A large crew of BPS members and guests headed to northwest Alabama this month, in hopes of finding crinoid heads and trilobites. Well, we found both! We left Birmingham expecting a high of 50, however, that must have been in the wee hours of the morning, as the temperature hovered in the mid-30's all day. Brrr!! But that didn't keep the fossils inside, nor did it deter detemined fossil seekers.

Our first stop was a roadcut where numerous specimens of coral were found, many too large to carry home.

The second stop was another roadcut, where numerous pieces of archimedes were found, a few horned corals, and even a whole crinoid head!

At stop #3, our primarly collecting location, a lake in NW Alabama, fossils were litterally laying all over the ground. Almost every rock was covered with weathered out fossils which stood in nice relief, and many had weathered out totally, so that individual specimens could be found by carefully examining the ground. At this site, numerous blastoids were found, archimedes, two types of coral, crinoid stems, trilobite parts, and Jan N. found a tiny, complete, rolled up trilobite! On a side note - the trip photographer had a difficult time organizing a group picture, and did not manage this feat until stop #3 - imagine trying to control a herd of cats who see FOOD, and you have a good idea! But it was finally managed with only 2-3 missing (already in action, hunting those fossils!).

Our last stop of the day was a different location on the lake, where similar items were found as at stop #3, and also some larger corals and crinoid "legs".

As it got colder and colder, people were calling for warmth and food, so we made our way to an out-of-the way steak house where we continued to talk about fossils and visit until our bellies were full, and finally after a wonderful day spent with like-minded friends, we left for home.

(Photos courtesy Vicki Lais)

This month BPS spent our field trip exploring road cuts along a new highway, which included 10+ stops to survey various likely looking areas. Though rain was widely predicted, it didn't happen, and the weather was perfect for being outside. The fossil collecting wasn't as prolific as expected, but everyone found quite a few nice specimens, including brachiopods, tracks, and ferns. We also discovered an upright hole that appeared on first glance to be a blasting hole, but on closer examination one could see the impression of a lycopod, perhaps a lepidodendron. Several people worked on an exposed rock shelf where an extensive plate of fossil marine creatures were found.

We also had a quick visit from a couple of guys from North Alabama, who were passing through the area, and stopped to see what we were doing. Amazingly, they had just seen the BPS website the previous week, and were excited to see us out in the field.

Mid-day, we stopped at a local BBQ joint for nourishment and visiting, and then slowly proceeded in the general direction of home, stopping at roadcuts on the other side of the road. We searched carefully for more starfish at the location where they were originally found, but none were spotted this time. As members drifted off home, a few die-hards kept going until almost dark. Our last stop of the day was a construction site, where some pieces of poor quality petrified wood was found.

(Photos courtesy Vicki Lais)

The April 2008 field trip brought beautiful weather and a nice relaxing weekend. Claire, Martha and Leisa were able to get to the site on Friday and enjoyed an evening gazing up at the stars and listening to the night birds. Saturday morning brought the arrival of the rest of the field trip party. Members ventured up stream and down stream. Several shark teeth and ray teeth were found, along with cochina stone embedded with turritella, gastropods, and nautiloids. A few Native American pottery shards were also found. After a relaxing cook out and campfire on the beach, four members of our party left for the big city, while the rest of the group had come prepared to camp for the weekend.

Sunday morning was a little foggy, as some of the early risers found out, but it lifted shortly after true light. Two members headed home early to care for pets while the remainder hiked the creek and other parts of the property. Several nautiloids were collected from an area that was newly exposed. In spite of dire weather reports, the weather at the creek was perfect for the weekend.

--Edited by Vicki Lais

(Vicki sends tons of thanks to those who shared their field trip stories, let her paw through their fossils, and took pictures while she was under the weather a bit.)

(photos courtesy Leisa Whitlow, Jan Novak, Claire Smith, and Vicki Lais)

This Saturday in late May was HOT! A large group of 27 people met at a private site in central Alabama to search several very extensive gullies for fossils. BPS has not visited this site in at least 10 years, so we were excited about this opportunity. This gully has been a treasure-trove of fossil material over the years, most of which is currently housed at the Museum of Natural History in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. This day was no exception, and a number of important finds were made, including various mosasaur bones at several locations, including a juvenile vertebra, at least two fish skeletons, turtle bones, several partial and deformed starfish replaced with marcasite, Enchodus teeth of all sizes, a bird tooth, and another fossil bird. From the items being shown for photo documentation, it seemed that most people found at least one shark tooth, oysters, shell material, and plenty of shrimp burrows. Claire even found an echinoid.

Several people decided to brave the tall grass and poison ivy to check out a gully off the beaten path. Along with the fossils were plenty of chiggers!

Did I mention that it was HOT? James Lamb's thermometer in the middle of the gully registered 115 degrees. Coupled with the lack of vegetation, the stark white chalk of the gullies made this day almost unbearable, though we attempted to get in early to avoid the heat. When one is not accustomed to heat, hyperthermia can set in quickly, with symptoms of dizzyness, dehydration, confusion, and a feeling of exhaustion. Also, the gullies were so steep, once deciding it was time to go find a cool drink and some shade, just climbing out of the gullies was a major undertaking. A number of people decided to leave by early afternoon, or sit in the shade of the trees to cool off. One group took off to tour Old Cahawba, with a swim afterward, and Becky was headed out to North Dakota to hunt fossils for a couple of weeks. A smaller group managed to stay late; once it starts cooling off around 5pm, the late evening sunlight is often polarized, which makes it much easier to spot fossils, and collecting is very pleasant.

Photos courtesy Jan Novak and Vicki Lais

Trip to Sumter County, Alabama. . . more to follow, wanted to get pictures up for everyone.

(Pictures courtesy Jan Novak and Vicki Lais) 

A small group of dedicated fossil hounds arrived in Dallas County to assist James Lamb in searching for ancient bones and teeth of extinct animals in the Late Cretaceous chalk gullies.  Suffering miserably in the heat of the day where temperatures were recorded at 109 degrees, our spirits were frequently lifted by the amazing fossils that were being found.  We had the opportunity to search in gullies where no one had searched recently.  The years of rain and weathering provided a treasure trove of a large variety of fossils, and no one had such a good day as did Claire.  After arriving a little late, the first thing after arriving in the gully, she practically tripped over pieces of a fossil fish, including jaw and teeth, that others of us in a bigger hurry had stepped right over.   She had her eyes set to find bone, and continued to find very nice specimens throughout the day.  Most of the specimens found now reside at the McWane Science Center, where they will be available to researchers around the world.

 [This is considered our "July field trip", since it took place between the July and August business meetings.]

Photos courtesy Jan Novak, Claire Smith, Don Hill, and Vicki Lais.

A weekend trip to the Cretaceous chalk gullies of Dallas County Alabama and a creek in Perry county turned up numerous fossils.  Ancient creatures, including shark, turtle, mosasaur, ptychodus, fish, clam, and ammonite were found during the three day weekend trip.

Day 1 Friday         Day 2 Saturday         Day 3 Sunday

DAY 1 - FRIDAY

On Friday morning, Jan, Becky and a co-worker joined James Lamb on a search for ancient bones in a set of gullies that had not been visited for a number of years.  Very nice specimens of  fish, shark, mosasaur, enchodus, and rudistid clam were found.  To excavate shark vertebra which were scattered over a large area, an awning was erected to provide protection from the 100+ temperatures of the gully.  Later that afternoon, other members of the group began showing up for the weekend campout.

That night we set up camp in a cow pasture, where we fended off curious cows and hungry fire ants that seemed to find every crack into anything.  One could literally not stand still without finding several ants crawling up their boots. Beautiful spider webs and large cow patties were obstacles to dodge during the night.  Then, about midnight, the rain started.  A slow, gentle rain.  And it continued through the night.  Not good, since it would make the gully chalk as slick as oiled glass. 

Once again, BPS took a trip south to Dallas county, Alabama, to search in the extensive Cretaceous chalk gullies found there.  This was our last gully trip of the season, since hunting season is about to start, so we were in a frantic hurry to collect the items we had previously flagged, and find as much as we could so it could be preserved, and not get washed down a gully, and potentially lost for research.  In addition to the normal variety of shells, shark teeth and vertebra, fish including enchodus, and turtles, this month a baby crocodile was found, the first one found in Alabama, so we were quite excited. 

(Photos courtesy Joey Golson and Vicki Lais)

The "Fossils of the Black Belt - A Hands-On Field Workshop" was a huge success!  This fossil workshop was sponsored by the Geological Survey of Alabama, The University of West Alabama, and Discovering Alabama.  Approximately 35 teachers from around the South arrived bright and early in Livingston, Alabama to learn about fossils and field geology.  After a morning lecture, the group visited several sites in Sumter County, including Jones Bluff beside the Tombigbee River, the Hawkins Overlook, and the Blackland Prairie Restoration Area on the UWA campus, and Jefferson. Cretaceous fossils were collected at a site where the K-T boundary is exposed.  The afternoon was spent cleaning and identifying fossils, and ended with drawings for numerous door prizes.  The workshop leaders were Dr. David C. Kopaska-Merkel (Geological Survey of Alabama), Dr. Andrew K. Rindsberg, Dr. Doug Wymer, and Dr. John C. Hall (all of the University of West Alabama).

If you wanted a day/weekend out in the woods, you couldn't have custom-ordered more perfect weather or a more perfect spot to enjoy the outdoors.   A small group of BPS’ers set out for Butler County to a site owned by a member’s relatives.  They kindly let us in there at least once a year and a big THANK YOU goes out to them from BPS.    We use the word “intrepid” a lot to describe our membership, but, what else can you say when you see people wading up to “there” in icy-cold water on a Fall day?  Lots of tiny shark-teeth were found, along with a very tiny ray tooth, numerous pieces of cochina stone, a variety of shells, including gastropods and bivalves, and a few very weathered nautiloids.  Also of interest for many of us are the native American artifacts we always find at this location. Several pottery sherds were found, some with excellent examples of incised designs.

Then it was time to chill out…literally, as the day wore down the temperature started dropping.  But what a better time than a nippy Fall evening for a bonfire and cooking out?  The overnighters got tents and vans set for the night and turned in.   

With the arrival of morning, the smell of breakfast and the sounds of fellow-campers stirring got all but the most determined late-sleepers up and going.  Most stayed for the day.  Nancy decided that a flat tire, a broken water-bottle, bee sting, and an uneasy tummy perhaps meant a message from the camping gods to head back to civilization.

Those who stayed for the day hiked along the dirt roads near the creek, and later rode in Big Blue to a different location on the property where a canal had been dug in the distant past, and rocky debris had been tossed to the side, creating a mound of rocks.  Many of the rocks were filled with fossil shells.

A great weekend under the stars, hiking in a beautiful clear creek, and spending time out in the clean Fall air!  Who could ask for anything more?

Photos courtesy Claire Smith and Vicki Lais

This month the group had a "Scouting Outing" to a new location in Walker county.  An initial quick survey of the site a few days before turned up few fossils, so there was some concern about taking a group.  We also planned for two more stops, and with this group, even heading off for dinner can be fun! We need not have been concerned, plenty of fossils were found by everyone.

 The first stop was a construction site, and the fossil material, Pennsylvannian shale, was being used for fill dirt; most of it had been run over multiple times with a bulldozer, crumbling the matrix, and the larger rocks around the edge were soft, turning back into mud with the recent rains.  Needless to say, getting quality specimens out whole was a reason for excitement!  With all the extra eyes, numerous boulders were discovered and split, revealing an entire forest of plant life, including lycopods (scale trees), spenophytes (horsetails), fern like plants, cordaites, and even fossil limpets.  Even more fossils were found (lost?) by those of us who just HAD to split every rock, to see what new treasure lay below the current layer!

After several hours at the site, we decided to head to another new spot that had not been scouted.  It was a huge area, a reclaimed strip mine, but with several outcrops of shale material dotted around the property, along a ditch and along a ridge.  Unfortunately, fossils were sparce at this site, though Bill did find a very nice lycopod specimen in the "back 40".  Last stop was a roadcut where we had found starfish in the past, but none were spotted on this trip.