Day 6 - Saturday 7th April 2018
Today was, as were the previous days, a fossil day. Our first stop was the pits of the crinoid miners. We then walked from the late Silurian to a Devonian ridge for some fossil hunting. Then rejoin the buses and off to the fossil store of Mohamed and his brother. There our puny efforts at finding fossils were brought into perspective.
The place is packed with examples of the fossils of Morocco. Outside are piles of quite good fossils. Inside are magnificent specimens piled in profusion - and all for sale! Having seen the efforts made to get the fossils, the prices seem very low.
We had lunch at the store then drove to the Palaeontological Museum. This has some remarkable specimens badly displayed, but still worth a visit.
We ended the day by going to the limestone furniture factory where they kindly trimmed large specimens we had collected to more manageable sizes.
The swimming pool at the Erfoud hotel in the early morning light.
A member of the party at one of the crinoid mines. 4 metres down the shaft there is a layer containing crinoids. The miner breaks up the layer, brings it to the surface and puts it back together and makes it ready for sale. It is incredibly hard and dangerous work, with small and uncertain rewards.
We saw this at one of the shafts.
Walking towards the Devonian.
The Devonian ridge.
Fossicking on the Devonian ridge.
First thing you see when you come into the store - a huge sheet of crinoids and a rather nice trilobite!
Inside the store - piles of prepared orthocones, trilobites and polished coral. It is like old time Tesco - pile it high and sell it (relatively) cheap!
A pile of polished ammonites.
There are more individually prepared specimens - three trilobites, two sorts.
Assorted orthocones and ammonites
Starfish in droves.
Large trilobites.
Looking at the cheap and cheerful stuff outside.
At the Museum - an uncoiled Cretaceous ammonite
A trilobite with a trident at the Museum.
Trilobites nose to tail. This species is almost always seen like this. But this is the largest number I have seen.
Introduction
Arrival
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6