THE FOSSIL
COLLECTOR
BULLETIN No. 60 MAY 2000
Australiceras serrata Tropaeum sp.
Both specimens from the Walsh River area of far
north central Queensland, see page 13 for more.
Published by
THE FOSSIL COLLECTORS’ ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALASIA
ISSN 1037-2997
THE FOSSIL COLLECTOR
May 2000
Page 2
THE FOSSIL COLLECTORS’ ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALASIA
SECRETARY/TREASURER
Frank Holmes, 15 Kenbry Road, Heathmont. Victoria. 3135.
EDITOR
Paul Tierney, 2 Mahogany Drive, Cabooiture. Queensland. 4510
STATE REPRESENTATIVES
Australian Capital Territory
Mrs. M. Webb, Fairlight Station, R.M.B. 141, Weston. 2611.
New South Wales
Eric Nowak, 29 Bungalow Road, Roselands. 2196.
South Australia
John Barrie, 1 George Terrace, Coonalpyn. 5265.
Queensland
Ian Sobbe, M/S 422, Clifton. 4361.
Victoria
Frank Holmes, 15 Kenbry Road, Heathmont. 3135.
Western Australia
Mrs. L. Schekkerman, 11 Marion Street, Innaloo. 6018.
Taxonomic Disclaimer
This publication is not deemed to be valid for taxonomic purposes [see article 8b in the
International Code of Zoological Nomenclature 3rd edition 1985. Eds W. D. Ride et al].
CONTENTS
Editorial Notes. 3
Twenty First Anniversary of the F.C.A.A. compiled by Frank Holmes. 5
Books and Book Reviews. 7
- Fossils of the Flinders and Mount Lofty Ranges. 7
- First Families - A Primitive View. 8
Is Your Amber Real, by Paul Tierney. 9
Field Trip Report. 13
- The Cretaceous of Far North Central Queensland, by Paul Tierney. 13
In The News. 19
- Tagging Fossils to Foil the Thieves. 19
- Dinosaurs out of Africa. 21
- Australian Fossil Fish may be Distant Human Relative. 22
- Possible Biggest Dinosaur Found in Argentina. 23
- Giant Dinosaur Eggs Found. 23
- Fossil Fake. 24
- New Snake Unearthed. 25
- Larger Than Life. 26
- Largest Meat- Eating Dinosaur Discovered- 26
- Discovery Challenges Snake Origins. 27
Palaeo Fun. 29
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(08) 8571 1172
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(03) 9729 0447
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May 2000
THE FOSSIL COLLECTOR
Page 3
EDITORIAL NOTES
A big happy birthday to the Fossil Collectors' Association of Australasia. On
Easter Sunday, twenty one years ago the FCAA formed, its primary role was to
enable the circulation among members of a list of names, addresses, telephone
numbers and particular interests of fellow collectors both in Australia and
overseas. It was hoped that the offshoot of this would be that when members were
travelling they might arrange visits with other members and exchange specimens
and information. The Fossil Collector soon came into existence (or perhaps I
should say evolved), with January 2001 being the 21st birthday for the bulletin.
Frank Holmes has written a short history of the FCAA for this issue, so I will say
no more at this stage and leave it to Frank, he has after all been the 'guiding light'
of the FCAA.
Congratulations are also given to Evelyn and Selwyn Hewitt, from Maryborough,
Queensland, on the celebration of their 50th wedding anniversary, this occurred
on February 25. I personally find this an outstanding achievement given todays
marriage failure rate, perhaps us younger types could take a lesson or two from
the wiser generation in how to maintain a healthy marriage!! We will see Evelyn
Flewitt's name mentioned again in this issue as Evelyn is a foundation member.
I am happy to say that my computer did survive the year 2000 roll over as well as
the February 29 rollover, along with mostly everyone else, it would seem. I guess
the question that has to be asked now is, was there any real major problem or was
it just a few smart people who thought of a get rich quick scheme.
As this bulletin is late being issued (the editors fault entirely) it gives me the
chance to mention a field trip I went on to the Rockhampton area of central
eastern Queensland. We collected from the cave deposits in the limestones to the
north of the city and also from a Devonian marine sequence in the same area, the
success of this trip has been quite surprising. Although there are around ten new
species of animal (probably Pleistocene) already found from the material we
recovered, the most exciting for me was the Thylacine lower jaws and possible
complete skull which was found on the last day of collecting (by an invertebrate
palaeontologist). Cave deposits are an area which has received little attention in
Queensland (other than Riversleigh of course) but I feel that this is about to
change. Queensland now has a professional researcher who has taken a keen
Page 4 THE FOSSIL COLLECTOR May 2000
interest in what these limestone areas of eastern Queensland have to offer in the
way of vertebrate remains. There are quite extensive limestone areas right
through Queensland and some of these have countless cave systems in them.
Over the past five years, we (by we I mean the Queensland Museum) have visited
only a handful of caves in just a couple of areas. Although I am more of an
invertebrate type of amateur palaeontologist, it is really exciting to witness some
of the new vertebrate finds which are coming from field trips I am lucky enough
to attend.
I shouldn’t fail to mention the invertebrate side of the field trip. In the limited
time that was spent collecting from the Devonian rocks in which these caves are
found, about five new species of gastropod were found plus one that has only been
found in the northern hemisphere (I think I heard correctly here). It was left to a
vertebrate palaeontologist on the trip to make the most exciting invertebrate find,
that was of the most beautiful Devonian ammonite I have ever seen (okay, the
only Devonian ammonite I have seen). Although only small, about 1.5 cms in
diameter, it was just as perfect as the Tropaeum which is pictured on the front
page of this issue.
Needless to say, with all that we collected in just nine days a return to this area is
already in the pipeline. Though hopefully next time it will not rain the whole time
we are there. As this new researcher is a friend, readers will see him pictured
further on in this issue, I hope to be able to extract an article on the discoveries
from this trip and other vertebrate topics for future issues of The Fossil Collector.
In late news, the discovery of a small dinosaur in North America has
palaeontologists in somewhat of a spin. It would seem that this little dinosaur has
been preserved well enough that an impression of its heart still remains and what
has been found may force some kind of rethink on dinosaur physiology. I will
endeavour to include something on this in the next issue
Readers will note that there is no major article in this issue. Now that Ralph
Molnar has finished his series on fossil mammal teeth, we now have a large void
at the spot which is reserved for major articles, that is page 5. I would like to put
out the call, that if people wish to contribute material to The Fossil Collector now
is the time to do it. Lets face it, I don't think readers want to see stories and
photographs on my field trips, well, not all the time anyway.
The deadline for the next issue, Bulletin 61, will be July 31, 2000.
May 2000
THE FOSSIL COLLECTOR
Page 5
TWENTY FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF THE F. C. A. A.
Information compiled by Frank Holmes
As most of you know, the Fossil Collectors’ Association of Australasia was
formed on Easter Sunday 1979 by about 40 enthusiasts attending the Tununda
Gemboree in South Australia's Barossa Valley. This resulted from a notice being
placed in the March 1979 issue of Australian Gems and Crafts Magazine by
members of a small group interested in palaeontology who had been meeting in
the clubrooms of the Nunawading and District Lapidary Club, Melbourne,
Victoria, during the late 1970s.
By July 1979, 55 individuals or families had joined the Association. Although the
original aim was simply to circulate a list of members names, addresses and
particular interests, by January 1980 the first issue of The Fossil Collector had
been published.
Now, with this Bulletin (No. 60) we celebrate the 21st anniversary of the
foundation of the Association and, in so doing, we again take this opportunity to
acknowledge the continuous support of those who helped found the F.C.A.A.
Although we can not be certain that all those mentioned below actually attended
the foundation meeting, of the 55 entries in our first membership list (6th July
1979) the following still actively support the Association:
David ASLIN (Qld)
Ron and Mary CAVILL (Vic.)
Donald CLARK (S.A.)
Ada DONALDSON (Vic.)
Sheila DOYLE (N.S.W.)
Evelyn HEWITT (Qld)
Frank and Enid HOLMES (Vic.)
Gordon MARRIE (Qld)
Eric and Lilo NOWAK (N.S.W.)
Doris SIZELAND (Vic.)
Ian and Dianne SOBBE (Qld)
Merrilee WEBB (A.C.T.)
Chris YEE (Vic.)
Perhaps the most important reason for our success is the support we have received
from numerous professional palaeontologists as well as dedicated subscribers who
have over the years written major articles for The Fossil Collector. We are indeed
indebted to these people and to all of you that have sent in items of news or
offered advice on sources of information.
Page 6
THE FOSSIL COLLECTOR
May 2000
Authors and co-authors of articles written for The Fossil Collector
Neil Archbold, David Aslin, Robert Baird, John Barrie, Max Banks, Ken Bell,
Tania Bennell, Lidsay Berry, Natalie Camillerie, David Cassel, Colin Chidley,
Trevor Clifford, Alex Cook, Barry Cooper, Peter Corcoran, Tom Darragh, Steve
Daymond, Steve Eckardt, John and June Fennell, Alan Goldstein, Lisa Gubby,
Douglas Harbrovv, Lindsay Hatcher, Edward Hennessey, Robert Hill, David
Holloway, Frank Holmes, Philip Irwin, Peter Jell, Robert Jupp, Ann Kemp,
George Kendrick, Michael Keats, Robert Knezour, Janise Krause, John Long,
Steve McLoughlin, David Morley, Ralph Molnar, John Neil, Juliet O'Connor,
John Pickett, Terry Poole,, Alex Ritchie, Alan Rix, Andrew Rozefelds, Alex Saar,
Andrew Sandford, Noel Schleiger, Paul Seldon, Tim Spencer, Ian Sobbe, Paul
Tierney, Anne-Marie Tosolini, Sue Turner, Anthony Vadala, Pat Vickers-Rich,
Paul Willis, Marisa Worth, Chris AhYee.
Authors and co-authors of major articles reprinted, with permission, from
other periodicals.
Michael Archer, Warren Allmon, Lynne Clos, Richard Dayvault, Peter Fenton,
Kevin Lambkin, Jere Lipps, Mark Marshall, David Rudkin, Tom Rich, Graham
Stevens, Larry Solomon, Jonathan Woolf.
Other information which may be of intcrcst:-
Average number of pages per issue, 28 or 32 (31.2 o/a).
Shortest issue 20 pages (Bulletin No. 3, December 1980).
Longest issue 48 pages (Bulletin No. 22/23, September 1987).
Since inception the bulletins have been printed by either Ron Amess (former
subscriber) or Peter Day (NDLC), assisted by Frank Plohnes, at the clubrooms of
the Nunawading and District Lapidary Club.
Average number of subscriptions per annum - 191 since reaching treble figures in
1982. Maximum - 233 reached in 1992/93.
Maximum initial circulation of a Bulletin - 265 (No. 39, January 1993).
Current number of subscribers - 180.
26 complementary and exchange copies are currently sent to Museums, Libraries
and clubs etc.
A complete set of Bulletins is held by the National Library of Australia, Canberra,
and Museum Victoria.
May 2000 THE FOSSIL COLLECTOR Page 7
Although an amateur publication, The Fossil Collector is scanned for items of
relevance for the Zoological Record (an annual bibliography of the world's
zoological literature) published by BIOS1S, U.K.
Total cash receipts from formation of the Association to 2nd February 2000,
$31,442.93; debits $29,057.18.
BOOKS AND BOOK REVIEWS
FOSSILS OF THE FLINDERS AND MOUNT LOFTY RANGES, by Neville
S. Pledge, Curator of Fossils, South Australian Museum, Adelaide. Third Edition,
published June 1999. 28 pages, 148mm X 210mm, fully illustrated with 55 colour
photographs, 65 line drawings, map and time chart. Recommended retail price
AU$13.95 plus $2.50 postage and handling within Australia. Payment by cheque
or money order only made payable to the South Australian Museum.
Small but information packed, this book is a concise summary of the fossil animal
and plants from 800 million years ago, almost until the present, found in the rocks
of the most important Ranges in South Australia. The fossils give 'evidence of the
history of the life during the most interesting and critical periods' of Earth history:
the first appearance of animal fossils in the world famous Ediacaran Fauna, and
then the explosion of diversity that occurred about 540 million years ago in the
Cambrian Period.
Illustrated with excellent photographs and interpretive drawings, the text, and
lists, of this third edition have been updated to give the latest information
available on these South Australian fossils. An essential reference for
professional, student and amateur palaeontologists and anyone interested in
natural history.
Members interested in obtaining a copy should forward their order to:-
Jennifer Thurmer
Publications Manager
South Australian Museum
North Terrace, Adelaide SA 5000
Telephone: (08) 8207 7483
Facsimile: (08) 8207 7322
Email: thurmer.jenni@saugov.sa.gov.au
From information supplied on flyer.
Page 8
THE FOSSIL COLLECTOR
May 2000
FIRST FAMILIES - A PRIMITIVE VIEW, by Larry Steinrock, James E.
Conkin and Barbara Conkin. Hycliffe Publishing. P.O. Box 7434, Louisville,
Kentucky 40207-0434. U. S. A. Price US$7.95 plus shipping.
I was a big fan of Gary Larson's The Farside cartoons, the way he poked fun at the
sciences and the human spin on non-human subjects, was my type humor, alas,
Gary retired from that career to head in another direction. Of course, as most
Farside aficionados, he poked fun at the dinosaurs and their paleontologists -
leaving the invertebrate fossils to fend for themselves.
This collection of cartoons assembled by Larry Steinrock, James E. Conkin an
Barbara Conkin fills the void left by the retired Larson. Worms, starfish, crinoids,
trilobites, clams, cephalopods - even sponges - find themselves being the objects
of rather dry humor in an aquatic environment. I can imagine many of these being
taped to the walls of biologist and paleontologist offices! Bryozoan and
brachiopod lovers may be disappointed, but the other phyla are well represented.
Many of the cartoons can be used in an educational setting to promote the
discussion of what we know about fossils, evolution, and life styles of the rich and
boneless. The artwork is simple but accurate, the text is generally spartan - the
humor is imaginative. What more could you want in this type of book?
Review by Alan Goldstein.
DONT BOTHER,THE GUY5
LOWER CAMBRIAN.
May 2000 THE FOSSIL COLLECTOR Page 9
IS YOUR AMBER REAL
by Paul Tierney
Amber differs from most gem materials in that it is of vegetable origin, it is a
fossil resin. Originally exuded from various species of trees (including conifers)
at different times over the past 250 million years and often still containing insects
and other creatures trapped within it. Several types of amber are recognised,
though their properties are practically identical.
Baltic amber, or succinite, is commonly some shade of yellow, ranging from
whitish to brownish-yellow; it may also be transparent, cloudy, or almost opaque
due to the inclusion of myriads of small air bubbles. British ambers show similar
variations to Baltic amber. Sicilian amber, simetite, and Romanian amber,
rumanite, are seldom yellow and have shades of brown, reddish-brown, and even
black being more common, Romanian amber is often extensively cracked.
Burmese amber, burmite, is generally brown and contains many insects and
sometime veins of calcite can be seen. Since World War II amber has been
produced in considerable quantities from several localities in the Dominican
Republic. Much of this amber is pale in colour but darker browns and reddish-
browns also occur. Some Dominican ambers fluoresce bluish or bluish-green in
daylight and all fluoresce strongly in these colours under ultra-violet radiation.
Slight differences in composition arc known to exist between the above varieties
of amber, all of which are essentially hydrocarbons. Succinite, as its name
suggests, contains more succinic acid than the other ambers, giving rise to
characteristic choking fumes when it is strongly heated. Gedanite is an amber like
fossil resin which is found with succinite, it contains no succinic acid and is soft
enough to be scratched with a fingernail.
The hardness of the main varieties of amber is from 2!4 to 3 on Mohs' scale,
Burmese amber being the hardest. The specific gravity (SG) ranges from 1.04 to
1.10, the presence of air bubbles in cloudy amber makes its SG slightly lower than
that of clear specimens. Being amorphous, amber has only a single refractive
index (RI), which averages 1.54. Amber softens at about 180°C, melts between
250°C and 300°C, and burns with a characteristic aromatic odour. One of the best
known properties of amber is the ease with which it become electrified when
briskly rubbed. In this respect several amber imitations behave in a similar
Page 10
THE FOSSIL COLLECTOR
May 2000
manner, so this cannot be regarded as a distinctive test, except in materials where
no frictional electricity is developed, this material is certainly not amber.
First among the imitations of genuine block amber is pressed amber, or ambroid
as it is often called. Since 1881 this material has been extensively made from
fragments of Baltic amber which are too small to be used as individual pieces,
these small pieces are softened by heating to between 200°C - 250°C and pressed
through a fine steel sieve or mesh so that they become amalgamated into a single
mass which has very much the same properties and appearance as block amber.
The best method of detection is by examination under a lens or microscope, or
simply with the naked eye. Pressed amber shows a flow structure, globules of
clear amber among the cloudy mass following definite lines. There may also be
elongation of included bubbles parallel to one direction, whereas in untreated
amber bubbles are usually spherical. It should be added that some recent samples
of pressed amber are virtually transparent, though with a treacly or oiled
appearance, this material had no bubbles, showed no sign of How structure and
had a slightly lower density (1.06) when compared with true amber. The most
striking feature of some modern pressed ambers is the brilliant chalky blue
fluorescence shown under long wave ultra violet light, under this illumination
granular structures have also been noted.
The more recent natural resin copal or kauri gum, which is extensively used in
New Zealand, has very similar properties and appearance to amber. It can
however be easily distinguished by its readier fusibility when a hot needle is
placed on some inconspicuous part of the specimen (comparison with amber will
be necessary to make this difference noticable) and by its greater solubility in
ether. When a spot of this liquid is placed on copal resin (caution, ether is highly
flammable - keep away from sources of ignition) it becomes quite sticky, and a
dull spot is left on the resin surface when the ether has evaporated; true amber and
pressed amber are unaffected by this treatment Copal resin can nearly always be
distinguished by its tendency to 'craze' at the surface, it is also much softer than
amber. Included insects are not always a sign of true amber, they may be found
trapped in copal resin also, whilst insects embedded in plastics are usually far too
perfect to be mistaken for the real thing. Insects embedded in plastics never show
any sign of struggle, as they were dead before they were trapped.
Amber is effectively and frequently imitated by various artificial resins which are
grouped together under the inclusive term 'plastics'. The earliest of these, the
May 2000
THE FOSSIL COLLECTOR
Page 11
cellulose nitrate known as celluloid, is now less often used on account of its
dangerous inflammability, though safety celluloid (cellulose acetate) bearing
names such as Cellon does not suffer from this disability. The casein plastics
Galalith, Erinoid, etc. are more suitable, and most used of all are the
phenolformaldehyde condensation products Bakelitc and Catalin. Some actual
determinations on the SG and RI of imitation amber made from these plastics
material are shown in the table below, the properties of amber and copal being
included for comparison. Due to differences in the filling materials used to give
body and colour to these plastics, there may be some variations in their SG and
RI, but the figures given are typical.
Material
SG
RI
Under Knife
Amber
1.08
1.54
Splinters readily
Copal Resin
1.06
1.53
Splinters readily
Casein
1.33
1.54
Sectile, rather tough
Bakelite
1.28
1.64
Sectile, tough
Catalin
1.26
1.66
Sectile, tough
Cellon
1.26
1.48
Sectile
Celluloid
1.38
1.49
Readily sectile
It will be noted that the SG of all the plastic materials is considerably higher than
that of amber, and this provides one of the most useful and reliable methods of
distinction. It would, of course, be possible to dilute sufficiently one of the usual
heavy liquids such as bromoform with toluene to make a solution of SG about
1.12, suitable for separating amber from these imitations, but this would be both
wasteful and unnecessary, since a strong solution of common salt will answer the
purpose equally well. Ten level teaspoonfuls of salt in an ordinary tumblerful of
water (50 g salt in 250 ml of water) provides a liquid of the required SG, in this
brine solution all specimens of amber, pressed amber and copal resin will float,
while all the usual plastic imitations will sink.
Two plastics not mentioned above, since they have not yet been used to imitate
amber, should be mentioned. One of these. Perspex, is a polymerized acrylic
ester, and has an SG of 1.18 and RI of 1.50. The other, a polystyrene product
called Distrcne, has the very low SG of 1.05, though its RI is comparatively high,
about 1.58. Distrene would, of course, float in the brine solution, but the fact that
it peels under the knife, its much lower softening point (70-90°C), and its ready
Page 12 THE FOSSIL COLLECTOR May 2000
solubility in benzene would enable it to be distinguished from amber if it should
ever be used as an imitation.
Other test are available, but these involve marking the specimen to some extent,
but with care such damage is almost imperceptible when carried out on an
inconspicuous part of the specimen. One such test, already implied, is to
determine the sectile qualities of the material by the carefully controlled
application of a sharp blade. It will be found that amber, pressed amber and copal
resin break away in chips or splinters under the blade, while plastic materials peel
away in shavings, Bakelite is extremely tough and resistant to the blade, while
celluloid and perspex yeild much more readily. Any peeling or chips removed can
be further tested in the flame of a spirit lamp, placing the specimen on a knife
blade or something similar. Amber, pressed amber and copal all burn with
emission of aromatic fumes while plastic material melts. Fine chippings or
peelings can also be heated in a small test tube. The various ambers, copal and
plastic imitations all behave in characteristic way, and this can be observed by
carefully heating in the tube. Amber and copal will melt and give off whitish
fumes with an acrid smell, whereas the commonly used phenolformaldehyde
plastics smell of phenol, celluloid is extremely inflammable while bakelite only
chars under these conditions.
Glass imitations of amber are sometimes seen, and from a distance may look
effective, but their coldness to the touch, hardness, and high SG compared with
amber all serve to avoid any real confusion.
Caution. Readers should note that the use of a naked flame could be hazardous as
the risk of fire does exist with some of the amber imitations, also, some of the
odours given off when heated can be quite unpleasant. The easiest and
recommended test to apply is the brine solution and then if there are still concerns
try the sectile qualities. If the flame or heating tests are to be attempted, it is
recommended that they be carried out in a well ventilated area and refrain from
using large quantities of material as the larger the quantity the larger the possible
problem.
References
Ross, A. 1999 .Amber. Harvard University Press. ISBN 0674017293.
Grimaldi, D. A. 1996. Amber: Window to the Past. Harry .N. Abrams Publisher.
ISBN 0810919664.
May 2000
. THE FOSSIL COLLECTOR
Page 13
FIELD TRIP REPORTS
THE CRETACEOUS OF FAR NORTH CENTRAL
QUEENSLAND
by Paul Tierney
Many people will have heard of that favourite collecting area in far north central
Queensland called the Walsh River and in particular a spot on the Walsh called
the Boomers. Each dry season this area suffers severe over collection at the hands
of amateur collectors and professional dealers, who regrettably give the rest of us
a bad name. Fortunately there are other localities, in the same area, which are
largely unknown and thus uncollected and it is these areas which we were able to
visit during August of 1999.
The Cretaceous rocks are Late Aptian in age and are part of the Doncaster
Formation which is in turn part of the Carpentaria Basin. The Carpentaria Basin
formed what was the ocean connection of the Cretaceous inland sea for most of its
history, except during the Late Aptian at which time the inland sea was so
extensive that mainland Australia was essentially five islands. Most of the fossils
collected in the area are found in concretionary nodules that deposit in shales and
sandstones of the Doncaster Fm. which form the banks and bottoms of many
creeks and rivers, although some, like "Dave" the plesiosaur, are found in the
shales and sandstones themselves. In areas of black soil plains, the nodules
actually rise up through the soil to lay on the surface which makes collecting
extremely easy.
Figure 1. Extent of the inland
sea during the Barremian and
early Aptian. From Cook &
McKenzie, 1997.
Page 14
THE FOSSIL COLLECTOR
May 2000
Figure 2. The inland sea
during the late Aptian, a period
when the inland sea was at its
largest. From Cook &
McKenzie, 1997.
Figure 3. Creek bank showing shales with concretionary nodules both in the bank and
lying exposed on the creek bottom
May 2000
THE FOSSIL COLLECTOR
Page 15
Figure 4. Nodules lying exposed on the surface of a black soil plain, the Cretaceous
sediments are between 30cm and I m below the surface
The main fossils collected from the localities we visited were of course the
ammonites Tropaeum and Australiceras, however it is possible to find other
ammonite specimens of Myloceras, Toxoceratoides, Sanmartinoceras, and
Aconeceras. Some specimens of Tropaeum and Australiceras can be quite large
(Fig. 5 & 8) and the detail preserved of most specimens is exquisite. Some
nodules contain arthropods like crabs and prawns and very rarely a complete
lobster will turn up. Many nodules also contain pelecypods, brachiopods and
bivalves but the nodules that contain these never seem to split as well as those
which contain the ammonites. It is the extremely rare nodule that contains
vertebrate remains and it is a good idea not to split these (generally the bone will
present itself on the surface of the nodule, thus giving away the nodules contents)
but return them home to be mechanically prepared; this same treatment should
also be considered for the nodules that contain arthropods. At some localities it is
possible to find silicified wood specimens and wood that has suffered ship worm
infestation (Fig. 6), they are not actually worms but bivalves which burrow into
the wood.
Page 16
THE FOSSIL COLLECTOR
May 2000
Following are some selected pictures of the specimens we found while in the
Walsh River area. Readers will notice that I have not mentioned any locality
details other than a general area, it is not the policy of The Fossil Collector to give
out locality information and in the case of this report it is not mine. It should also
be mentioned that all the localities we visited are on private property and prior
approval was gained.
Figure 5. The largest
ammonite found was this
10kg Tropaeum sp. which is
being held by its discoverer
and the authors friend Scott
Hocknull.
Figure 6. A specimen of
wood with ship worm
infestation. Some holes
still contain the silicified
remains of the bivalve that
caused them.
May 2000
THE FOSSIL COLLECTOR
Page 17
Figure 7. A small but attractive Tropaeum sp., this photograph was taken straight after
the nodule was split, revealing its content.
Figure 8. A large and
attractive Australiceras
sp. specimen. This was
the largest Australiceras
found and is being held
by its discoverer Tom
Bolam.
THE FOSSIL COLLECTOR
May 2000
Page 18
Figure 9. A Tropaeum
sp. specimen as it was
found on the black soil
surface.
Figure 10. This 'mass mortality' nodule contained around 25 small ammonites.
May 2000
THE FOSSIL COLLECTOR
Page 19
Possibly the most interesting specimen found was that of the mass mortality
nodule (Fig. 10). This nodule contained about 25 small ammonites which were all
Tropaeum sp. ranging from between 2 and 7 cms in diameter, surprisingly there
was no other genus of ammonite in the nodule
The Walsh River area is indeed a wonderful place to collect some beautiful
Cretaceous fossil specimens and I am grateful to those people who made the trip a
success and truly wonderful time. I am hopeful that the opportunity to revisit the
Walsh River area will present itself again, as the chance to collect from the
wonderful deposits is a special experience.
References
Cook, A. G., McKenzie, E. D. 1997. The Great Artesian Basin. M’Choinneach
Publishers. ISBN 0646317792.
Hill, D., Playford, G., Woods, J. T. 1968. Cretaceous Fossils of Queensland.
Queensland Palaeontographical Society, Brisbane
IN THE NEWS
TAGGING FOSSILS TO FOIL THIEVES
Fossil theft is big business and its getting bigger, fuelled by the willingness of
some collectors to spend millions snapping up rarities. Russia has suffered
particularly badly, losing manuscripts, minerals, Egyptian artifacts and
Stradivarius violins, some stolen to order. In 1997, a Chicago museum had to part
with $8.4 million at Sotheby’s to secure a Tyrannosaurus rex.
But apart from photographs and a tiny inked on serial number, there are precious
few ways of distinguishing museum artifacts from those in legitimate private
ownership. Now scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
(LLNL) in California have come up with a way of “watermarking” fossils and
other delicate valuables that can pinpoint ownership just as precisely as a DNA
fingerprint can trap a criminal. The gamma watermark - a type of radioactive
beacon - is almost impossible to forge and can only be read by those with
specialised equipment.
Museums of art and natural history across America are expected to adopt the
watermark although none, apart from the Denver Museum of Natural History,
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THE FOSSIL COLLECTOR
May 2000
wish to be identified. Few wish to advertise the little known fact that their
valuable collections are being marked in a bid to stop the plundering.
The LLNL is one of several laboratories whose scientists solve problems for the
government. In 1998 it was approached to come up with a way of marking
government property, such as fossils, painting, meteorites and military items.
“We were asked to develop a discreet, cheap way of tagging property that would
provide legally sound proof of ownership,” says Dr Lowell Wood, who led the
watermark research. “We came up with the idea of using specially selected
radioactivity, because it can’t be readily detected, and it’s microscopic.”
The idea was to apply a tiny amount of radioactive isotope to a valuable artifact,
its continuous emission of very low levels of radiation would be permanently
active signature. Since the type of radiation chosen - gamma radiation - can
penetrate material, the watermark could be buried up to a centimetre deep and its
signal still be read. Only a millionth of a gram of material is needed for a
watermark, about the size of a full stop.
Dr Wood and his team needed to select their radioactive substances carefully,
there are roughly 90 unstable radioactive elements, however, many elements exist
in several different versions, called isotopes. There are about 3,000 radioactive
isotopes altogether and they all spontaneously decay over time, emitting radiation.
In order for the watermark not to fade appreciably, the decay must happen over
decades and centuries rather than minutes. Dr Wood adds: “We looked for
isotopes that aren’t found in nature, so the signal coming from the watermark
could not be contaminated by something in the environment. This also means the
substances would not be available to counterfeiters. However, we didn’t want
them to be so rare that we had to spend millions to chemically synthesise them.”
The LLNL team selected a few dozen isotopes that were suitable but they are
keeping the details secret, the only clue is that some are the products of high
energy particle accelerators, all of which are under government control. Dr Wood
says: “It would be almost impossible for counterfeiters to get around this one,
because the ingredients of the watermark cannot be procured, they are not for sale
and they can only be made in government laboratories.”
The use of several isotopes in one watermark confers added bonuses, different
permutations allow different watermarks, or radioactive barcodes, to be created.
May 2000
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Page 21
Also, the watermark decays in a very precise way from the moment it is imprinted
allowing scientists to determine the date it was inserted, even centuries after being
created, this built-in clock gives an additional, valuable source of identification.
The radiation levels are perfectly safe, the watermark emits about the same
radiation as a banana, and about 0.01% the radiation given off by the human body.
A detector would have to be within a centimetre of the watermark to read it, these
details. Dr Wood says, can be used to provide proof of ownership: “You have to
know where to put the instrument and you have to know what it is going to say,
this is good enough to stand up as evidence of ownership in a court of law.”
For such an original idea, the method of application is surprisingly simple,
researchers have been using inkjet printers, filling cartridges with the isotopes and
printing invisible barcodes on paper. The “ink” seeps into the material, so it
cannot be scrubbed off, it costs just under US$1 apiece for the watermark to be
applied.
The interest from curators and private collectors around the world, Dr Wood says,
has been extraordinary: “This is just like DNA fingerprinting, you can never say a
gamma watermark will always be unique, but it has the same one in a million or
one in a billion quality that juries are willing to bet on.”
Summary of story in The Times (UK), November 24, 1999.
DINOSAURS OUT OF AFRICA
In the steady and unchanging crowd is Jobaria tiguidensis (Jobar is a mythical
creature among North African nomads; tiguidensis refers to cliffs near the
discovery site), a 20 ton (20.3 tonnes), 70 foot long (21.3 metres) cousin of
Apatosaurus (a genus better known to many as Brontosaurus), Diplodocus and
other sauropod dinosaurs.
What’s most intriguing about Jobaria is not its features, but that it appeared to be
living in the wrong era. The two specimens excavated (by a team led by Paul
Sereno), one adult and one juvenile, date to about 135 million years ago, or after
Apatosaurus and Diplodocus, which roamed North America, had already died out.
In appearances, Jobaria is more primitive than its earlier North American cousins.
Its neck is relatively short, with only 12 neck vertebra, versus 15 or more in more
Page 22 THE FOSSIL COLLECTOR May 2000
evolved sauropods, and it has spoon shaped teeth, like the early sauropods, rather
than the pencil shaped teeth of later versions. “It looks like it should come out of
the Jurassic, but it is hanging out in the Cretaceous of Africa and doing quite
well,” Sereno says. Spoon shaped teeth may have been more suited to dining on
conifers, while pencil shaped teeth are believed to be better fern munchers,
possibly reflecting a shift in vegetation.
During Jobaria’s time, the southern supercontinent of Gondwana was breaking up
into Africa and South America, which may have provided Jobaria an isolated
ecological niche, perhaps African forests were richer in conifers than those
elsewhere. Or, “It could just be chance,” Sereno says. “I don’t know we have any
reason to believe Africa was much different from any other place.”
Sereno and his co-workers have dubbed their second African sauropod find
Nigerscnirus taquetti, a small 50 foot long (15.2 metres) sauropod that lived about
110 million years ago. It was a toothy dinosaur too, “There are 140 teeth exposed
when it smiles,” says Sereno. And stacked behind each pencil shaped tooth are up
to seven replacements, ready to pop down when the tooth in front falls out. In all
Nigersaurus had more than 600 teeth, giving the skull an angular shape, unlike
other sauropods. “It’s the most bizarre sauropod found in years,” says Sereno.
Unlike the persisting shape of Jobaria, Nigersaurus evolved its unusual
appearance relatively quickly, in a few million years. Ecological conditions
probably are what causes some dinosaurs to transform radically in appearance in a
short period of time, while other persist almost unchanged for millions of years.
Summary of story in ADCNEWS.com, November 11, 1999.
AUSTRALIAN FISH FOSSIL MAY BE DISTANT HUMAN RELATIVE
A 400 million year old fossil fish, recently discovered near the New South Wales
town ol Wee Jasper, may be one of the human race’s earliest relatives, according
to researchers at the Australian Museum. Museum research fellow Alex Ritchie
said the fossil’s braincase showed the fish had an eyestalk connecting its eye with
its brain. It was the first fish of its type to be preserved well enough to show this,
Ritchie said it was probably a primitive type of ray finned fish. Previously, it was
thought only archaic armoured fish and some primitive sharks had eyestalks.
Ritchie said the fish could be part of the lineage that not only led to ray finned
May 2000
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Page 23
fish, but also to land vertebrates and humans. “It’s not only one of the oldest
specimens, but it’s also the first specimen that could be affiliated with us as well,”
a spokeswomen from the museum said. Museum staff discovered the fossil fish
about six months ago on the shore of a dam, the area is believed to have been the
site of a reef 400 million years ago.
Summary of story from Yahoo News Online , January 17, 2000.
POSSIBLE BIGGEST DINOSAUR FOUND IN ARGENTINA
The bones of what may be the largest dinosaur yet discovered were found by a
villager in a vulture ridden series of canyons in Argentina’s southern Patagonia
region.
The dinosaur is a herbivore that roamed the Earth about 105 million years ago
with estimates on its length hovering between 157 feet (47.8 metres) and 167 feet
(50.9 metres). “Two cervical vertebrae 3.94 feet (1.2 metres) high were found, in
addition to a femur 6.56 feet (2.0 metres) in height and some other indicative
bones,” paleontologist Carlos Munoz, director of the Florentina Ameghino
Museum in southern Rio Negro said. The newly discovered plant eater is thought
to be 26 feet (7.9 metres) longer than the 100 ton (101.6 tonnes) Argentinosaurus,
which was unearthed close by and is the largest dinosaur of any type ever found.
The scrubby, desolate region, called La Buitrera, has proved to be an
extraordinary dinosaur graveyard. Argentine paleontologists have already
uncovered the remains of what they think may be a meat eater larger than
Gigantosaurus, the biggest carnivore on record.
A team of paleontologists is beavering away at the La Buitrera discovery site with
the aim of removing the cache of bones to the Florentina Ameghino Museum by
the end of January. “We are going to be working until Jan. 31 and then we will
take everything to the museum to remove the sediment, study it and later mount a
presentation,” said Munoz.
Summary of story from Yahoo News Online, January 20, 2000.
GIANT DINOSAUR EGGS FOUND
A team of South Korean palaeontologists say they have discovered the world’s
largest fossilised dinosaur eggs. The 20 eggs, measuring 41 centimters (16
inches) from tip to tip, were discovered in a giant nest thought to be 100 million
THE FOSSIL COLLECTOR
May 2000
Page 24
years old. The nest, which measures 1.5 metres (4‘A feet), could yield new
information about how dinosaurs reproduced and the sort of parental care they
gave their young.
Professor Kim Haang-Mook of Pusan University, who is taking part in the
excavation, said he believed the eggs belonged to a plant eating dinosaur, he said
the largest example is one centimetre longer than any previously found, the width
is 12 centimetres (4.7 inches) across and the shell is 2 millimetres thick. “We are
going to ask the government to designate this site as a national treasure and
protect it,” he added.
Summary of story from BBC News Online, January 22, 2000.
FOSSIL FAKE
The “missing link” dinosaur-bird featured by National Geographic magazine in
November, 1999 is a fake. Archaeoraptor, the unofficial name of the fossil, is
actually two animals pieced together either as an honest mistake by its discoverers
in China or as a breathtaking forgery. The composite consists of a birdlike upper
torso and the tail and feet of a small raptor, the magazine described it as a “true
missing link in the complex chain that connects dinosaurs and birds.
The specimen, smuggled into the USA from China, was found at the 1999 Tucson
Gem and Mineral Show by Stephen Czerkas, owner of the Dinosaur Museum in
Monticello, Utah. He purchased it for US$80,000 and made a deal with National
Geographic to study and publicize it and ultimately return it to China.
How National Geographic finds itself at the center of a scientific embarrassment
is a tale as layered as the 120 million year old sediment from which the fossil was
unearthed. Assuming that all the evidence is in and it is a composite, not since
I ve been editor has anything happened like this, ’ National Geographic editor Bill
Allen said. “At any time prior to publication, if we had been informed of any
problem at all, we would have yanked (the article). ’ The composite nature of the
fossil was not detected by the magazine’s team ol scientists, and a scientific paper
that was submitted to both Science and Nature was never published, as a result,
Geographic was on its own with no independent review of the fossil.
Allen says he was notified on December 20 by a Chinese doctoral student and
member of the Geographic team that the fossil was not authentic. The society
May 2000
THE FOSSIL COLLECTOR
Page 25
modified text on the public display to say questions had been raised about the
fossil’s origins.
But Storrs Olson, curator of birds at the Smithsonian Institution’s Natural History
Museum and an outspoken skeptic of the dinosaur-bird link, says he warned the
magazine in November 1999, when the article was published, that there were
serious problems with the fossil, he says he was ignored. “The problem is, at
some point the fossil was known by Geographic to be a fake, and that information
was not revealed,” Olson says.
Summary of story from USA Today, January 25, 2000.
NEW SNAKE UNEARTHED
A new Australian species of prehistoric snake has been discovered and it could be
a link between modern snakes and goannas, researchers say. Wonambi barriei
was up to 3 metres long and lived up to 30 million years ago and the skull had
both python and lizard like features. There is no record of it after 25 million years
ago, at which time it either became extinct or evolved into another younger snake
called Wonambi naracoortensis.
At 6 metres long, W. naracoortensis lived about one million years ago when other
Australian animals were also huge, such as kangaroos, wombats, birds and
diprotodontids.
Archaic snakes, called madtsoiids, died out about 50 million years ago - except in
Australia where some, big and small, found a haven, but about 25-30 million years
ago, more modern snakes arrived. Pythons ate the archaic snakes’ big prey and
Australia’s infamous poisonous snakes ate small lizards, the extra competition
could have wiped out Australia’s giant snakes, says Dr John Scanlon, from the
University of New South Wales, who studied the new find.
Certainly, by the time of the Pleistocene, one million years ago, there were only
two species of ancient snake left and these both died out in the past 100,000 years
along with all of Australia’s giant marsupials and birds. Dr Scanlon suspects there
are two reasons: “An ice age started about two million years ago and humans
arrived up to 60,000 years ago, the ice age and human hunting and burning caused
major environmental changes.”
Summary of story in the Herald Sun, January 27, 2000.
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THE FOSSIL COLLECTOR
May 2000
LARGER THAN LIFE
Giant snakes, more than three metres long and up to 30 centimetres in diameter,
roamed Australia less than 100,000 ago, and their anatomy casts new light on the
evolution of their modern counterparts. A recent paper in Nature by John
Scanlon, of the University of New South Wales, and Michael Lee, of the
University of Queensland, describes their study of two species of fossil Wonambi,
a giant snake which only became extinct during the Pleistocene era. The
Wonambi, evidence of which has been found across the continent, may have still
been living in Australia when the first humans arrived.
The most crucial finding of the researchers is that the Wonambi is not related to
any species alive today, it is extremely primitive says Scanlon and Lee, similar to
the snakes “which lived alongside the dinosaurs, over 70 million years ago”. In
the rest of the world such snakes disappeared a very long time ago, but somehow
they survived in Australia.
The skull and teeth of the Wonambi link it to a group of extinct marine animals
called mosasaurs. Lee and others published a paper last year showing that the
mosasaur skull seems to be an intermediate stage between the inflexible structure
of lizards and the flexible head and lower jaw of snakes, which allows them to
engulf large prey.
One popular theory of the evolution of snakes is that they arose from lizards
which lost their legs to become more efficient at burrowing into the ground. This
would suggest that the ancestors of all modem snakes were small burrowing
varieties of lizards. But Scanlon and Lee’s study provides evidence that primitive
snakes were either marine creatures or large form that did not burrow, their paper
suggests snakes lost their legs and developed elongated bodies to facilitate
swimming or moving through dense vegetation.
Summary of story in New Scientist, February 12, 2000.
LARGEST MEAT-EATING DINOSAUR DISCOVERED
Scientist have discovered the bones of what may be the largest meat-eating
dinosaur ever to walk the Earth - a razor toothed beast more terrifying than
Tyrannosaurus rex. A team of palaeontologists from Argentina, Canada and
North America unearthed the fossils in the Patagonian desert, on the eastern
slopes of the Argentinian Andes. There are at least six, and possibly as many as
May 2000
THE FOSSIL COLLECTOR
Page 27
ten, animals preserved at the site. The predators’ graveyard challenges the theory
that the biggest meat - eaters were always loners, it suggests that these animals
lived in packs, making them even more menacing to their prey. “You always
think of these things as being solitary, now we know they travelled in packs,” said
Philip Currie, one of the team, at the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Alberta, Canada.
Dr Currie said the newly discovered species lived about 100 million years ago and
was heavier, with slightly shorter legs, than T. rex. The dinosaur also had a long,
narrow skull and a jaw shaped like scissors, that suggests it could have dissected
its prey with almost surgical precision. Dr Currie added.
Researchers estimate the meat - eating giant was 13.7 metres (45 feet) long, bigger
than the reigning king of the carnivores, the 12.5 metre (41 feet) Giganotosaurus
and T. rex which was 12.2 metres (40 feet). “I think it would look just as nasty, if
not worse,” Dr Currie said. “This guy has a long snout, long skull, incredibly
sharp teeth -1 think it would have been terrifying.”
“The bigness of it gets headlines but, scientifically, it’s not that important. But the
fact they travelled together, that’s very interesting,” said Jack Homer, a
palaeontologist from Montana State University.
Dr Currie believes the animal is related to Giganotosaurus, but is a new genus and
species, making the two creatures as closely related as a dog and a fox. The new
dinosaur is further removed from T. rex, at least as different as a dog is from a cat.
Thomas Holtz, a palaeontologist at the University of Maryland, said future
researchers are not likely to come upon carnivorous dinosaurs much larger than Dr
Currie’s find. “I think we’re getting close to the size limit you could be and still
be an effective meat - eater,” said Dr Holtz. “If you get too large, you won’t be
able to hunt down prey because you’ll simply be too ponderous.’
Extract of story in BBC News Online, March 13, 2000.
DISCOVERY CHALLENGES SNAKE ORIGINS
The view that snakes originally evolved from marine creatures may have to be
rethought, say scientists who have analysed a fossil snake with legs.The creature
was found in 95 million year old rocks near Jerusalem. The well preserved
specimen, called Haasiophis terrasanctus, is the second legged snake specimen to
Page 28 THE FOSSIL COLLECTOR May 2000
come from this particular site.
It was from studies of the first snake, called Pachyrhachis problematicus, that
researchers first developed the idea that modern snakes might have descended
from Cretaceous marine animals called mosasaurs. Pachyrhachis was viewed as
an intermediate step, displaying features that lay somewhere in between those of
mosasaurs and today’s snakes. But the better detail in the new fossil challenges
this theory, claim Dr Olivier Rieppel, of the Field Museum in Chicago, and
Professor Eitan Tchernov, of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
The scientists looked closely at skull features, which are remarkably similar to
boas and pythons. These modern snakes have a distinctively mobile skull
structure that allows them to nearly unhinge their jaw in a formidable gape, the
two fossil snakes look as though they had a similar ability. “We went back and
looked very carefully at the skulls of Pachyrhachis , Iiaasiophis and animals like
mosasaurs, looking at features like the braincase, dentition, and the joint in the
middle of the lower jaw,” says Dr Rieppel. “The better preservation of
Haasiophis allowed us to use its anatomy as a guide, and gave us the background
to see just how much these fossils looked like advanced snakes.
Both snakes appear to have unsnake like hind limbs which researchers speculate
have evolved more than once during the snake’s evolution. Scientists suggest that
the snakes with advanced skull design regained hindlimbs that were lost by
evolution.
“We know of at least 62 lizard and snake lineages that have undergone some
degree of limb reduction,” Dr Rieppel says. “Since the fossil record of snakes is
very poor, we can’t exclude the possibility that limbs in snakes were lost not just
once in the beginning, but several times throughout their history.” Dr Rieppel
says that after studying the new fossils it is difficult to tell how the legs
themselves might have been used, since they are too small in relation to the
animal s whole body to have been of any use for movement.
The researchers conclude that Haasiophis and Pachyrhachis are not related to
primitive mosasaurs. Dr Rieppel says he believes the ancestors of modern snakes
were burrowing lizards that lived on land. However, he acknowledges that the
West Bank fossils do not provide clear answers to the question.
Summary of story in BBC News Online, March 17, 2000.
May 2000
THE FOSSIL COLLECTOR
Page 29
PALAEO FUN
PALAEO QUIZ
What do you really know about Geology/Palaeontology? Test your general
knowledge with the following questions on various subjects of the science and
give yourself a score out of 20. Questions and answers kindly provided by Frank
Holmes.
1 Point Questions:
1. What is a comatulid?
2. In what year was Charles Darwin’s ‘Origin of Species’ first published?
3. The extinct Pleistocene animal Phascolonus gigas is closely related to what
extant Australian marsupial?
4. The Glossopteris flora, common in New South Wales, flourished during
which geological period?
5. Which of the following rock types is never fossiliferous? Chert, slate,
conglomerate, granite, flint.
6. Monostychia, Echinolcimpcis, and Lovenici are common genera of irregular
echinoids found in the Australian Tertiary. Which is the odd one out?
2 Point Questions:
7. What animals are generally considered to be ideal zonal indices for late
Cretaceous and Cainozoic marine rocks?
8. Which of the following Orders of marine animals does not belong with the
others? Terebratulida, Spiriferida, Stromatoporida, Rhynchonellida.
3 Point Questions:
9. What fossils were historically referred to, among other names, as Rams’
Horns, Snakestones, and Conger Eels?
Page 30
THE FOSSIL COLLECTOR
May 2000
10. What names are used to describe the three main transverse segments of a
trilobite?
4 Point Question:
11. Name two localities where dinosaur footprints have been found in Australia?
Although the answers to the questions above are on the following
pages, readers are encouraged to attempt the questions before looking
at the answers. There will be another set of quiz questions in the next
issue of The Fossil Collector , Bulletin 61 .
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May 2000
THE FOSSIL COLLECTOR
Page 31
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Page 32 THE FOSSIL COLLECTOR May 2000
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Y
R
R T
u
R
C
S
T
K
C
A
C
U X
R
B
H
A
O
R
A
T
U
S E
G
B
1
H
L
A
L
I
M
E S
T
O
N
E
I
L
V
V
D
H P
D
O
O
Q
T
X
I
T
R
1 L
O
B
1
T
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C
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N
e words
below
can be
found above.
they can
run vertically,
horizontally,
diagonally ;
reverse:-
Mesozoic, Dinosaur, Triassic, Lark Quarry, Era, Kronosaurus, Xystridura, Norian, MYO,
Graptolite, Permian, Macropod, Trilobite, Echinoid, Limestone, Gogo, Geological.
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Understanding 9/11