turritella

Some Hardy Souls headed down to Butler County, Alabama with an overnight campout in mind. Great weather, hot, dry, made getting to the site a breeze. The Hardy Souls set up camp and settled into our tents, anticipating a great day of hunting. We fell asleep serenaded by the sweet sounds of coyotes howling. Around midnight, more strange noises began and we finally identified it as the pitter patter then deluge of a midnight rain, as Vicki frantically climbed out to put things under shelter. Claire slept peacefully through the whole thing. We stayed nice and dry but the chalk road didn't. This brought some reshuffling of cars and drivers to meet the rest of the gang up at the filling station.

It was an international gang this time, with 5 members from the Czech Republic, 3 exchange students from Sweden, one long-term member from Armenia and a couple all the way from exotic LA (Lower Alabama), along with the local members. We have had several debates as to whether we need to change our name to Birmingham International Paleontological Society, or Birmingham Paleontological Society, Internationale!

It was so gorgeous when we all got down there that people were sitting out in beach chairs and enjoying what could have easily passed for the Gulf coast's white, sandy beaches. Some folks got into the swim - literally - as one of those privileges of living in a tropical climate on Oct 1 in Alabama. A variety of fossils were found, including nautiloids, tiny gastropods, shark teeth and coquina stone filled with various shells including turritella. We also found a good amount of pottery shards, some other artifacts and a deer skull (recent, but included to show what the teeth look like). Several comments were made regarding the beach, on the order of "it didn't really matter whether we found fossils or not, this was a great place to hang out"!

The deer skull has a backstory. While wandering off for a solitary hike up the creek, Vicki managed to get herself thoroughly lost. In the dark. Forgot that trail-laying stuff from Girl Scouts, right Vicki? Well, it turned out well in the end, when Vicki took off and finally found the road, as well as gaining some nifty scratches. Things improved the next morning after Claire and Lea got out the weedeaters and cut a beautiful path down to the creek. Kudos, Kids! And Vicki is going to do a refresher course if she can find her old Girl Scout Handbook.

After a very full day, most of the group repaired to the campsite for a wine-tasting, while others continued the hunt. (It's not dark yet, right?) After forcing themselves to get up and moving again, most of the group headed back to home and reality. Claire, Lea, Paige, and Vicki camped another night, and enjoyed the peace of the creek for another day.

 

--Edited by Vicki Lais

(Photos courtesy Lea Martin, Jan Novak, and Vicki Lais)

Leisa thoughtfully provided our 3 Swedish exchange students with everything they needed to enjoy the day's trip.

Due to rain the previous night, we left the cars at the entrance and loaded all our gear in Greg's truck.

Scouting the parking area, which was newly bulldozed.

Some of the group on the long hike down.

 

Along the final stretch to the creek, members stop to check the limestone outcrops for nautiloids and gastropods.

 

Finally, the path to the creek, which is just over that ridge. There was no path here the day before, which is how Vicki got lost. A huge thanks to Lea and Claire for cutting all the underbrush for us!

Sun and sand - on with the sunscreen!

Sylvie and Michael screening for shark teeth.

 

 

The layers of years of flooding are clearly shown in this high bank.

Loni's granddaughter has found a treasure, but they are new bones, not fossil.

The Novacks starting a long trip way up the creek.

Two of our newest members from Mobile, Becky and Keith. Keith is holding a nice shark tooth that was found in the shell filled bank shown below.

 

 

Lea examining one of her finds.

Screening for shark teeth.

Leisa has found a nice bone artifact, and some cochina stone.

Closer view of the cochina. This stone is filled with fossil shells, including turritella, and is widely found in Florida, where it is cut into blocks and used as a building material.

Beautiful weather, temperature in the 90's (in October????), and we certainly took advantage of it!

Paige keeping cool while screening for shark teeth.

South Alabama is a beautiful place, and our fossil hobby gives us wonderful opportunities to see such treasures as this fern bank.

South Alabama is also known for the Spanish Moss hanging from many of the trees. It was used as packing material many years ago.

Many times fossil worm trails (trace fossils) are found in sandstone and shale material. Here is the modern day equivalent.

James has found a vertebra, but it is recent.

Many sandstones and shales show wave patterns, captured here in modern day sand.

Nice deer skull found in the creek. Claire is now the proud owner.

"What kind of teeth are these?" is a frequent question. This should aid in identifying deer teeth.

This area was covered with larger rocky material, and yielded many pottery shards, but few fossils.

We weren't alone on the creek, these may be tracks of the coyotes we heard "singing" during the night.

Vicki's collection.

Paige collected quite a few shark teeth.

Hanging out at the campsite, late afternoon. We also collected small gastropod specimens in this area.

Discussing our finds for the day; hanging out and enjoying each others company.

This month BPS members headed to Monroe County in South Alabama, where we collected in the Lisbon Formation and Gosport Sand. Steve and Gilbert took their boats, so we spent the day scouting several miles along the riverbanks. Due to rain earlier in the week, the water level had risen 6-8 feet since the scouting trip, so the ledges were mostly underwater, and our collecting was restricted to the upper reaches. Numerous gastropods, turritella and trace fossils that appear to be burrows of some kind were found, also a few shark teeth, echinoids, and even a piece of permineralized wood were found. Some of the bivalves were complete and hardened. Many of the turritella and other shells found in the Gosport Sand were so fragile that it took careful digging to keep the shells from dissolving as they were touched. When broken open, a number of the "burrows" had shells inside them. Wildlife was also spotted, including an alligator and alligator tracks, numerous herons, and Steve spotted the largest water moccasin he had ever seen in his many years in the outdoors, startled him so much he threw his fossils in the river beating a path back to the boat! Sorry 'bout that, Steve!

Members participating in this long trip were Greg, Jan, Steve, Leisa, Gilbert, Carolyn, Vicki, Nancy and Miss Daisy.

(Photos courtesy Nancy Kenfield, Steve Corvin, and Vicki Lais)

Along the shoreline.

Greg and Steve, getting ready to check out this landing.

Shells in matrix. Sand is wet, and shells will disintegrate at the slightest touch. Careful excavation is essential.

At slightly higher elevations, the shells are dry and hard. Leisa found these.

A representative sampling of shells in this locality.

Shell impressions.

Shell layers in the bank.

Turritella found by Steve.

Sand dollar found by Steve.

Nice collection of sand dollars found by Steve.

Large boulders, appearing to be trace fossils, perhaps burrows.

Many of the burrows had shells inside.

Tooth found by Steve.

Gilbert after a long hard day on the river.

A view of the bluffs, mostly grown over now.

End of another great collecting day!

On the way down, some of us apparently took a wrong fork in the road.... that sign was deceiving.

And we entered into a strange land, populated by the most bizzare critters! (Forkland??)

For scale, note that Vicki is hugging the tin man's leg. Both the ship and car (above) are REAL.

Alabama countryside near Forkland.