Some of the best finds of the day were from the spoils piles.
This Dry Dredger (shown below) found a perfect Isotelus trilobite, in the prone
position, on the surface of shale rock cast aside by mistake. Don Bissett and
Dan Cooper kidded each other about which one of them let that one get
away.
Other "pile finds" included nicely preserved prone
and enrolled Flexicalymene trilobites.
Meanwhile, in the trenches, hard work and a good set of eyes pay off. Jim Budnik found this beautiful, enrolled Isotelus trilobite.
It is very difficult to see these trilobites in the shale as they are removed. Here are some Flexicalymene retrorsa dug out of the shale layer. Can you spot them in these pictures?
Among the finds was this recent fossil (shown below). Brenda Hunda, a PhD candidate with the University of California at Riverside, spent this past summer studying the unique trilobite layer exposed on this site. This chair attests to her long, hard hours of meticulous work on the site. Our hats are off to her.
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