BPS members listening to lecture on mining operations in the area.
Visitor
Carboniferous
07_08_cl_cool458
Keeping cool in the heat.
August 25, 2007 - Pennsylvanian Fossils, Tuscaloosa Co, AL
A 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.
After cooling off at a Mexican restaurant, we ended the day at the Museum of Natural History at Tuscaloosa with a visit to their superb collections.
(photos courtesy Chris and Vicki Lais)
Vast expanse of spoil piles, discarded rubble from the mining operation.
Collecting fossils in spoil piles.
Tailings piles from the mines, brought from hundreds of feet underground.
Fossils: fern
Fern
More black rock, empty landscape at the collecting site.
Fossils: Lepidodendron, Fossils: sigillaria, Fossils: stigmaria
Miscellaneous fossils found by Leisa.
Fossils: sigillaria
Appears to be sigillaria
Fossils: stigmaria
Stigmaria, the root system of a lycopod such as Lepidodendron or Sigillaria.
Fossils: Lepidodendron
Lepidodendron, a type of lycopod.
Fossils: Lepidodendron
Lepidodendron, a type of lycopod.
Fossils: stigmaria
Stigmaria, the root system of a lycopod such as Lepidodendron or Sigillaria.
Fossils: Lepidodendron
Lepidodendron, a type of lycopod.
Becky got dirty - real dirty!
Fossils: stigmaria
Stigmaria, the root system of a lycopod such as Lepidodendron or Sigillaria.
Fossils: stigmaria
Stigmaria, the root system of a lycopod such as Lepidodendron or Sigillaria.
Fossils: sigillaria
Nice sample of Sigillaria
Fossils: stigmaria
Stigmaria, the root system of a lycopod such as Lepidodendron or Sigillaria.
Fossils: sigillaria
Sigillaria
Fossils: sigillaria
Sigillaria
Fossils: sigillaria
Sigillaria
Fossils: sigillaria
Appears to be sigillaria
Fossils: lycopod
Probably a type of lycopod
Pam heading back with a bucket of fossils.
Lepidodendron, a type of lycopod.
Stigmaria, the root system of a lycopod such as Lepidodendron or Sigillaria.
Fossils: Lepidodendron
Lepidodendron, a type of lycopod.
Fossils: Lepidodendron
Lepidodendron
Fossils: Lepidodendron
Lepidodendron
Keeping cool in the heat.
Looking at fossils outside museum.
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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!
October 28, 2006 - Mississippian Fossils, Blount Co, AL
A trip to Blount County gave BPS a chance to visit "crinoid stem central!" While out on a service call, Greg had the good fortune to meet a lady who had just seen him on TV the night before, talking about the Homewood Library fossil exhibit. She and her next door neighbor turned out to be real fossil enthusiasts. BPS members were invited to meet at her home to see samples of crinoids and trilobites we would be collecting, and go to the first site, which was nearby. Another attraction was the butterfly population. Her garden is full of Monarch-friendly plants. Monarch chrysalis were everywhere, and we watched two recently emerged butterflies drying and stretching their new wings before taking flight. Breathtaking! What a wonderful opportunity to see these gorgeous creatures and to find so many excellent fossils.
After the butterfly viewing, we then convoyed to a quarry of Mississippian age Fort Payne chert where we had permission to hunt the whole day! Doesn't get much better than this, and the weather was absolutely perfect! Along with more large crinoid stems, several kinds of coral, brachiopods and a few trilobite pieces were found. Quite a few of us found beautiful geodes and concluded that this is just about as exciting as the fossils. They certainly are gorgeous souvenirs.
Later in the afternoon, a few of us sneaked off to one of Greg's barbecue spots and chowed down on some excellent vittles while our more dedicated crew-members devoted themselves to the task at hand. Well, you can't have everything. Sometimes a blackberry cobbler just has your name on it.
--Edited by Vicki Lais
(pictures courtesy Bill Fowler and Vicki Lais)
Our first stop of the day, where we found Monarch chrysalis on numerous surfaces, including plants and house siding. This chrysalis has turned clear, and you can see the butterfly inside. There were several newly emerged Monarch butterflies slowly pumping their wings, waiting for them to harden (that's what everyone's staring at on the porch.)
We had a great turnout and beautiful weather; here we pose for a group picture before setting off on our day's adventure.
The first fossil stop, a gravel road paved with chert from the Mississippian age. Almost all the rocks have crinoid stems or impressions in them.
Examining recent finds.
Samples of fossils found today.
On to the next stop at a nearby quarry which was large, hilly and had multiple collecting areas. Everyone scattered in different directions to collect, so it was difficult to get closeups of people and their finds during the day.
Crinoid stems in matrix.
Crinoid stems.
Crinoid stems. Click picture for closer view.
Horned coral found by Bill.
Clockwise, from upper left - unknown (possible stromatolite), possible burrow, part of a trilobite and shell, bryozoan.
Small trilobite found by Bill, magnified.
Large trilobite found by Bill. This is what we came for, he must have found their secret hiding place!
Coral.
Part of a trilobite.
Crinoid encrusted rock.
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
March 18, 2006 - Mississippian Fossils, St. Clair Co, AL
BPS members collected in St. Clair county, Alabama this month. The weather started out a little chilly, but turned into a perfect, pleasant day. The first stop was a Mississippian age road cut, where geologic uplift is obvious. There we found several varieties of coral, including quite a few large horned coral, brachiopods, and sponges in layers of the Tuscumbia Limestone. The Ft. Payne chert contained numerous hollow molds left by archimedes and crinoids. After we had decided to stop collecting (let's see, Leisa decided this how many times???) and were winding up to go to the the next site, Michael split open a rock and found a trilobite. Well, we had been looking for the correct layer for several hours with no luck, so this set off another search for the "correct" rocks in the "correct" layer, and everyone began splitting rocks, hoping for a nice trilobite. A local landowner stopped by to ask what we were doing, and once he found out, offered to let us drive across his property to an old quarry and check it out. We already had a second quarry site in mind where local people fish, however, both quarries turned out to be overgrown, with large boulders, and in a very quick assessment, we found no fossils. All was not lost - the ride to the quarries was quite exciting, and we enjoyed the scouting trips and being out in the woods on such a glorious day. Good memories of time spent with friends.
Edited by Vicki Lais
(photos courtesy Steve Corvin and Vicki Lais)
Greg is explaining how to spot the fossils.
Look closely in the rocks and several horned corals and broken pieces can be spotted. They blend in well.
Michael has found a couple of items we believe to be sponges.
More rocky area, with numerous fossils waiting to be collected.
Another view of the ground littered with broken and whole fossils.
Steve is heading to the top, to see if there are different fossils up there. Or, maybe he just likes to climb!
Some interesting fossil material found by Steve.
Note the nice brachiopods.
Claire has found a nice coral head.
More nice finds by Claire.
Another nice specimen, probably coral, found by Vicki.
Michael and Sylvie showing off their coral and sponges.
Note the nice shell on the upper rock in the middle. When the fossils are the same color as the matrix, they are difficult to spot.
Crinoids have left impressions on these rocks. A different area from where the coral is found.
Greg and Michael searching for the trilobite layer.
Leisa has found some nice horned coral.
A closer look at Leisa's finds.
After diligent searching, Michael found the trilobite layer!
Greg has found part of a trilobite - the black coloration at top of rock. The larger oval is the head, the smaller one is an eye.
A close view of a trilobite.
We briefly scouted this quarry and found some interesting structures and fish, but no fossils.
July 31, 2005 - Pennsylvanian Fossils, Walker Co, AL
BPS members visited a new site this month in Walker county. A starfish had been discovered on the scouting trip, so the group was hoping to find more specimens. This roadcut exposed Pennsylvanian shale which contained a small amount of plant material, including impressions and casts, and a layer containing several nice slabs of starfish casts, vertebrate tracks, and fish fin markings. The starfish are a type of echinoderm, and are in the class Asteroidea. We surveyed a large portion of the cut, but only found the starfish in one small area.
One of the more interesting finds of the day was a young kitten, living in a cave in the wall. It had apparently not eaten in quite a while, as it was nothing but a pile of bones. Several members fed her, and this friendly, loving little kitten now has a good home with Jan and Greg.
(Pictures courtesy Steve Corvin and Vicki Lais.)
Looking over the site, trying to decide where to start.
Calamites rhizome (root) showing distinctive round structures that "could" become new shoots.
Calamites stem section - this is the part that would have been above ground, and looks similar to today's bamboo.
Steve found this shale slab containing 2 very clear starfish on the scouting trip.
A closer look.
Lea digging through the rubble.
Calamites - an impression and an inside mold.
Lea found a slab with a nice starfish cast.
A closer look at Lea's starfish.
Possible raindrops and other trace fossils. Many of the fossil finds at this site were impressions on boulders too large to carry home.
These are impressions of lepidodendrum and calamites.
Bill found this slab of shale with several starfish impressions. He graciously allowed Greg to break it apart and shared it with other members.
A closer view of the slab. There are at least 6 starfish on this slab. 
Bill found the large slab containing several starfish. This is the piece he kept. Thanks for sharing such a wonderful find, Bill!
A closer view.
More plant impression fragments.
We found this newest member living in a cave in the rocks (the kitten, if you had to ask!), and nothing but skin and bones. We fed her and made a friend for life - Jan and Greg took her home to live with them.