Visitor
Mississippian
September 22, 2007 - Mississipian Fossils, Blount Co, AL
A trip to a quarry in the Mississippian age, Fort Payne chert was on the schedule for BPS' field trip in September. It was a beautiful day with a good turnout. THe quarry had been dug out since out last visit so we were able to look around the freshly-exposed areas. Sylvie and Michael made a heroic effort to find a trilobite in some of the material that resembled Frog Mtn. formation, but to no avail. We wandered freely over the huge quarry area, finding crinoid stems, brachiopods, corals and a number of nice geodes. The chert is lightweight and filled with cavities, leaving behind molds of long-ago crinoids.
Lunch break at the Top Hat Barbecue gave us a chance to cool off a little, since the heat was pretty intense. However, the troops headed back to the quarry after lunch for a full afternoon of collecting.
--Photos courtesy Vicki Lais
February 17, 2007 - Mississippian Fossils, Franklin Co, AL
Once again, the word, "intrepid" comes to mind when BPS makes a midwinter trip! With the temps in the upper 30's and low 40's and 15-20 mph winds, it was a toss up as to which trip to this site was the coldest! In spite of the weather, around 23 fossil seekers came for the fun. Our first stop was under sunny skys and slight winds which brought the temperature up to a bearable level. This is a great site, featuring a prehistoric coral reef that always has excellent specimens washed out during the previous year. It's always a temptation go after the big boulders, but they're much larger than they look (like iceburgs) so we can only stand and drool and capture them on camera. At the first stop on the lake numerous specimens of blastoids, archimedes, and crinoid stems were found, and a very nice piece of petrified/ permineralized wood. Next we went to the other side of the lake where it was downright windy and bitter cold. More crinoid stems, straight cephalapods, and some unknown specimens were collected as well as great slabs of fossil hash. These make great teaching tools as well as attractive showpieces. We were also treated to the sight of Bill "walking on water!" Next we stopped at a roadcut which yielded a few more nice specimens, and a lot more icy wind. After one last site check, hunger was the issue, so most of the group organized to follow Greg, who always seems to know the best places to chow down, to a long enjoyable evening meal at a "secret" local steak house, After a great time of good food, rehashing the day and catching up, tired BPS members headed home.
--Edited by Vicki Lais
(Photos courtesy Jan Novak, Bill Fowler, Chris Lais, & Vicki Lais)
On to the next stop, where we were given an overview of the collecting area.
Shoreline of the lake, water is way down in winter.
Horned coral.
A sponge?
Horned coral.
Nice brachiopod.
Most rocks in the area consist of numerous small fragments of fossils. Most visible on this specimen are crinoid stems and bryozoan (or the netting material from archimedes.)
Parts of very large, but broken, blastiods.
Tiny gastropod.
Unknown round fossil.
Another unknown fossil.
Very nice specimen of petrified/permineralized wood.
How'd he do that?? Bill has found several nice specimens. Click, then click again for larger image.
Nice cephalopod.
Brachiopods.
After the lake, we collected at a nearby roadcut.
Numerous specimens of burrow casts were found, and also a few straight cephalopod's (in middle).
At the last stop of the day, geologic layering is very prominent.
Tall people have a distinct advantage!
December 16, 2006 - Mississippian & Ordovician Fossils, Jefferson Co, AL
A visit to the quarry at the Ruffner Mountain Nature Center and a chance to check on our “pet rock” was the highlight for this December trip. This was a service trip (photos only - no collecting) to Ruffner Mountain Nature Center, and BPS had been asked to make some photographs of fossils the Nature Center could use in their educational activities. A couple of years ago, we etched the surface of a small boulder to make the fossils stand out better. Since this is a rock used by Nature Center as an example on tours, we check periodically to ensure the fossils are still visible and the rock is still usable for their education programs. We examined and photographed the boulder, which contains crinoids, bivalves, bryzoans, and numerous other small fossils, then went on to locate and document as many other fossils as we could find during our day there.
Since the grey-on-grey of the limestone makes it difficult to photograph the details clearly, Chris took multiple photos of the boulder, then used “stitch” photo technology to create detailed photographs of the complete rock surface. By using extreme macro and pasting the sections together, we have gotten far better records of those surfaces and the fossils they contain than with past techniques.
The Ruffner Mountain quarry is a fascinating place to visit and learn more about the Alabama fossil record. BPS is glad that we can contribute to the educational services of the Nature Center by our documentation.
After a late lunch at a locally famous hamburger joint, it was time to head home and get ready to party! All-in-all, a great day, topped off by the annual Xmas party. Good company, good food, Dirty Santa, a lot of laughter, and live music from our very own Lea Novak. It doesn’t get much better than that!
--Edited by Vicki Lais
(Photos courtesy Chris and Vicki Lais)
Part of the group deciding which way to go.
Iron ore spotted on path to quarry.
Mixture of fossils including brachiopods and bryozoans.
Most of the fossils are badly weathered.
Coral.
Large coral in boulder.
Another view of the same coral.
This is very tiny, no more than 1/2 inch across (My apologies for lack of a scale). Dr. Phil Novack-Gottshall says this appears to be a diploporitan, a type of echinoderm .
Taking a break.
This is the rock/boulder that has been etched so that more fossil material is visible.
A closer view.
This odd looking fossil had us speculating, but according to Dr. Phil Novack-Gottshall, it is a crinoid stem with very regular cirri.
A macro view of the unusual crinoid stem.
December 2, 2006 - Mississippian Fossils, St. Clair Co, AL
A roadcut in St. Clair County was a real bonanza for BPS on this trip. A smaller crowd than usual came along but found a very wide variety of fossils. Excitement all around as we spread out along the road cut. This is a Mississippian age site where geologic uplift is obvious. Several varieties of coral, including quite a few large horned coral, brachiopods and sponges were found in the Ft. Payne chert and Tuscumbia Limestone. A lot of trilobites were being found; Greg and others started breaking open some well-weathered rocks, and almost every rock contained a treasure-trove of fossils: horn corals, sponges, trilobites, bryzoan, and some as-yet-unidentified items. One of the most exciting finds was the large straight cephalopod found by Bob (and naturally, we all gravitated to the same collecting area to find THE REST OF IT, but alas, no more, not even tiny pieces, were to be found). Leisa and Becky had been surveying a different area, and spotted some more shell, coral and trilobite fossils in an area we had not collected before. After a late lunch at a local BBQ, some of the crew took off on a scouting trip, while others made their way home.
--Edited by Vicki Lais
(Photos courtesy Becky Guthrie and Vicki Lais)
The most common fossil at this location is coral.
Crinoids are also found.
Greg shows Nathan how to crack the rocks to find the fossils inside.
Nice bryozoan impression and actual fossil remains.
Nathan has found fossil brachiopods. Click picture for closer view.
An interesting piece of horned coral, laying loose in a hollow shaped like it. This specimen has obviously been weathering in this same location for many years.
Another view of the horned coral.
Becky also has a nice slab of brachiopods.
A closer look at Becky's slab.
Nice sponge; at higher resolution, the pores are easily visible.
More brachiopods.
And here's what we were hoping to find - trilobites!
As nice as the trilobites are, this straight cephalopod was the find of the day!
September 30, 2006 - Paleozoic Fossils, Jefferson Co, AL
Page 1 - General trip photos (this page)
Page 2 - Fossils and minerals
Page 2 - Fossils and minerals
The BPS September field trip found us at the site of the Red Mountain Road Cut, which is also the site of the former Red Mountain Museum. The fossils that were formerly housed in the RMM now reside in the Alabama Collections Center of McWane Science Center. A good deal of the interpretive work still remains, and several members helped clear vines and bushes that had overgrown the walkway and signs. Jun Ebersole, Collections Manager at the McWane Science Center, started us out with a safety lecture, particularly pointing out areas that were somewhat less secure than others. We were fortunate to have James Lamb along to provide commentary and information regarding the road cut and history of the RMM, along with his wonderful sense of humor. James' lecture was accompanied by an excellent printed handout, covering the geology and history of the road-cut, and pointing out the many fossils which are unique to this site. He pointed out several geologic items of interest such as the fault line, volcanic ash layer, iron ore, and reef formations that make up Red Mountain, as we went on an exploring trip along the exposed area of the cut.
We happily welcomed Eli Mrug, our youngest member of the group on his first BPS field trip with his parents, who were acting as translators for his grandparents who were visiting from the Czech Republic. There was an excellent turnout for this trip of old members, new members, and guests. All-in-all this was BPS at its best and most fun, one of the best trips of the year.
The Red Mountain road cut rocks were formed million of years ago when North America was covered by a shallow sea. Fossils from the Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian, and Mississippian ages are found at this site. Members found a good selection of fossils, including numerous brachiapods, the pygidium of a Llandovacaste birminghamensis trilobite (used in the BPS logo), graptolites, unidentified plant stems, gastropods, a number of trace fossils, and even some nice samples of calcite and dolomite.
Edited by Vicki Lais
(Photos courtesy Steve Corvin, Chris Lais, and Vicki Lais)
Jun gives a safety lecture regarding dangerous aspects of the cut and walkways to the group.
The whole gang (except Chris, behind the camera).
Amazingly, though Red Mountain Museum has been closed for several years, a number of the signs are still in place, though covered by kudzu and other vines.
There is a lot of rubble against the fence, most filled with bits of fossil material.
Lamb pointing out part of a fossilized patch reef system formed by a bush-like algae . . .
. . . as members listen intently, and start being able to identify various shading in the rocks that denote shells, layer transitions, faults, and other items of geologic interest.
Claire and Melanie searching through a large rubble pile.
Pam and others choose a leisurely way to collect!
Lamb points out volcanic ash (bentonite) from volcanoes which were active in the area approximately 445 million years ago.
Bill with his "rock flipping tool".
A frequent event of the day - Jun, what's this?
Walking along the road cut.
Jun trying to hide after his attempt to put a 15 pound rock in Vicki's fanny pack (while she was wearing it!).
Melanie and Steven examine each rock carefully.
Time to relax with the Birmingham skyline in the background.
Leisa's fossil finds.
If we had given a prize for the people who traveled furtherest to attend the field trip, it would have to go to Sylvie's parents, who came all the way from the Czech Republic. Well, perhaps they really came to visit their new grandson, Eli, but we certainly were glad to have them!
James.... are you SURE we need to climb all the way up there???
A mystery rock. Apparently, one just like it was brought to McWane Center. This one wasn't here in the past, and doesn't appear to have fallen from the top. Anyone know about this rock? Is it a marker of some kind, a hoax?? Send us an email if you can shed light on this mystery.
Page 1 - General trip photos (this page)
Page 2 - Fossils and minerals