A hot day in the gullies, but we had a good turnout.
September 20, 2008 - Cretaceous Fossils, Dallas County, AL
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)
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After a slight delay, well, a very long delay, due to a mixup in who was going to call who, we finally gained access to the site. To get to this new set of gullies, we had to drive in, then park and walk the rest of the way.
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We've just gotten into the gully, and are preparing to survey in different sections so we can cover the entire gully several times.
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When we first arrived at the gully, it was difficult to find anything. No matter where we looked, it didn't seem like there was anything other than rocks and broken shells.
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Overview of the large gully where we first collected today.
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A couple of shells common to the area, though most are broken in pieces.
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This large slab of calcite or selenite crystals was found near the entrance to the gully.
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Part of a fossil fish jaw, with several teeth still embeded in the jaw.