Ammonite hunting with GEPN - report

On Saturday, the 8th of October 2011, the Exploring Podwarszawskie Diving Group visited the Łuków Łapiguz Brickyard. There is a clay pit there, in which perfectly preserved fossilized ammonites can be found.

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Gallery of photographs from the ammonite hunt in Łuków

Undoubtedly, it is one of the most interesting geological curiosities in Europe and even in the world. The black clay and the numerous fossils occurring in it are about 165 million years old. Ammonites are a group of animals from the end of the Cretaceous period and died out about 65 million years ago.

Scientists assume that the ice sheet transported them under the Archean Mountains from northern Europe. There are many indications that they may have come from the area of present-day Estonia. The clays were moved in an almost intact state. They contain huge amounts of Jurassic fossils, including ammonites. Visited by GEPN, the most well-known of the Lukáková clays was discovered at the end of the 19th century and was exploited by a brickyard. Today the area is overgrown and the excavation is flooded. However, finding ammonites is relatively easy.

The average depth of the water area is 7-8 metres. The deepest depth logged during the exploration is 7.7 metres. Visibility is very limited and varies from 0 to 1.5 metres. The water temperature was 16ºC and 8ºC higher than the air temperature, so the dive was, despite appearances, very pleasant.

Ten divers showed up on site. For some it was their first trip with GEPN, but the atmosphere was as friendly as ever. Some showed up with their families, others alone, but all with a great mood and good attitude, despite the unpleasantly cold morning.

The dive lasted just under 100 minutes, although most finished after just 60min. The finds were quite numerous. Some of them unearthed really impressive fossils, embedded in large clay lumps. Unfortunately not everyone managed to find something, but everyone went home smiling. Diving in this type of water, in spite of its shallow depth, is specific, mainly due to poor visibility. People who decide to do such dives are aware of such “attractions”, so no one complained. Of course, somewhere else there would be better visibility, but there would be no ammonites. At the end, each diver received a commemorative sticker for their logbook, bearing a characteristic spiral ammonite shell, and everyone went home.

As the GEPN divers announce “…this is not the last dive this year, so we invite all who are interested. In this and subsequent seasons…”

Source GEPN
Photo: Jan Michniewski