purchase train tickets to Ulianovsk, on the Volga - no easy task!
Moscow has some lovely sights, but much of the city is bleak, ugly, muddy and
depressing. Rainy too.

Arriving without a clue in Ulianovsk, the city where Russia manufactures it's jumbo
jets, we were impressed by the fact that no one smiled. Henry said that maybe they
had nothing to smile about. It was rainy, muddy and depressing. Old ladies in thick
clothes were selling tomatoes, potatoes, apples, and sour orange berries along the
path to a bring-your-ovn-wide-mouth-jar beer shop. The bread is wonderful.

We finally caught a crowded bus to Undori, having run out of other ideas. The
Russians are expert at crowding onto buses, and we had to stand the whole way,
luggage on our feet and other standing passengers propping us up.

Through blind luck we were able to locate the man who was to lead us around by the
nose for the next ten days and, through a series of cunning manoeuvres, do us out
of an unseemly amount of money. He took us to a mind-boggling warren of underground
rooms, where hundreds, maybe thousands of large ammonites, mostly Speetoniceras
versicolor , were stacked everywhere on dusty shelves, floor to low ceiling,
interspersed with boxes of crumbling ichthyosaur and plesiosaur bones. Were we
impressed! This is what we were here for!

He got us a room at an ancient spa that had seen much better days. Three very dirty
days later we discovered there was a sauna and hot shower, and got all-over clean
for the first time in a week. People seemed to come to the spa to spend quiet time
(families with children), or to party wildly for a day or two. We generally spent
more time with the latter, as they were active in the evenings when we returned
from looking for fossils. They ate huge meals of fish stew, potatoes, Volga fish,
rice, carrot and goat stew, smoked fish from Moscow (good!), all washed down with
large quantities of vodka, of course. Twice we were invited to join them, and had
a great time toasting international friendship, etc. One evening we heard an
accordian, and singing, and went to investigate. We were caught up in a crowd of
singing, dancing people and swept into their room for music and drinking. The only
frightening aspect to this otherwise idyllic residential situation were the vile and
treacherous unlighted long-drop toilets and the dangerous dogs belonging to the ex-

THE FOSSIL COLLECTOR

January 1994 - Page 27

military survivalist son of the couple who ran the sauna. (One night he successfully
demonstrated how to find edible mushrooms in the dark forest without using a light).

Interspersing this sporadic night life were dinners with our host and his family
(more wonderful food, which later appeared on our bill), and a series of long futile
days hunting fossils.

Our host hired a car and driver for us, who took us, our host and his three teenage

sons, to various classic localities that we couldn't walk to. Once there, they
would run like deer up the "beach", (the tree-and-rock-strewn bank of the Volga),
leaving no stone unturned while we followed in the wake of their devastation, hoping
to see something they'd missed.

After some days of this, we asked if there weren't some sites with fossils worth
collecting. He said "No" - his awesome basement was apparently the distillation
of twenty years of collecting these sites. Then he showed us the boat we paid to
go out in (but never did). His crew, just returning from a collecting trip, loaded
six or eight gorgeous large ammonites into our vehicle - "For the museum", he said.
The incomplete specimens were kept by the men to be cut up for their lapidary
business. We now began to see why we weren't finding much....

We told him we wanted to go to a site where we could collect something beautiful
to take home with us, not just "study" specimens. He had the driver take us south
and west of Ulianovsk, where we could dig Craspedites nodiger and Yarniceras
catenula , small but good colour. Luckily Henry had borrowed some heavily padded
pants and jackets from our ex-military survivalist, so we were claustrophobically
warm in our mummy bags inside our reviled tube tent. At 2 a.m. our superiorly-
equipped host, his son, and driver were all in the "jeep" with the motor running
and the heater on. One of our support ropes was tied to the vehicle and I was afraid
thay'd drive away, with me unable to get out of my bag!

Next morning they abandoned us for two more nights with some food, their canvas

tent, the "Russian runs", and not enough firewood or toilet paper. (We eventually
cured ourselves with doses of eucalyptus oil taken with berry jam). We dragged
firewood from far away and used up a lot of Russian newspaper.

When our host finally returned, we took down the tent in the rain and stuffed
ourselves into the "jeep" for the ride back. We told him we'd had enough of seeing
these classic fossil-less sites, and we wanted to leave as soon as possible, to
go to Kazan to visit our friends there.

To make a long story short, we purchased three large pyrite encrusted Speetoniceras
and two gorgeous Ancyloceras simbirs heteromorphs, packed all our specimens and
junk into two huge 80 kilo, wooden crates, and paid our host to take us to the train
station, where some mineral collectors from Moscow met us and gave me a pretty
Cretaceous echinoid with pyrite crystals from Kafkaz. Then we just about wrecked
ourselves (the first of too many times) running down flights of stairs, along
platforms, and talking and wrestling our way onto railroad cars with two ridiculously
heavy crates full of what was mostly junk. Soon we would start to ask ourselves
if it was worth the effort.

Arriving in Kazan, we got our boxes out of the train and found we were trapped.
No way could we carry those crates up those huge iron stairs, much less across the
entire railroad yard and down the stairs at the other end. "Wait here", said Henry,
and disappeared. He was gone for over two hours. It was getting dark,
dangerous-looking people were walking by, and refugee children from the tents near
the tracks were circling ever closer to our luggage. Luckily, the conductress from
our old train car drove them away.

Page 28 - January 1994

THE FOSSIL COLLECTOR

FOSSIL HUNTING IN RUSSIA (Cont.)

Henry finally arrived through a maze of tracks and mudholes with another Russian
"jeep" into which we stuffed our crates and baggage. The driver and his friend

put us up in an extra apartment and in the morning took us to Henry's friend, an

engineer (an engineer makes $20 a month, while a waitress makes $65 - she "works"),
who introduced us to some very kind people at the Kazan Museum who invited us to
go on a Mammoth hunt.

With alacrity we accepted, and the next day went by train, bus, then the back of

a huge muddy truck, over perhaps the worst road I've ever been on, to a remote

village (all in the pouring rain, of course) where we all ate and drank the food
and drinks we'd brought and slept in a room provided by the village.

In the morning the sun was shining over a sea of mud and pools of water. Geese
were walking everywhere, and horses pulled rubbertyred carts through the places
the large trucks and tractors weren't busy churning up.

We walked down to the lake where farmers had discovered a chunk of ivory while they
were grading the access to the water, and proceeded to dig several ribs, chunks
of ivory and a vertebra out of the sticky wet clay, to the great amusement of the
crowd of assembled farmers, who helped us dig. This was Mammuthus primogenius .
and it was a wonderful day!

From there we went to Moscow, visited the "Bird Market", and the wonderful
Palaeontological Museum, where we donated some money for the electricity so we could
spend hours looking over the wonderful displays.

Finally, we took the train back to Prague, somehow getting our crates across the
Russian border without the necessary new forms that we hadn't been given by the
Ulianovsk Museum. And in the nick of time - two weeks later, Yeltsin dissolved
Parliament.

SOME CAMBRIAN FAUNAS OF NORTH-WEST QUEENSLAND

Tim Spencer, AGES (Aust.) Pty., Ltd., Kenmpre, Queensland.

Introduction

Some of the Middle Cambrian units visited on one of AGES educational tours in north
west Queensland are outlined. It is not intended to present a detailed account
on the Georgina Basin faunas, rather to highlight some of the more accessible units
visited on my tours, and to give an overview of their relationship to one another
in the field and their stratigraphic relationship in a broader context.

Geology and Geography

The Georgina Basin comprises an elongated Lower Palaeozoic sedimentary province
covering some 330,000 km 1 of northern Australia. It is bordered on the east and
west by rocks of Precambrian age, in the south east it is overlapped by Cretaceous
rocks of the Great Artesian Basin, and in the north west it merges with rocks of
the Daly River Basin which are of a similar age but somewhat different
lithostratigraphic content. The eastern part of the basin is divided into five
major areas: the Ardmore, Mt. Isa and Burke River Outliers in the south, and Lady
Annie/Lady Jane Outlier and Undilla area in the north.

In early middle Cambrian time a marine transgression rapidly invaded the area, and a

THE FOSSIL COLLECTOR

January 1994 - Page 29

carbonate-evaporite-terrigenous seque¬
nce of complex facies interchange was
deposited over most of the basin. This
sequence is assigned to the Ordian
Stage and is conformably overlain by
the Templetonian Stage, a sequence
consisting predominantly of shales
and siltstones in the south and more
carbonate facies in the north. Consid¬
erable diagenetic changes have taken
place in these sequences including
silicification, evaporite dissolution,
dolomitisation and dedolomitisation.

Outcrop is generally poor due to the
low angle dip. The more clastic sed¬
iments of the southern areas of the
Georgina Basin are more steeply dipping
in the vicinity of northern and western
boundary fault systems, but even here
outcrops are generally restricted to a
few metres.

In the northern (Undilla) area due to
the resistant nature of the low dipping
carbonates some tens of metres of sed¬
iment may be exposed on this pediment
topography over a distance of a kilo¬
metre or so. Other exposures are limited to creek beds and the occasional mesa scarps
of highly silicified clastic-terrigenous sediments. (Henderson and Southgate, 1978).

Fauna

The fauna is essentially Acado-Baltic* with most of the Scandinavian agnostid zones,
represented by the nominate zone species starting with Ptychagnostus gibbus through
to Leiopyge laevigata in the Middle Cambrian, followed by the polymerid and agnostid
zones, Cedaria-Olenus and Glyptagnostus in the Upper Cambrian, (0pik,1957).

Mount Isa Outlier

The earliest Middle Cambrian unit containing trilobites occurs in this area at Hall's
Memorial on the Barkley Highway. Here a siliceous rubble occurs on the surface with
fragmentary remains; Redlichia idonea, and Redlichia chinensis are the dominant
species. This unit is equivalent to the Thorntonia Limestone (visited in the Undilla
area) and is of Ordian age (earliest Middle Cambrian), and has been referred to as
the Yelvertoft Bed (David, 1932).

The Templetonian Stage following the Ordian, is represented by the Beetle Creek
Formation, which outcrops in creek beds and as low pediments. The type section for
the Beetle Creek Fm.-, occurs near "May Downs" Station, and is visited frequently by
collectors. A somewhat better and less frequently visited outcrop occurs near Gidya
Bore, where our tour stops.

Here white, leached shale and siltstone with minor chert interbeds occur on pediments

* Acado-Baltic - faunal term derived from 'Acadian', a name proposed by Walcott in 1891 for
Middle Cambrian strata in eastern North America characterized by Paradoxides etc, (Harland
et al., 1982) and 'Baltic', a name used for similar strata in Scandinavia where Westergaard
and others divided this epoch into essentially agnostid zones (Opik, 1979).

boundary of Cambrian outcrop in the Georgina Ba

Page 30 - January 1994

THE FOSSIL COLLECTOR

SOME CAMBRIAN FAUNAS OF NORTH-WEST QUEENSLAND (Cont.)

which are profusely fossiliferous. Xystridura templetonensis is Che most abundant
trilobite with Xystridura milesi , Pagetia signifjeans . Peronopsis normata and
Lyriaspis . Slabs of shale are easily excavated, splitting on the bedding planes
revealing an assortment of dissarticulated trilobite fragments and whole specimens.

The Beetle Creek Formation near Gidya Bore passes without a break into the overlaying
Inca Creek Formation which is preserved as rubble on nearby hills. Lithologically
it is indistinguishable from the underlaying Beetle Creek Fm., however, the boundary
is marked by the absence of polymerid trilobites and the occurrence of the agnostid
trilobite, Ptychagnostus atavus .

At Yelvertoft, north of the Barkley Highway and west of Mount Isa, the Inca Formation
is represented by siliceous shale and siltstone. Outcrop is poor, restricted to
small gullies and creeks where the black soil of the plains has been removed by
erosion. As here the Inca Formation has a low angle of dip, it is necessary to cover
a lot of ground in order to find exposures representing different stratigraphic
horizons. The Inca Formation falls within the zone of Ptychagnostus atavus which
is by far the most abundant agnostid. They are often accompanied by sponge spicules
( Pleodioria ) which are common in the more cherty layers.

The Undilla area

The Undilla area, north of the Barkley Highway has much more to offer by way of
continuous sedimentation and facies interchange. In the north east, in the Thorntonia
area, both the Ordian Stage (Thorntonia Limestone) and the Templetonian Stage (Beetle
Creek Formation) are represented.

The Thorntonia Limestone has been highly dolomitised and fossils are restricted to
lenses and nodules of chert. Although uncommon the fossils have enabled correlation
with other parts of the Georgina Basin. Redlichia from the lower part of the form¬
ation has enabled correlation with equivalent stages in Southeast Asia, Scando-Baltic
and North American provinces, and the indigenous, Xystridura in the upper part
indicates that it is equivalent to the Beetle Creek Formation in the southern areas.

The Beetle Creek Formation which overlays the older unit with a slight disconformity,
contains pelletal phosphorite, and is equivalent to the Monastery Creek Phosphorite
Member, present in the Burke River Outlier. The mauve mineral Wavellite, an
alumino-phosphate, is present in small amounts, replacing some brachiopod valves.

Fossils are locally abundant and in some places grainstone coquinas occur. The
agnostids are predominant and include, Hypagnostus , Diplagnostus and the zonal index
Ptychagnostus atavus . Brachiopods, ( Linnarssonia , Orbithele , Micromitra ). are also
abundant, sponge spicules in the cherty layers and the hyolithid, Biconulites . seen
in great profusion on some, weathered surfaces.

The Currant Bush Limestone, V-Creek Limestone and Mail Change Limestone occur
further to the west and overlap the previous formations. They consist of flaggy,
impure limestones and occasional mudstone interbeds. The Currant Bush Limestone
probably represents an alternating subtidal, intertidal and supratidal environment.
Algal mat is present, and some horizons are bituminous. Fossils are scarce and
restricted to a few horizons containing agnostids.

The V-Creek Limestone is lithologically similar to the underlaying Currant Bush
Limestone. Fossils are locally abundant and include the polymerid trilobites
Asthenopsis and Papyriaspis . the agnostids Hypagnostus , Doryagnostus and
Ptychagnostus and several taxa of primitive brachiopods, including Linnarssonia
and Lingulella .

THE FOSSIL COLLECTOR

January 1994 - Page 31

The Mail Change Limestone occurs near New Bore, just west of Undilla. Trilobites
are scarce, but brachiopods more abundant, including Lingulella, Orbithele and
Micromitra.

Burke River Outlier

In this area where the Thorntonia Limestone, Beetle Creek Formation and Inca
Formation occur, there is a hiatus in deposition, the unconformity excluding the
Currant Bush, V-Creek and Mail Change Limestones or their equivalents. Sedimentation
commences again with the Roaring Siltstone, but at a later stage than the units
examined in the previous areas. Fossils are locally abundant and include
Ptychagnostus cassis .

The Devoncourt Limestone is extensive in outcrop in this area. Many outcrops are
unfossiliferous but specific horizons occur where fossils are quite numerous.

Agnostids are generally scarce, the faunas being dominated by the polymerids;
Proampryx agra occurs in profusion on some bedding planes and some fine specimens
of Centropleura phoenix may be found associated with other faunas.

Concluding Comments

The various units examined on the tour, in the Mount Isa area, Undilla area and
Burke River area, have been selected in order to present a broad overview of the
sedimentary and faunal relationships of the Middle Cambrian in the eastern part
of the Georgina Basin, and their subsequent relationship to Middle Cambrian rocks
world-wide.

There is much that we do not get to see, time constraints and logistics impose
limits, in fact there are many well documented exposures of Middle Cambrian, Upper
Cambrian and Ordovician rocks that I have yet to visit, and on each trip it will
be my intention to locate one or more of these units to expand my local knowledge.

Needless to say there are many things to see and do on the tour, the Pre-Cambrian
rocks, hosting world class mineral deposits are worthy of close scrutiny, as are
the wonderful Aboriginal art sites of the district.

If you are interested in being a participant on one of these tours, call or write
for more information (see advertisement, this issue). I look forward to meeting
some of you in the near future.

References

David, T. V. E., 1932. Explanatory notes to accompany a new geological map of the

Commonwealth of Australia. Comm. Coun. Sci. Ind. Res., Sydney, 177 pp.

Henderson, R. A. and Southgate, P. N., 1978. Middle Cambrian Stratigraphy and

Sedimentology of the eastern Georgina Basin. In, Excursion Handbook, Third Australian
Geological Convention. G. S. A. Qld. Div., 85-110.

Opik, A. A., 1957. Cambrian Geology of Queensland. In A. A. Opik et al.. The Cambrian
geology of Australia. B. M. R. Bull. 49: 1-24.

Whitehouse, F. V., 1936. The Cambrian faunas of north-eastern Australia. Parts 1 and
2. Mem. Qld. Mus. 11: 59-73.

Other useful references:

Moore, Raymond C., 1959 (editor). Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology Part 0,

Arthropods 1. Geol. Soc. Am. and Univ. Kansas Press.

Opik, A. A., 1961. The Geology and Palaeontology of the Headwaters of the Burke River,
Queensland. B. M. R. Bull. 53.

Opik, A. A., 1975. Templetonian and Ordian Xystridurid trilobites of Australia.

B. M. R. Bull. 121.

Opik, A. A., 1979. Middle Cambrian Agnostids: Systematica and Biostratigraphy (2 vols.).

B. M. R. Bull. 172.

Page 32 - January 1994

THE FOSSIL COLLECTOR

IN THE NEWS

MONSTERS FROM THE DEEP REVEAL AN ANCIENT ERA

Bones from two extinct sea monsters, pliosaurs, have been uncovered on a fossil
shoreline near Carnarvon, Western Australia, in what palaeontologists say might
prove to be one of Australia's richest sites from the dinosaur era.

Spectacular specimens of fossil wood with tree-rings describing the ancient climate
125 million years ago, thousands of extinct squid-like animals and what is thought
to be the first fossilised pliosaur droppings ever found make up the discovery.

The two pliosaurs, rare shortnecked paddle-finned predatory reptiles, were found
a few hundred metres apart in the Cretaceous Birdrong Sandstone by Dr. Stephen
McLoughlin and Dr David Haig of the University of Western Australia's geology
department and Mr. Glynn Ellis of Lausanne University in Switzerland.

The animals, represented by a handful of disarticulated limb bones and vertebrae,
appear to have been significantly larger than similar pliosaur finds from Lightning
Ridge, N.S.W., such as the famous opalised fossil "Eric" and were between 3m. and
4m. long. Their discovery follows the find last year of a long-necked plesiosaur
from Kalbarri.

In the last five years bits of half a dozen pliosaurs, ichthyosaurs, mosasaurs and
plesiosaurs have been found. Dr. McLoughlin stated that palaeontologists had been
alerted to the potential of the Carnarvon site by a local pastoralist who had noticed
specimens of petrified wood on his property. These proved to be ancient podocarpus
conifers, dating from a time when Australia lay close to the South Pole and was
much colder, wetter and more seasonal with marked fluctuations in rainfall. At
this time Gippsland lay less than 2,000km. from the pole itself and Western Australia
formed the northern coastline of the continent.

One of the most remarkable discoveries was a lump of blackish rock thought to be
a coprolite (fossilised piece of dung). Close inspection showed it to contain
tiny fish bones, vertebrae, scales and teeth, indicating that it came from a fish¬
eating animal, most probably a pliosaur. This provided a clearer insight into
what they ate and how they lived.

Together the fossils contribute to a picture of cool shallow seas richly inhabited
by millions of squid-like belemnites and ammonites preyed on by voracious pliosaurs
and other flesh-eaters. The seas were carpeted in a fine ooze, low in oxygen and
ideal for preserving dead animals that sank into it. Floating tree logs from the
land were rapidly attacked by sea-worms, indicating the water was saline.

All of the finds were made within a few hours during an initial survey of the area,
indicating that it was likely to be incredibly rich in fossil specimens. This might
make it possible to reconstruct the whole sea-edge ecosystem from 125 million years
ago.

In a further important discovery, Mr. T. Cruse and Dr. Lyall Harris of the
university's geology department have also reported the first Ediacaran fossils from
Western Australia. These are among the most ancient forms of multicellular life
on earth, dating from 600 to 550 million years ago and were first identified from
rocks at Ediacara in the Flinders Ranges, South Australia.

Report by science and technology writer Julian Cribb in the
Weekend Australian, October 2/3, 1993.

THE FOSSIL COLLECTOR

January 1994 - Page 33

FATAL FLAW FINGERS FAKE FOSSIL FLY

A fossil fly that has been one of London's Natural History Museum's greatest entomo¬
logical treasures for 70 years, is a Victorian fake. In a piece of detection worthy
of Sherlock Holmes, Andrew Ross, a student of ancient insects, has uncovered an
entomological crime on a par with the Piltdown hoax - but perpetrated at least sixty
years earlier.

The unique and almost perfect specimen of Fannia sealaris - the latrine fly - is
preserved in amber and was thought to have originated from the Baltic region some
38 million years ago. Hidden among the other 2,500 amber specimens in the museum's
collections, the forgery has lain undetected for more than 140 years.

Throughout this time F. scalaris has acquired considerable scientific fame, not
only as the oldest known representative of the housefly family, the Muscldae, but
as an important example of a species that has survived unchanged for many millions
of years. Now, thanks to Ross's astute detective work, the fly's undeserved fame
is likely to be overtaken by a better deserved notoriety. "Fly specialists are
actually pleased it's a fake because the fly is too advanced to have been around
that long ago," says Ross.

Ross' revelation came as he was hunched over his microscope, working through the
Natural History Museum's collection of 12,500 fossil insects. As he focussed on
the latrine fly two cracks appeared on either side of it. Ross quickly removed
the specimen from the heat of the lamp, fearing that it might damage the fly and
destroy some vital anatomical detail.

Turning the amber piece around to check the extent of the damage, Ross noticed a
faint but clear line running through the amber. And, curiously, the specimen seemed
to be sitting in a hemispherical depression. The line and the hollow could be
seen clearly from both sides. The implication was immediately obvious. This was
a classic example of a doublet, a technique perfected by jewellers over centuries
to "stretch" precious stones.

A genuine piece of Baltic amber had been carefully cut in half and a small grave¬
like excavation made in one surface. The fly was "interred" and the cavity filled
with an amber-like resinous mounting medium. The two pieces were then glued together
to form the doublet and the fake was ready to be launched on its remarkably success¬
ful scientific career.

No one knows the origin of the fake fossil but the specimen was first mentioned
in 1850 in a published list of the collections of H. H. Loew, a German expert on
flies. In 1922, the Natural History Museum bought 300 of Loew's amber specimens,
including the latrine fly.

Then, in 1966, the world-famous entomologist Willi Hennig made the first detailed
study of the specimen, and firmly established its scientific reputation as a kind
of 'Peter Pan' of the fly family, clearly identifiable and unchanged by evolution
for almost 4 million years - but with no known forebears or descendants until the
present time.

The forger's identity is still a mystery, but the motive was probably simply money.
In Victorian times, collectors like Loew paid good prices for interesting specimens
and there was a lucrative market for fakes. The forger is unlikely to have chosen
the fly deliberately to confuse future students of palaeoentomology. It was probably
the nearest insect to hand.

Part of a report by Douglas Palmer in New Scientist, 13th November, 1993.

Page 34 - January 1994

THE FOSSIL COLLECTOR

THE SOON SHALE: A UNIQUE ORDOVICIAN KONSERVAT-LAGERSTATTE
FROM SOUTH AFRICA

Preservation of soft tissues in the fossil record is rare and occurrences are concen¬
trated at particular stratigraphic levels and in a restricted range of sedimentary
environments. Cambrian finds are now widespread, but there is a dearth of similar
records from the Ordovician. This gap in our knowledge can now be filled by a
recently discovered fossil biota from the late Ordovician of the Cape Province,
South Africa.

The fossils come from the Soom Shale Member of the Cedarberg Formation, which out¬
crops widely in the mountains north of Cape Town. Exposures of the shale are rare
owing to its recessive nature, but two localities have produced exceptionally pre¬
served fossils. The Soom Shale first gained attention through the discovery of
giant conodont assemblages, which have subsequently been found with associated soft
tissues of the conodont animals. More recent collecting has yielded eurypterids
with appendages, muscles, respiratory and feeding structures preserved, together
with other arthropods and enigmatic soft-bodied specimens. The fauna also includes
brachiopods, trilobites and orthocone nautiloids; many of the bedding planes are
covered by algal swirls, and palynomorphs have been recovered.

The Soom Shale is a black, finely laminated unit, conformably overlying tillites
of the Pakhuis Formation. The laminae probably represent seasonal sedimentary epi¬
sodes, with the fauna indicating open marine connections. As well as providing
the first "Burgess-Shale type" Lagerstatte from the Ordovician, the Soom Shale
presents a unique example of soft-tissue preservation in a Palaeozoic glacio-marine
environment.

Richard J. Aldridge, Sarah E. Gabbott (Leicester) and Johannes N. Theron

(Geological Survey of South Africa). Palaeontological Association Christmas

Meeting abstract, from Palaeontology Newsletter 20, Autumn 1993.

BOOKS AND BOOK REVIEWS

LOWER DEVONIAN PELECYPODA FROM SOUTHEASTERN AUSTRALIA by Paul A.
Johnston (Memoir 14 of the Association of Australasian Palaeon¬
tologists). Published by the A. A. P., Brisbane, 1993, 134pp.

[ISBN 0949466-13-1, ISSN 0810-8889]

Price AUS$30.00 (within Australia), AUS$40.00 (overseas).

Diverse, well-preserved fossil pelecypods representing 27 genera and 39 species
are described from the Lower Devonian Limestones of New South Wales and Victoria.
Taxonomic affinities are with the Old World Faunal Realm, although one genus
Glyptodesma is of Eastern American aspect.

PALAEONTOLOGICAL STUDIES IN HONOUR OF KEN CAMPBELL edited by
P. A. Jell (Memoir 15 of the Association of Australasian Palaeon¬
tologists). Published by the A. A. P., Brisbane, 1993, 459pp.

[ISBN 0949466-14-X, ISSN 0810-8889]

Price AUS$45.00 (within Australia), AUS$55.00 (overseas).

THE FOSSIL COLLECTOR

January 1994 - Page 35

This memoir contains the Proceedings of a meeting of the A.A.P., held at the
Australian National University, Canberra, 8-10 February, 1993. The Memoir includes
papers on a wide range of palaeontological topics, including brachiopods,
chitenozoans, cladism, cnidaria, conodonts, crinoids, foraminifers, graptolites,
lungfishes, metazoan evolution, microvertebrates, osteolepid fishes, sedimentology,
Cretaceous squid, stromatoporoids, trilobites, macropods, and a Devonian xiphosuran.

Copies of the above two Memoirs can be purchased from Dr P. A. Jell,
C/o. Queensland Museum, P.0. Box 3300, South Brisbane, Queensland, 4101.

THE COLLECTORS GUIDE TO FOSSIL SHARKS AND RAYS FROM THE CRETACEOUS
OF TEXAS by Bruce J. Welton and Roger F. Farish, 220pp.

(other publication details not available)

Price outside the U.S.A. - US$28.20 incl. shipping and handling.

Identifies over 80 species and contains more than 150 illustrations, most of which
are photographs. Includes sections on Texas Cretaceous geology; tooth terminology
(extensive glossary); ichnology (shark trace fossils); classification and taxonomy;
how, when and where to collect; biology of shark and ray teeth, scales, spines and
vertebrae; and preparation, storage and display. [Information from handbill]

Available from 'Before Time', 5 Remington Drive, Lewisville, Texas 75067, U.S.A.

FOSSILS OF THE SANTANA AND CRAT0 FORMATIONS, BRAZIL by David M.
Martill (Palaeontological Association Field Guide to Fossils 5).
Published by the Palaeontological Association, London, 1993, 159pp.

[ISBN 0-901702-46-3]

Price UK£11.50 or US$23.00 including post. & pack.

The author's preface notes that it is the primary aim of this field guide to provide
information on sedimentary geology, palaeontology and palaeoecology of the Chapada
do Araripe region of north-east Brazil for anyone wishing to undertake a short visit
to the area and also to explain to collectors, who have obtained Araripe fossils
from commercial dealers in the past, the circumstances in which these remarkable
fossils occur. Of particular interest is the chapter on the fish fauna of the
Santana Formation concretions, large numbers of which have been sold in this country.
As well as black and white photographs of twelve of these fish, there is a six page
key (illustrated with numerous line drawings) for the rapid identification of fish
genera from the Romualdo Member concretions. Comprehensive flora and fauna lists
of the fossils from the Late Jurassic - Middle Cretaceous (Cenomanian) Araripe Basin,
Crato and Santana Formations, are contained in Appendices 1 & 2.

In addition to separate chapters on the structure, stratigraphy, and fish fauna
mentioned above, the guide includes chapters on the Palaeontology of the two main
formations illustrating the wide variety of fossil material discovered to date.
Of considerable interest are details of the exceptionally well preserved insect
fauna (Grimaldi, 1990) from the Crato Formation. This fauna includes representatives
of the orders Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, Diptera, Orthoptera, Neuroptera, Odonata
and others. Also recorded from this formation are scorpions, spiders, very rare
decapod crustaceans, a bird feather and a frog. Among the diverse flora recorded
are gymnosperms, angiosperms and possible gnetaleans.

Apart from the fossil fish, of which most of us are aware, the Santana Formation
contains, in some concretions, considerable plant material. However, what is perhaps
the most remarkable aspect of these latter deposits are the exceptionally

Page 36 - January 1994

THE FOSSIL COLLECTOR

FOSSILS OF THE SANTANA AND CRATO FORMATION, BRAZIL (Cont.)

well-preserved pterosaur remains consisting mainly of large forms with estimated
wing spans of up to five metres.

The book also includes very detailed field itineraries, a comprehensive bibliography,
and appendices giving useful addresses and references to maps. Unfbrtunately for
those of you who want to be on the next plane to Brazil, since the Field Guide was
published, Brazilian law has been changed to make it illegal to collect, trade or
export fossils from this valuable palaeontological resource. Previously it was
only illegal to export fossils from Brazil without a permit.

Nevertheless this is a welcome addition to the general literature on the world's
unique fossil deposits and should be of interest to both professional
palaeontologists and amateur collectors who wish to broaden their knowledge without
having to consult innumerable scientific papers [even the reviewer noted the mention
of irregular echinoids being recorded in the Santana Formation (p.72)!].

Copies can be purchased from Dr Lesley Cherns (Palaeontological
Association Marketing), Department of Geology, University of Wales
College Cardiff, Box 914, Cardiff CF1 3YE, United Kingdom.

Frank Holmes

Ages (Aust) Pty Ltd

has been set up to introduce a
select few to the archaeological, geological and palaeontological wonders of
northwest Queensland. As a geologist and archaeologist with over 20 years experience
in this part of Australia, I feel that it is time for similar minded people to have
the opportunity to experience the fascinating aspecte of this unique environment.

Visit trilobite, garnet, staurolite, copper and cobalt sites and pan for gold
alongside me fn the field. Among the many activities, we will visit Lawn Hill
National Park, the famous Rivereleigh deposits; Mount Isa and its mines; and historic
Cloncurry - birthplace of the Flying Doctor Service.

The beautifvil Selwyn Ranges offer many ochre painted rock shelters and engraved
Aboriginal art sites, many only recently discovered by myself and as yet seen by
few people.

I will be conducting a number of ten day tours during the Austral winter (mid—May
to September). In order to minimise the impact on the environment, the camping
safaris will be via two, four-wheel drive vehicles, ensuring that the maximum number
of eight visitors have the opportunity to contribute as well as receive individual
attention, thus enhancing the learning experience.

If you are seriously interested in gaining a valuable insight into the natural
wonders of this area and being a part of a small friendly group visiting interesting
places alongside me in the field, phone or write now for my 'facts' sheet and booking
forms.

The price for one of these limited number of places is $1,980.00 - all
inclusive ex Mt Isa. A 102 discount applies to F.C.A.A. Members.

TIM SPENCER, 473 SAVAGES ROAD, BROOKFIELD, QUEENSLAND, 4069.

Telephone (07) 374 1560