View of the gully. These gullies are huge!
cephalopod
July 31, 2010 - Cretaceous Fossils, Dallas and Perry Co, AL
BPS members defied the extreme heat and went to south Alabama to assist in collecting fossils and close down the dig site until the weather cools off some. A number of mosasaur bones were found, and a mosasaur jaw still containing a tooth. Other fossils found included shark teeth, shark vertebra, various varieties of fish, turtle bone, and enchodus jaw and teeth. The thermometer read 110 degrees, so after lunch under a covered pavilion, we headed to a nearby creek to cool down. The creek yielded numerous shark teeth, brachiopods, and a few cephalopod pieces.
Headed to the dig site, to remove the tarps and frame, and stabilize the excavation.
shark tooth
Shark tooth
Watching James excavate part of a mosasaur.
The gang showed up in spite of the 110 degree heat!
Digging out a mosasaur vertebra
cephalopod
Piece of a cephalopod
Gully view
mosasaur vertebra
Mosasaur vertebra
The thermometer read 110 degrees in the gully.
mosasaur jawbone
Mosasaur jaw bone with tooth sockets
Searching for fossils in the gully.
mosasaur
Mosasaur vertebra
mosasaur
Mosasaur jawbone
Unusual vine in creek
Shark teeth and gastropod
Prairie flower
Creek
Bob and James haul out the tarps that were protecting the dig site and providing shade.
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February 27, 2010 - Mississippian Fossils, Colbert and Franklin Co, AL
There must have been a lot of people concerned about the weather report, which predicted snow and ice in North Alabama. Only 5 of us showed up, but what a wonderful day it turned out to be. It stayed cold in Birmingham, but the weather at the collecting sites warmed up to the 50's, and Don remarked we better tell the field trip planner thanks for picking such a great day! The smaller number of people meant we could stay at each location longer, and it really paid off. We found numerous crinoid stems, several varieties of blastoids, part of a straight cephalopod, brachiopods of all sizes, trilobites, and lots of horned coral.
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Brachiopod impressions and what appear to be straight cephalopod impressions.
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A mass of brachiopods and what appear to be small straight cephalopods.
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 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.
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!
December 3, 2005 - Lawrence, Franklin and Colbert Co, AL
This month,
BPS members and guests
headed to NW Alabama. When we left Birmingham, the weather
was
mild, though a little overcast. By the time we met, the wind
had
picked up and an icy chill was in the air, and there was a heavy cloud
cover, so several of us donned warmer clothing. As we left,
the
drizzle began. Oh, no, it never rains on BPS trips, this
can't
be! Sure enough, by the time we arrived at the first stop,
the
rain had stopped, and we were getting patches of sunshine. We
toured the "coral field", spotting numerous pieces of rugosa coral, and
Lea got a good workout hauling a huge specimen to her car!
BPS members and guests
headed to NW Alabama. When we left Birmingham, the weather
was
mild, though a little overcast. By the time we met, the wind
had
picked up and an icy chill was in the air, and there was a heavy cloud
cover, so several of us donned warmer clothing. As we left,
the
drizzle began. Oh, no, it never rains on BPS trips, this
can't
be! Sure enough, by the time we arrived at the first stop,
the
rain had stopped, and we were getting patches of sunshine. We
toured the "coral field", spotting numerous pieces of rugosa coral, and
Lea got a good workout hauling a huge specimen to her car!
Back in the car headed to site #2, and it began raining
again.
Darn! As the drizzle quits, someone suggests a side trip to
the
lake, to check the water level, and much to our delight, it was way
down, so we added an unexpected new stop, where everyone found a number
of crinoid stems, blastoids, archimedes, an unknown trace fossil, and
horned coral. One comment was "How many days do we get to
spend
here?". The weather got warmer, and became very
pleasant,
even without coats (a real thrill to those of us who remember many
collecting trips tolerating the icy cold wind that normally whips
around the point most of the winter). In keeping with our
international flavor, two guests from Japan (who have only been in the
US since July) joined us for their first ever-fossil trip. We
may
have spoiled them. NO you DON'T find fossils on every spot of
ground in Alabama!
Then, when Greg was able to tear us away from the lake, on to
the next
location, site #3, a popular road cut in Colbert County, where nice
blastoids, archimedes, and straight cephalopods were found.
Also,
an outstanding question was answered. On our August 2005
field
trip, an odd, lightweight, heart shaped disk was found in Montgomery
County that we couldn't identify. On one of Vicki's side
excursions today, she found part of a vertebra column, probably of a
deer, and several of the heart-shaped cartilage discs were found in
place. Now we know - not a fossil, but very
interesting.
The 4th stop had a few specimens, but not enough to linger.
At that point, part of the group went to an additional site,
where
there were nice fossils, mostly still in matrix. This site
contains metallic, cubic mineral specimens that have not yet been
positively identified. They look similar to pyrite, but are
the
wrong shape and color. They are small, about 1/4 inch, cubic,
shiny reddish-gold copper colored, and heavy for their size.
The
square sides aren't exactly straight, since they have a dip in the
middle. They could possibly be limonite after pyrite.
After that, the entire group met up again, and headed to an
off-the-beaten-path steak house in the middle of nowhere to wind down
for the evening and enjoy each other's good company before starting the
long trip back home.
(photos courtesy Lea Martin and
Vicki Lais)
The first
stop produced very large specimens of rugose coral, most too
large to carry.
Leisa, our
Pres, and new members Hitoshi and Yakari on their first
fossil trip... Welcome to Alabama!
Paige just
needs her picture taken since she is so
photogenic.
What a nice specimen of coral she's found!
Jan and Greg
searching for loose corals.
One of the
nicest specimens.
Uh....
Paige..... I don't think it will fit in your box......
Lea Novak has
lugged this large coral to her car.
On to site #2 -
Most of the
rocks on this lakeshore are filled with small
fossils. Most plentiful are crinoids, blastoids, archimedes,
and
horned corals.
Leisa showing
our newest members fossil specimens on the rocks.
Greg has
found a nice slab to show how plentiful fossils are in this
area.
Every rock
here is covered with fossils. So why
search?
Some rocks have weathered more than others, and the fossils are in nice
relief. Some have more "perfect" examples, some have more of
the
"pretty" fossils, or displayed a larger variety.
Melanie has found a nice.... well....umm.... trace fossil??
Look
carefully in the middle of the photograph to see a blastoid.
Closer view
of blastoids.
Hi, Claire!
Hard
to see, but this boulder is covered with very tiny crinoids,
probably a breeding area.
Stop #3 is a roadcut -
Blastoids,
horned coral, and archimedes were found in this area.
A few straight cephalopods were also
found.
Some fairly
worn specimens of horned coral.
Another
mystery solved. A heart shaped item had been found on
our
Montgomery trip, but no one knew what it was. Several of them
were found in place today - in a deer spine. They are the
discs
between vertebra.
Stop #4 - another wash in a
roadcut.
Very little was found at this location, but we had fun looking!
While most of the group headed for
the local
watering hole, 3 members proceeded on to stop #5:
A beautiful
layer of bivalves is now exposed. Impossible to
collect without damaging the specimens, so we collected only photos.
Tiny
cubes of pyrite?
A closer view
after cleaning. They are heavy, and may be
pyrite. Possibly limonite after pyrite.
November 2, 2005 - Cretaceous Fossils, Sumter Co, AL
BPS
members went down to the Tombigbee in search
of specimens from the marl limestone sequences in the
Arcola Limestone
Member (Late Cretaceous Campanian 83-74 mya).
Steve
and Bobby
furnished the boats. BPS
members
climbed aboard and we headed off down the river.
This
is one of our favorite spots so anticipation was high.
Once arrived, we headed off in different
directions, some going down to the far end of the beach in hopes of
finding a
large ammonite like the one found last trip.
The water was very low on this trip,
exposing
areas we had never collected. Another mosasaur bone, probably
from our “pet”
Mosasaur,
“Bigbee” was unearthed, much to our pleasure. Numerous
pieces of carboniferous wood were
found, also worm tubes, gastropods and a very nice portion of a turtle,
which was jacketed for prep work back home.
Several
shark teeth, straight cephalopod
segments, and some fish teeth were
also found.
We had very pleasant weather, and,
after a full
day of
collecting, some wanted to settle in for some food and conversation
while
another part of the group decided to head down the river to a marcasite
collecting area . Some
very nice
crystalline calcite specimens were found, in addition to the large
quantity of marcasite.
Much to our delight, it turns out that we had a marcasite
specialist
amongst us who gave us an impromptu lecture on marcasite
characteristics. This
inspired discussion
of the possibility
of forming a coprolite committee.
Any
volunteers? Anybody
want to explain to
the general public exactly what coprolite IS? Or was.
As it was getting too dark to see, it
was decided
that food
and conversation seemed like a pretty good idea at this point, so we caught up with the others
and finished off
the day in great style.
Great trip,
great
weather, great group, great food.
--Edited by Vicki Lais
(Photos
courtesy Anca Croitoru, Lea Novack, and Vicki Lais)
Reconnaissance
session covering the geology of the area and sample
specimens.
This is an
excellent specimen of a fish jaw that Greg found on a
previous trip.
Gastropods
and straight cephalopods found on
prior trips.
Lining
up the boats.
On
the way again. . . .
Rocky bluffs composed of Arcola Limestone. Very fossiliferous.
More views of
the river.
Large piece
of shell and exogira.
Miscellaneous
shells and straight cephalopods.
Numerous
shell pieces in the limestone.
Anca
beginning her search.
Loni found a
nice turtle specimen, and asked that Greg and Leisa
excavate the bones.
Excavation
has begun. . . .
A closer look
at the turtle parts.
Part of the
turtle.
Turtle
after preparation. Click image for a different view.
Anca is
closely examining the limestone. She found a fish tooth
in this area.
Another site further down the river where we collected marcasite.
Michael with
some nice marcasite specimens. We discovered he
is a
marcasite specialist, and some of us discussed the need for a Coprolite
Committee.
Claire also
found a fantastic specimen of calcite, about the size of a
fist.
View
of the river.
We ended the
day with more good conversation at a restaurant near the
collecting site. Another "way out in the boonies" place with
no
advertising; if you don't know where it is, you probably won't even
find it by accident.
April 23, 2005 - Cretaceous Fossils, Sumter Co, AL
Another
wonderful day on the river! Weather forecast called
for a
cold front to come in, but we were far enough south to enjoy very nice
weather. The river had risen 10-15 feet since the scouting
crew
checked it out the previous week, and much of our collecting area was
under water. The collection area is in the marl limestone
sequences in the
Arcola Limestone
Member (Late Cretaceous Campanian 83-74 mya). We were hoping to find
more of "our" mosasaur, whom we have named "Bigbee", and we actually
did find one piece, another vertebra, in situ. Much of the
collecting area had been scoured by the water and
wave action. A few other pieces of mosasaur bone were found,
including
one vertebra, but not in the same area as the ones from the last trip,
so there
is no way to be certain they are from the same animal.
Numerous
steinkerns (internal molds) of gastropods (snails), bryzoan (look like
a bunch of worm tubes stuck together), brachiopod, pelecypod, straight
cephalopods, and ammonites were found, also some carbonized fossil wood.
wonderful day on the river! Weather forecast called
for a
cold front to come in, but we were far enough south to enjoy very nice
weather. The river had risen 10-15 feet since the scouting
crew
checked it out the previous week, and much of our collecting area was
under water. The collection area is in the marl limestone
sequences in the
Arcola Limestone
Member (Late Cretaceous Campanian 83-74 mya). We were hoping to find
more of "our" mosasaur, whom we have named "Bigbee", and we actually
did find one piece, another vertebra, in situ. Much of the
collecting area had been scoured by the water and
wave action. A few other pieces of mosasaur bone were found,
including
one vertebra, but not in the same area as the ones from the last trip,
so there
is no way to be certain they are from the same animal.
Numerous
steinkerns (internal molds) of gastropods (snails), bryzoan (look like
a bunch of worm tubes stuck together), brachiopod, pelecypod, straight
cephalopods, and ammonites were found, also some carbonized fossil wood.
Steve was spotted tooling around in the boat, looking as if
he planned
to go way down to a place that was difficult to walk to, so Vicki stuck
out her thumb and she and Paige hitched a ride. A very
exciting
time getting into that boat from a cliff face! Claire decided
not
to try the boat trick, but decided to risk walking along the steep
bluff. We got there about the same time, and of course were looking for
"great treasures". Vicki spotted something that looked "odd"
pretty quickly, and it turned out to be part of a large ammonite
embedded in a huge boulder that everyone had walked past. We
all
started hunting around that area, but didn't find the other
half.
Further down, Steve stuck his hammer up under a rock before putting his
hand there to check for fossils. Good thing he did, because a
cottonmouth attacked the hammer! After moving away from the
snake, we heard Claire squeal. She had found another large
ammonite near where the first one was found, and it was almost
complete. Steve just shook his head, and declared he would
never
pick up hitch-hikers again!
A small group took off on a scouting expedition after the
trip was
officially over. They found a nice shelf area with numerous
fossils which were very fragile and easily breakable. So,
we'll just enjoy the pictures! Found a number of very nice
ammonites, a few shells, and pieces of fossil wood.
A big THANK YOU goes to Captain Gilbert and Captain Steve for
the use
of their boats!
(pictures
courtesy Lea Martin,
Claire Smith,
and Vicki
Lais.)
Hanging out
waiting for everyone to arrive.
Paige, Leisa,
Gilbert, Carl & Vicki popping out the small
gastropods
and straight cephalopods.
Claire is
just getting started.
Mosasaur
vertebra found by Vicki, quite a distance from the others that
were found on the last trip.
Leisa
excavating around a fragile fossil.
And the nice
gastropod she collected.
The chalky
shoreline. (Paige isn't tired, just getting a
closer
look!)
Steve's
attention has just been diverted as someone stopped to talk . .
.
Close-up of
some of Steve's finds, mostly gastropods. There
is
also a nice mosasaur bone in that box.
Tiny
nautiloid found by Steve.
Several
Exogira were found.
Some of Lea's
finds.
Some of
Paige's finds.
Gilbert has
found another one (what, I don't know!)
Nice
gastropod and the impression it left in the chalk, found by either
Lea or Paige.
Nice partial
ammonite in place. It really blends in with the
boulder quite well. Several people passed by without spotting
it,
leaving it for Vicki to find!
Same ammonite
after excavation. This is the bottom that was
protected from weathering.
Paige holding
an ammonite found by Claire.
Carl showing
off his favorite finds.
Captain Steve
and Captain Gilbert. Thanks, guys!
Gilbert found
some fossil carbonized wood and a mass of what is either
worm tubes or bryozoans.
Another nice
gastropod and image it left in the chalk.
Shells
embedded in the chalk.
Carl & Leisa, tuckered out after a long day.
Steve's
finds, all cleaned up and protective coating applied.
Nice
Ammonite found by Claire (after cleaning)
Another
view of the ammonite.
A limestone shelf filled with fossils found
in the late evening. Nice to look at, but the
fossils
were too fragile to collect. Below is our "picture
collection".
Nice ammonite.
A limb of
carbonized wood.
Another nice
ammonite.