Preparation of a fossil crinoid lens Scyphocrinites from the Upper Silurian of Morocco. 

The Merzane Inn  

On a recent trip to Morocco, I had the chance to visit one of the excavation sites where lenses containing Upper Silurian Scyphocrinites fossil crinoids are being extracted. A few kilometers east of Arfoud is the Merzane Inn where I stayed for a few days. The welcome is warm, the food excellent and the rooms comfortable. 

 

The inn borders the Djebel Bou Tchrafine, and serves as a starting point for various expeditions and visits to fossil sites. Properties of the setting

 

Djebel Bou Tchrafine 

After only a few kilometers of track through the Djebel Bou Tchrafine, we can see in the distance the traces of an intense excavation activity. As we approach, we discover mounds of red earth and schists of the same color  

All these mounds are the work of local excavators who dug shafts to reach the Upper Silurian Scyphocrinite layer. The series of shafts is impressive, especially when we know that they are on average 4-5 m deep and are entirely dug by hand.  

All these mounds are the work of local excavators who dug shafts to reach the Upper Silurian Scyphocrinite layer. The series of shafts is impressive, especially when we know that they are on average 4-5 m deep and are entirely dug by hand.  

Here is an orthoceras plate found among the excavation debris.  

The limestone lenses containing the encrines measure from 50 cm to more than 3 meters in diameter, with a thickness in their center varying from 8-10 to 15-20 cm depending on their size. The conditions of conservation and excavation mean that they are generally extracted in pieces.  

I bought the lens photographed here at the fossil exchange in Ste Marie aux Mines. It measures 70 x 55 cm. Its thickness in the center is 8 cm while the thickness at the edges is only 2 cm. The pieces must have been numbered directly at the excavation site in order to facilitate reassembly in the workshop.  

You have to take your time when gluing. The gluing is done with Epoxy resin which allows you to fill in small gaps or gaps between the different pieces at the same time.  

When the gluing is finished, the whole is consolidated and stabilized with resin + fiberglass.  

The previous photos show the back of the limestone lens. All that remains is to sand the front face containing the calyxes.  

Voici le résultat final et deux vues de détail.

 La lentille mesure 70 x 55 cm  

Preparation of a fossil crinoid lens Scyphocrinites from the Upper Silurian of Morocco. 

The Merzane Inn  

On a recent trip to Morocco, I had the chance to visit one of the excavation sites where lenses containing Upper Silurian Scyphocrinites fossil crinoids are being extracted. A few kilometers east of Arfoud is the Merzane Inn where I stayed for a few days. The welcome is warm, the food excellent and the rooms comfortable. 

 

The inn borders the Djebel Bou Tchrafine, and serves as a starting point for various expeditions and visits to fossil sites. Properties of the setting

 

Djebel Bou Tchrafine 

After only a few kilometers of track through the Djebel Bou Tchrafine, we can see in the distance the traces of an intense excavation activity. As we approach, we discover mounds of red earth and schists of the same color  

All these mounds are the work of local excavators who dug shafts to reach the Upper Silurian Scyphocrinite layer. The series of shafts is impressive, especially when we know that they are on average 4-5 m deep and are entirely dug by hand.  

All these mounds are the work of local excavators who dug shafts to reach the Upper Silurian Scyphocrinite layer. The series of shafts is impressive, especially when we know that they are on average 4-5 m deep and are entirely dug by hand.  

Here is an orthoceras plate found among the excavation debris.  

The limestone lenses containing the encrines measure from 50 cm to more than 3 meters in diameter, with a thickness in their center varying from 8-10 to 15-20 cm depending on their size. The conditions of conservation and excavation mean that they are generally extracted in pieces.  

I bought the lens photographed here at the fossil exchange in Ste Marie aux Mines. It measures 70 x 55 cm. Its thickness in the center is 8 cm while the thickness at the edges is only 2 cm. The pieces must have been numbered directly at the excavation site in order to facilitate reassembly in the workshop.  

You have to take your time when gluing. The gluing is done with Epoxy resin which allows you to fill in small gaps or gaps between the different pieces at the same time.  

When the gluing is finished, the whole is consolidated and stabilized with resin + fiberglass.  

The previous photos show the back of the limestone lens. All that remains is to sand the front face containing the calyxes.  

Voici le résultat final et deux vues de détail.

 La lentille mesure 70 x 55 cm