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| Williamsville Waterlime, Late Silurian Bertie Group |
| Eurypterid Gallery 9 |
| ABOVE: It certainly looks like the pieces are part of a puzzle. This specimen of Eurypterus lacustris, from the Williamsville Waterlime of RQS, Ontario, Canada, is disarticulated but the preserved parts did not drift too far from each other. The exoskeleton is well-preserved with no evidence of marks due to scavenging. Does this imply that a eurypterid molted in situ and the discarded parts remained behind or was a nearly complete molt carried into the sediments and disarticulated by currents without the parts drifting too far apart? Reworking of eurypterid remains is often quite evident in the Bertie waterlimes within windrows that indicate remains were tossed to and from before finally being entombed within the dolomitic sediment. Take a look at the many examples of preservation of this form on these pages. Millions upon millions of eurypterid parts are preserved just within the Buffalo (New York) Fort Erie (Ontario, Canada) region. Complete individuals, interpreted to be all molts, are believed to number about 1 million per square mile in this region (just within the Williamsville Waterlime and not considering the stratigraphically lower Fiddlers Green formation. |
| MORE TO COME |
| The Williamsville Formation (Bertie Group) is a very fine-grained rock, see photo below) consisting of waterlime (Unit A) with abundant fossils and overlying argillaceous dolostone (Unit B) with trace fossils and very interesting sedimentary structures. The Williamsville Fm. can be divided into a western and central facies. Westward is the Eurypterus lacustris Biozone and eastward the overlapping Paracarcinosoma scorpionis Biozone. |
| Eurypterids.net |
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| ABOVE: Friday the 13th was a lucky day for four collectors. I found this specimen after pounding on a lot of rock. A total of about 5 nearly complete specimens were found on this day, 3 of whch had frontal appendages preserved. The posterior portion remained embedded in the matrix and I am currently trying to free it up, taking it for granted that it is preserved. The current that brought the specimen to rest here is believed to have originated from the southwest. Note the swimming legs pressed against the body on one side, and the other preserved out away from the body. A nearby windrow also indicated a current from the south or southwest. Not all specimens are preserved this way as there are also indications of currents from other directions. RIGHT: A well-preserved carapace found on the same day. Much of the delicate integument is still present. Preserved dorsal down. Many other interesting specimens were ob- served on this day, January 13, 2006 - 62 degrees. |
| MORE WILLIAMSVILLE WATERLIME |