08-07-vl-1700-gully
This is the first of several gullies we surveyed. Note the numerous dark rocks in the foreground. These are rounded pieces of marcasite/ fools gold. They littered the ground throughout this gully.
Late Cretaceous
08-07-vl-1763-gully
Entrance to a large gully. As we were working our way around the bushes and ledges, we heard Claire start screaming, and apparently jumping up and down. As several of us rushed over to see if she had spotted a snake, we realized it was something much better than that.
08-07-vl-1799-gully
We hiked all the way across this large gully fairly quickly. On the way back, several nice finds were made. Each one takes quite a bit of time to excavate properly, and James Lamb jokingly told us to quit looking down!
08-07-vl-1725-coprolite-echinoid
Shark coprolite and a tiny echinoid plate, very rare for this area.
08-07-vl-1778-gully
The vastness of the gully makes one feel quite small. The gullies were extensive. We searched as much as we could, and felt as if we had barely started.
08-07-vl-1768-mosasaur
Claire has found a Clidases mosasaur jaw, including several teeth, literally laying on the surface of the gully, in eyesight of where we parked our cars.
May 31, 2008 - Late Cretaceous Fossils, Dallas County, AL
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
08-05-vl-fossils-claire-453
Claire emptied out her bag to show some of the fossils she found.
