burrow

A
very large group of 31 people showed up for the July BPS
trip to Greene
county. Thanks to James Lamb, our trip leader this time, we
visited some Cretaceous sites that we have not visited for at least 10
years, so we were all pretty excited. The first site was a
chalk gully which has produced nice mosasaur
bones in years past. James Lamb gave a short training
session
on how to collect in chalk gullies, how to walk around in them (slowly
and gently), how to collect (when you find something, look up-hill to
see if there are more), and other collecting tips.
There are
numerous pieces of what looks like rubble scattered throughout a gully
- each piece of "rubble" is actually part of a fossil, though most of
them are unrecognizable without close examination, sometimes under a
microscope. James Lamb checked some areas where fossils had
been
found in the past, and discovered another bone, which was flagged so
that it could be retrieved on the way out. Bob found a bone
which
turned out to be part of a turtle. Also, we found a wide
variety
of other fossils, including another mosasaur vertebra, a couple of
mosasaur
teeth, Tylosaurus flipper bone, several shark teeth, including a large
one found by
Sylvie. Ammonite pieces, worm tubes, burrows, a tiny fish
tooth,
a fish vertebra, and oyster shells were also found.
One
member asked James to go check some bones she had flagged; he
discovered they were bones of a recent rabbit, and as he was
approaching her to return the flag, he asked "Are you keeping that
mosasaur vertebra there by your foot?" Well . . . She would've had she
seen it first! Many fossils are light colored and blend in
well
with the environment. It takes time to adjust ones eyes to be
able to spot them. We also
discovered some fresher fish bones, leading to the conclusion that the
birds who regularly raid the catfish farms have been using the gulley
as their dining hall. Though we were hot and dripping wet, we
were willing to stay longer, wondering what was in the next gully, and
the next, and . . .

After
rounding up the gang (which is a minor miracle in itself!), we hiked
back
to our vehicles for lunches, then headed for the
creek.
Finally, time to get wet and cool off! Out with the sieves,
from
collander baskets to "real" geology sorters, to home made wood-sided
screens. At least a dozen ptychodus teeth turned
up - Claire may be the "winner" on these, she had found 6 at last
count. Every screen we searched
had several shark teeth, and other fossils were also
found, including a large fish vertebra, gastropod steinkerns
(internal molds), worm tubes, and one very nice arrowhead. We
left relatively early (hey, some of us would have stayed til dark if we
could have!), and many of us stopped by a famous BBQ joint to continue
the fun and fossil discussion.

--Edited by Vicki Lais

(photos courtesy Bob Stewart,
Steve Corvin and Vicki Lais)

James Lamb gives a refresher talk on rules about collecting at museum sites,
BPS ethics, and landowner restrictions.

Typical Greene
County, Alabama chalk gully.

James Lamb explaining gully collection techniques.

Even
the younger members had fun.

Flipper
bone of a Tylosaurus found by James Lamb.

Many
"pieces" are scattered throughtout the gully, and according to James Lamb, they are all fossils.

Small
piece of turtle shell found by Bob.

Some
typical fossils found in chalk gullies - one finds hundreds of worm
tubes, and only a few shark teeth.

Shark
teeth are "normal" to find in gullies, but Sylvie found one whose
size is truly spectacular for these gullies!

Large
ammonite section found by Vicki.

Mosasaur
vertebra found by James Lamb (right beside Vicki's foot, darn it!)

Fish
vertebra.

Nice
mosasaur tooth.

Another
piece of ammonite.

Small
mosasaur vertebra found by Leisa as we were leaving the gullies
"Everybody just stepped right over it or passed it by without noticing".

After
lunch we headed to the creek to screen for teeth and whatever else we
might find.

One
of the many ptychodus teeth found in the creek.

Typical
finds after washing the sand/mud from the gravel - notice the shark
teeth and the piece of bone.

Another
load of "pay dirt" - fish vertebra, shark teeth, ptychodus
tooth.

Closer
shot of the fish vertebra.

Nice
internal mold of a gastropod.

A
laid back group, keeping cool, having fun. There were various
groupings of people all along the creek - some went upstream, some went
downstream. James Lamb is collecting material to be used in an
upcoming exhibit at McWane Science Center.

How
many shark teeth can you see in this picture?

Sample
of teeth found by Bob.

Wesley
found a very nice point.

Headed
home after a wonderfully pleasant day of collecting!