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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)

Another 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 stop, an active coal washing site, didn't show up until we called him, because he thought that nobody in their right mind would be out there! Well, you know, as Nancy remarked, "Once you start finding things, you forget how cold you are!" And this from somebody wearing a "Teenage ninja fossil-hunter suit." Of course, all were outfitted in attractive hard-hats, an MSHA requirement for visits to active mining sites. Just try keeping those on while bending over to find bits and pieces of neat stuff!!! Next time, we should bring little elastic strings to hold them on! Perhaps we should have been wearing them on the parts of our anatomy most-often turned towards the sky!

So, there were the most hard-core of the BPS'ers, happily finding plenty of plant fossils. Our first site was at a coal washing facility, where a variety of plant material was found, including numerous stem impressions, casts, and parts of tree ferns. Excited cries, of "Wow, look at this one!" made it hard to leave for the next site, an abandoned mine a few miles back in the woods, but, the word that we could lose the hardhats, among other attractions, won the gang over.

The second site was in the boonies, even for that area of the state, way down a long dirt road through the woods, through a locked gate, near where a prison used to house people who were busting rocks against their will, so to speak. This second site was very prolific, and members found tree ferns, calamites, and a few tree fern seeds. Some very nice specimens were found, including new "doorstops" for some members.

It was decided to move on to a third site, but the road was too muddy for us to drive up to it. This must be a good place, though, because at least one nice specimen was found near the entrance: a beautiful little silhouette of lacy fern leaves from so very long ago.

One more stop, to look at a site containing remains of bark impressions and calamites casts. There were some nice tree fern specimens in very fragile, easily crumbled rock. A number of fossils were in rocks too large to lug home, and our hands were too frozen, anyhow! Then we finally decided it was time to think about heading home for hot baths, hot laundry, hot food and a nice, long rest. Maybe our next trip will be graced with sunshine and gentle breezes!

--Edited by Vicki Lais

(photos courtesy Vicki Lais)

Some of the group on top of a spoil pile.

Greg demonstrating how to get the fossil out safely without taking home the entire rock.

Small balls of iron ore used in the ironmaking process. These apparently date to the 1940's and 50's when coal mines in the area were in full force and trains carried various materials between the mines and the steel plants.

Bill searching for more fossils.

At our second site, many of the rocks were red rather than gray. This was due to the rocks being "burned" at some time in the past, perhaps with a smouldering coal fire.

Nice "tree fern" seed fossil found by Greg.

Leisa helping identify the fossil Ryan has found.

Ryan has found a nice fossil.

A closer look at the calamites Ryan has found.

Stigmaria (roots of a Lycopod, possibly Lepidodendron)

Nice fern, possibly Sphenopteris.

Calamites stem cast.

Probably Stigmaria, a lycopod root.

Calamites stem cast.

Tree fern outer stem covering and fern-like leaves, probably Sphenopteris.

A hash of leaves and stems.

Calamites stem cast.

Nice calamites stem.

by Ron Buta, Department of Physics and Astronomy

University of Alabama
Tuscaloosa, Alabama

The Union Chapel Mine is now known to be one of the best Lower Pennsylvanian track sites in North America. During December, the mine was in the process of reclamation, and the BPS returned one more time as a group to search for trackways among turned-over spoil piles in one of the most productive areas of the site. About 15 BPS members and several newcomers attended the field trip on a pleasant mid-December day.

Figure 1: Trackway of a likely arthropod. Each print is a small spot. When we arrived at the site, only one small area was not reclaimed. This particular area was one which had yielded many good tracks in the past and so we were all delighted to see that the mine workers had moved some of the old rock piles around, allowing us to see if any new material had been exposed. In spite of this, we all had difficulty finding any new high quality tracks. Nevertheless, there were still tracks to be found. I found the interesting specimen shown in Figure 1. It appears to be the trackway of an arthropod, where each track is a small roundish spot. In the significant collection of track photos which the BPS "track meets" have provided, I had not seen another set like this one. I also found the tracks shown in Figures 2 and 3.
Figure 2: Trackway of another likely arthropod, notable for its asymmetry and strong trail-dragging mark
Figure 3: Two tracks of an Attenosaurus subulensis, a common alligator-like amphibian from the Union Chapel site.
On the reclaimed areas and in the overturned area, one can still find nice plant fossils at this site. Figure 4 shows an especially nice set of ferns from a split rock. Most interesting is how strong the stem of these ferns is.   Figure 4: Strong fern impressions from a split rock.
Figure 5 shows brown ferns of the genus Neuropteris, which was common at this mine. Figure 5: Beautiful Neuropteris ferns defined by iron compound deposits.
Figure 6 shows a single large seed impression of a seed fern. This is how such seeds are often found. Figure 6: A seed impression, Trigonocarpus.
However, I found another rock in the overturned area having more than a dozen seed impressions. Several of these are shown in Figure 7. Figure 7: Part of a slab showing numerous seed impressions
The ferns they are associated with are shown in Figure 8. Jim Lacefield discusses the seeds of seed ferns on page 66 of his new book, "Lost Worlds in Alabama Rocks", and gives a wonderful general discussion of the Coal Age in Alabama and what happened to the seed ferns. Figure 8: Part of the same slab showing another seed impression among the ferns likely associated with the seeds

The reclamation of the Union Chapel Mine caps off a spectacular year of discovery for the BPS, and the Union Chapel experience marks the beginning of a remarkable cooperation between BPS amateur rock collectors and two professional organizations, the Geological Survey of Alabama and the Alabama Museum of Natural History on this new project. The more than 500 track specimens salvaged by BPS members and guests since January 23, 2000 are currently being researched by professional paleontologists. Hundreds of high quality plant fossils were also salvaged and will eventually be studied. We will no doubt be talking about the experience for years to come.