At times I have a little trouble
with the correct (so they say) pronunciation of certain similar sounding
words. I blame this fault on growing up
in a small Kansas town where all the kids had a twang. For example, creek (a small stream) was
pronounced “crick” that was also a noun referring to a stiff neck—"I left
the window open and woke up with a crick in my neck.” One of my bad problems was wonder and
wander--there is only one letter difference so perhaps I could be forgiven?
Wander is a verb meaning “to move
about without a fixed course, aim, or goal” (Merriam Webster Dictionary). Wonder can also be a verb “to feel
curiosity.” For much of my life I have
been wandering while wondering!
This verb duo hit me one day while
visiting the Superstition Springs Mall in Mesa, Arizona. Now, I am not a “mall person” but did mosey
in to purchase a cup of coffee and check out the “good German fossils” that a unknown
rockhound in Germany had suggested as a little field trip! He had emailed me since after reading my Blog and
knew I was in Tucson and might enjoy some nice rocks and fossils!
At first, I just sort of blanked
out as is my custom upon entering one of these shopping behemoths. Straight to the coffee shop and then find a
bench, and so I did without any thought in my brain. But then my mind began to wander and also
wonder---where were the German fossils? So,
I raised off my fanny and my legs began to wander while my brain kept wondering---perhaps
there was some sort of a display of vertebrates in the courtyard? But wait, what was right in front of me? Could
it really be? Yep, I was looking at the
bottom of a shallow Jurassic sea with all sorts of wonderful marine creatures
looking back. Well, they were not really
moving around and looking but were encased in the beautiful polished limestone
that was used as floor tile in this humongous building. I immediately thought what a wonderful place
it would be to bring a group of young children and let them look at, and hear
about, the wonders of nature.
So, I
began to wander around in my one little corner and hallway taking a great
interest, and several phone photos, of these beautifully preserved
fossils. I was sort of wandering around
in a typical rockhound style bent over and searching while perhaps 300 people
ignored me, and many gave me a wide berth.
Now, I was dressed in decent clothes, and had shaved that morning so as
not to embarrass my accompanying companion, but several persons actually seemed
scared of my actions. I was really
hoping that at least one family with children would have asked, “hey Mister,
what are you looking at?’ But, no such
luck. Think what would have happened if
my knees were good and I had assumed the stance rockhounds use when hunting for
tiny peridot crystals? I would have been
hauled off by Paul Blart, Mall Cop.
It turns out that I had seen this
limestone before—in a museum, and in Germany. It is called the Jura Limestone or Jura Marble
(from the Jurassic Period and Jura Mountains) and is quarried in great
quantities from southern Bavaria in Germany.
It is also packed with spectacular fossils of ammonite cephalopods,
corals, sponges, echinoderms, worm burrows, amazing belemnite cephalopods, and
may other creatures I could not identify in a short time span. It is my understanding that some vertebrates
(fish and reptiles) have been found in the unit. The building stones/tiles also come in several different "color shades" but the most common are tans and grays (in the trade each color variety has a specific name).
Why was this limestone being
walked on in southern Arizona? It seems as if the rock is quite hard, takes a
nice polish and is shipped around the world for use in heavy traffic areas as
floor tiles, counter coverings, entrance ways in hotels, etc. Evidently my unknown friend in Germany had
visited the Mall and wanted me to take a peek at good German Fossils.
In reality the Jura Limestone is a
trade name for this spectacular rock while the geologic moniker is the
Treuchlinger Formation and is Late Jurassic in age (Kimmeridgian ~157 Ma--152 Ma).
The Jura Limestone is quarried in the same general area as the slightly
younger, and more famous, Solenhoffen Limestone (Tithonian, ~ 152 Ma--145 Ma) with its famous fossils, including “Archaeopteryx”. Both of these quarried building stones are
products of the widespread Tethys Sea that covered Europe for much of the
Mesozoic Era.
In looking at the accompanying photos
note the wide variety of what appears to be remains of soft bodied
animals. But, perhaps some of the “things”
I thought may be body fossils may simply be “worm” burrows. The only two that are certain are the hard-bodied belemnites
and the ammonites, both cephalopods. I can
offer speculations on a couple of others.
This limestone is so amazing with such a wide variety of fossils and
other structures.
Unfortunately, I
cannot, at this time, locate a copy of Hans Bantz’s 1970 book describing the
fossils of the Jura Limestone from the Franconian Alps (Der Fossilinhalt des Treuchtlinger Marmors (Mittleres Unter-Kimmeridge
der Südlichen Frankenalb). Fortunately,
I am writing this offering while camped at one of the most beautiful place in
the U.S., Monument Valley in Navajo Tribal Park (southeastern Utah). Not only is Baltz’s book unavailable, so are
newspapers, television stations, internet service, telephone service and noisy
railroads. What is available are fantastic
sunsets and sunrises, amazing red rock scenery, crystal clear night skies with
a full moon, and a real quietness. Life
is good.
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| The above two fossils are ammonoid cephalopods perhaps of the genus ?Progeronia. Note penny for scale on top photo. |
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| The above three specimens may be sponges. I am fairly certain the lower photo is a sponge of some sort. Note penny for scale. | | |
