I changed things up and went on a fossil hunt looking for AMMOLITE! I went rockhounding in a formation in my area known as Bearpaw Shale. It is equivalent to the Pierre Shale Formation, part of what was once an inland sea. Marine fossils such as ammonites can be found all over the world. I use the app called "Rock'd" to look at what eroding land formations are in my area as well as what type of rocks they contain. If you are wanting to find marine fossils, you are looking for something known as "calcareous concretions" in shale. The silty shale was essentially once a bed of mud that formed around, or encased, organic matter (such as an ammonite). The mud is usually in sections, cementing the ammonite inside and preserving it. Often, the organic matter breaks down leaving its mark as minerals/crystals.
00:00 Introduction
00:28 Bearpaw Shale Formation
00:43 App for Finding Rock Formations
01:02 What Formation Looks Like
02:07 What is a Baculite?
04:21 What a Calcareous Concretion Looks Like
06:28 What Baculite Sutures Look Like
07:34 What Ammolite Looks Like
08:56 Intact Large Clam
11:39 More Montana Ammolite
15:20 Baculite in Rough
17:12 Ammonite Hidden in Shale
19:07 Triple Baculite
19:21 Calcite Filled Baculite
20:13 Ammolite
If you are looking for some great reads, here are some links to some of my favorites:
Ammonites and Other Cephalopods of the Pierre Seaway: An Identification Guide
by Neal L. Larson
Amazon Link:
https://amzn.to/3DOxYSJ
Also found at Thriftbooks.com or AbeBooks.com
Feel free to purchase this book from anywhere you find it.
Are you looking to do some rockhounding in Montana?
Here are some links to some Montana rockhounding resources:
Rockhounding In Montana (Where To Go and What You Can Find!)
by Rock Seeker:
https://www.rockseeker.com/rockhounding-in-montana/
Montana Rockhounding Location Guide & Map by Mike Rhea, a professional geologist:
https://rockhoundresource.com/montana-rockhounding-location-guide-map/
Here's an Amazon link to a great Montana rockhounding guide:
https://amzn.to/3Bv3fIS
Looking to learn about Yellowstone River agates? This is a publication from 1972 by a man named Paul Fry. This was the very first literature I read when I was learning about Montana agates. It is called "Meanderings of a Montana Rockhound" and it is priceless:
https://pdf4pro.com/view/meanderings-of-a-montana-rockhound-525eeb.html
Here is another page with great information on Montana Agates by Jim Landon called "Montana Agate: The Best Catch on the Yellowstone River" :
https://www.rockngem.com/montana-agate-the-best-catch-on-the-yellowstone-river/
As my supply allows, I sell my finds on Ebay to support my channel:
https://www.ebay.com/usr/montanarockmom