Calamites
November 27, 2020 - Pennsylvanian, Jefferson County, Al
Submitted by Ann Strozier on Fri, 11/27/2020 - 8:49pmOn Friday, November 27, 2020, seven BPS members and guests went to a working strip mine in Jefferson County to collect fossils from the Pottsville formation of the Pennsylvanian period. The fossils collected today originated in a warm, steamy, oxygen-rich environment and many grew to towering heights. Some of the fossils found are pith casts, formed when sediments filled the hollow center of a stem and later hardened/mineralized into rock. Other fossils are imprints and show beautiful details of fern-like foliage.
March 21, 2020 - Pennsylvanian, Jefferson, AL
Submitted by Ann Strozier on Mon, 03/23/2020 - 8:36pmOn Saturday, March 21, 2020, a baker’s dozen members and guests of BPS went to a site that we’d never visited. A tip from a member’s neighbor and a scouting outing was awarded by permission to collect in a strip mine in Jefferson County. The spoil piles that held fossils were from the Pennsylvanian period – Coal Age fossils that were formed as warm moist coastal swamps gave way to periodic flooding and sedimentation during continental drift changes. Interestingly, similarities between Pennsylvanian coal deposits in the Black Warrior Basin and those in South America indicate that they wer
December 3, 2011 - Pennsylvanian fossils, Bibb Co, Alabama
Submitted by Terry Todd on Wed, 12/14/2011 - 10:19pmApril 3, 2010 - Pennsylvanian Fossils, Shelby Co. AL
Submitted by Martha Ivey on Sat, 06/12/2010 - 10:40pmOn a chilly rainy day a few BPS members braved the weather to view a spectacular waterfall in Shelby County. After the waterfall hike another stop was made to find some wonderful plant material.
February 21, 2009 - Pennsylvanian Fossils, Bibb Co, AL
Submitted by admin2 on Sun, 05/03/2009 - 11:50pmWell, sometimes things happen unexpectedly. A call on Monday to the landowner to schedule a field trip for March. Well, actually he said, the site is ready to be reclaimed. Next week. Can you come this Saturday? Well . . . .
08-03-vl-calamites-detail-5998
Submitted by admin2 on Mon, 04/14/2008 - 1:08am08-03-vl-shell-calamites-5945
Submitted by admin2 on Mon, 04/14/2008 - 1:08ampaleozoic008
Submitted by admin2 on Wed, 10/03/2007 - 8:27pmAugust 25, 2007 - Pennsylvanian Fossils, Tuscaloosa Co, AL
Submitted by Nancy Kenfield Lea on Sun, 09/16/2007 - 4:06pmA trip to a non-working mine site to explore spoil piles for invertebrate fossils was on the menu for BPS's August field trip. The mining company, headquartered in Tuscaloosa county generously offered us the opportunity to explore at this site. A long, hot day on a moonscape was nevertheless a great trip, yielding some beautiful specimens.
We met with the mining engineer who gave us a quick overview of the mining operations, then let us go onto the piles to do our hunting. We hunted until the heat got to us and it was time to seek air-conditioning.
February 18, 2006 - Pennsylvanian Fossils, Bibb and Shelby Co, AL
Submitted by Nancy Kenfield Lea on Sun, 02/19/2006 - 11:00pmAnother trip not put off for "rain, nor sleet, nor snow etc." Near-freezing temperatures, 100% chance of rain, an overcast sky and icy drizzle to begin the day were all on the menu at the BPS field trip in February to strip-mine sites in Bibb and Shelby county. To give you an idea of what we decided to brave, our host at our first