Visitor
echinoid
May 19, 2007 - Cretaceous Fossils, Montgomery Co, AL
Another hot day found the troops begging for a "water field trip" so we could cool off. We had mixed feelings about what we saw when we got there and found that drought conditions had virtually dried up the creek-bed. On the other hand, a good deal more fossils were exposed. This is our favorite spot for collecting echinoids and viewing too-fragile-to-collect ammonites. A few ammonites were retrieved, echinoids, cretaceous wood, worm tubes and a few shark teeth and numerous shells were found, and Becky found a turtle bone. With the exposure of the creek-bed, we could see near-perfect circular holes in the rock where the last bits of the ammonite fossils had washed away over time. In spite of the heat, we all found some nice fossils (or drooled over other people's fossils!), and had a chance to get a good look at the underlying rock formations. Our finds made all participants feel the day was truly worth it, including the largest shark tooth that this group has seen at this site, two very large shark vertebra, an unusual looking pycnodont fish tooth, and what might be a plesiosaur bone. Then off for some dinner at a wonderful BBQ restaurant where all expressed delight with the trip and made our plans for future visits.
--Edited by Vicki Lais
(Pictures courtesy Claire Smith and Vicki Lais)
June 24, 2006 - Cretaceous Fossils, Montgomery and Elmore Co, AL
A relatively small group of BPS members went to a creek in Montgomery County for today's trip - could it be some people were scared off by the thoughts of 95 degree weather in the sweltering sun? To get an idea of our weather, go to your bathroom, turn the shower on the hottest it will go, close the door so steam can build up, turn off the A/C, then take your laptop in there and view our trip photos - you will have a good idea of our day! Leisa brought her canoe, and she and Claire floated/pushed/dragged it upstream and then back down. This late Cretaceous site once again yielded numerous echinoids and ammonites, though most of the ammonites could only be "collected" via photos, due to their fragile composition. We also found huge quantities of shells, a few shark teeth, a couple of mosasaur vertebra, two large vertebra, possibly shark, and pyritized coprolites.
Several people decided to call it a day after getting too hot for comfort. After a refreshing afternoon lunch in an air conditioned restaurant, the die-hards brains began coming up with another potential collecting site in Elmore county. Since we have a canoe, lets go look for petrified wood. Now understand, we had one canoe, one paddle, 3 life jackets and 4 people to go on this escapade. After a quick stop at the local discount store for an additional paddle and PDF, we scouted access points. The put-in we decided on was steep. Really steep. Really really steep. But we finally got it down the several hundred feet to the water, only to find a boat wasn't necessary, the water was low, the shore was easily walkable, and petrified wood was everywhere. So we collected it (ask Jan how much his pack weighed!), took some pictures of a tree that was about 4 feet in diameter, and noticed it was getting darker. And windy. And there was thunder. And lightning. And lots of cold rain (boy, did it feel good!) And we had the canoe at the bottom of a huge hill. But Leisa, resourceful as ever, had a plan; just hook the boat to her van, and pull it out.
(photos courtesy Vicki Lais)
May 21, 2005 - Cretaceous Fossils, Montgomery Co, AL
This month, BPS members headed to Montgomery county to collect in the late Cretaceous. Another beautiful day for being in the woods, and playing in a creek. This year, the creek was down, way down, so moving from shore to shore was much easier than our last trip. A number of nice echinoids and ammonites were found, a variety of shells including gastropods, and a few shark teeth. Most of the ammonites at this site are not collectible due to their fragile nature. Later in the day, members headed south to another creek for more collecting.
A few of the diehards ended up at "The Swamp", a really cool "hamburger joint" on the Alabama river in Selma. The owner is an engineer and designed the building to "float" when the river rises. Normal water level is about 80 feet, and in their 1st year of business it rose to about 120 feet - the restaurant floated!
(Pictures courtesy Dr. Jan Novak and Vicki Lais.)
July 31, 2004 - Monroe Co, AL
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.
June 26, 2004 - Late Cretaceous Fossils, Montgomery Co, AL
FINALLY, WE NEEDED THAT COMPLETE CHANGE OF CLOTHES
(An Account of Unprecedented Creek Crossings)
(An Account of Unprecedented Creek Crossings)
BPS members visited a late Cretaceous site in Montgomery County, Alabama, where we collected primarily echinoids, gastropods, and a few shark teeth. This trip was a real adventure!
A week of daily summer rains and pictures from Friday's site reconnaissance were not enough to daunt those needing a field trip fix. By mid-day Saturday the water had receded enough to give hope to those who had been standing on one bank of the creek and staring longingly at the other bank. There was a spark of hope.
At lunch it was decided that after a trip to a second site that enough time should have passed and the creek could possibly have receded enough to be crossable.
Steve waded the creek with one end of a 60 ft rope in hand. Once tied off on both sides the rope was a sufficient balance for a slow and steady crossing. There were crossers who faced downstream, crossers who faced upstream and those who sidestepped their way across. All present decided to journey to the other side. And by my count - taking the rope and escorting 6 people X two = 22 crossings for Steve.
Flood level water the day before washed out good material for collecting, and yes, we finally needed that change of dry clothes.
--Edited by Vicki Lais
- - "TALES FROM THE PAST" BY JAMES LAMB - -
(Photos by Nancy Kenfield and Vicki Lais)
September 28, 2002 - Montgomery Co, AL
We visited two late Cretaceous sites in Montgomery County, Alabama, where we collected primarily shark teeth and echinoids. A surprise awaited - one site we have visited for years used to have a huge sand pile shaped like a mushroom that was filled with shark teeth. The mushroom is no more, and all that is left is a sandpile. Last we heard, the sand was being used in the zoo. You don't want to know any more than that!
(Photos courtesy Brian Ward.)
July 21, 2001 - Clarke and Washington Co, AL
BPS members went to a Clarke County site where whale fossils have been found in the past, but none were found on this day. We also collected at a privately owned quarry in Washington County, Alabama, where numerous echinoids, sand dollars, and foraminifera were found.
Forams with a sand dollar showing in the matrix.
Numerous sand dollars were found in this quarry.