turtle shell

April 19, 2025 - Cretaceous, Dallas County, Alabama

This month's field trip was to Dallas County, Alabama to a fossil site known as Harrell Station! This University of Alabama owned site is located in the Black Belt region of Alabama where the chalky Late Cretaceous rock layers are exposed in our state. This particular site is an exposure of the Mooreville Chalk, an 82 million year old layer of marine sediment from when half of Alabama was underwater during the Late Cretaceous Period.

We found: 4 species of sharks (Cretoxyrhina- a prehistoric cousin to great white sharks, Cretolamna- the direct ancestor to the Megalodon shark, Squalicorax- a mid to large sized generalist hunter, and Scapanorhynchus- a prehistoric goblin shark), fish teeth (Enchodus- a schooling fish with long sabre teeth, nicknamed "sabre toothed herring" but aren't related to herring), a Mosasaur tooth, a fish scale, lots of shells and invertebrate remains, fossilized driftwood, fossilized fish poop (coprolites), and a small partial sea turtle shell!

Additionally, if you'd like to get a firsthand look at what it is like to hunt this site, one of our members (Dylan Falkner) made a Youtube video on this hunt! Watch it at the link provided:

https://youtu.be/dG9xmdOYZmk?si=6wuyHjrme0q2ZnXY

June 13-14, 2009 - Cretaceous and Tertiary Fossils, Butler Co, AL

This month the group traveled to Butler County, Alabama, to a sandy creek which runs through early Tertiary and late Cretaceous material. The weather was overcast on Saturday, making collecting very pleasant. A number of members camped out for the weekend. Sunday the sun was out, and it made us grateful for the cloud cover on Saturday!

The sandy beaches and gravel areas yielded up shark teeth, ray teeth, some nautiloid sections, and recent mammal material which was sometimes as fasinating as the fossils.

We had quite a few young people on the trip who enjoyed both the fossil collecting and swimming, splashing and running in the shallow creek. There is an area of soft clay, and some enterprising young men fashioned bowls from it.

More about the artifacts found on the trip.

--Photos courtesy Claire Smith and Vicki Lais.

The whole group, except for one young lady who didn't want her picture taken.

Nancy neck deep in a swimming hole.

Picking through the gravel bars hunting for fossils.

Martha screening for shark teeth

ray tooth

Tiny ray tooth

Everyone set up for enjoying this wonderful creek in their own way.

coral

Small piece of fossil coral.

Collecting fossils in the creek.

Is it a fossil?

shark tooth

Shark tooth

gastropods

Several small turritella.

Sitting in the creek is sometimes the most effective and cool way.

gastropod

Some tiny gastropods found on the flat limestone "bald", and an unkown black item with serated edges.

Noah has found a large piece of soft, grey clay and fashioned himself a bowl.

gastropod

This nice gastropod was found at this site several years ago, and was brought to the trip to display.

shark teeth

A handful of mostly shark teeth.

oyster

Fossil oysters

Checking out the latest finds.

Screening for fossils in the shallow creek.

08-08-16-vl-turtle-3090

Part of a large turtle shell (toxochelid turtle plastral element).

March 19, 2005 - Cretaceous Fossils, Greene Co, AL

BPS members and guests met in the parking lot of the rest area for a show and tell session prior to the fossil outing. Weather was fine, but as we got closer to our site, the rain started. After a drizzly start, the weather cleared, and it ended up being a great day. Surface collecting, or digging in one spot in the pea gravel, everyone found numerous shark teeth, several ptychodus teeth, fish vertebra, turtle shell, and a mosasaur vertebra. Another piece of bone found is likely part of a plesiosaur. The trip out on a slick muddy road was almost as exciting as the collecting!

(Photos courtesy Steve Corvin and Vicki Lais.)
gathering for the fossil trip
Getting to know you . . .

examining the show and tell fossils
Checking out the show and tell.

giant fossil trilobites

No, it didn't come from last months Cherokee County trip, dang it!

easter bunny outfit
Even the Easter Bunny came!

BPS members ready to collect fossils
Arrival at the collecting spot (+ Steve, behind the camera!)

fossil shark teeth

Some of Steve's finds.

hunting shark teeth in creek
Bobby and grandson Noah.

hunting shark teeth in creek
Lea and Paige, dilligently searching for more shark teeth. What's in your bucket, Paige?

fossil shark teeth
Some of Paige's finds.

hunting shark teeth in creek
Carl and grandson Daniel, enjoying the day.

hunting shark teeth in creek
Claire, Leisa, and Bill. Notice the variety of "tools" being used.

hunting shark teeth in creek
Ramsey and Sarah came prepared!

hunting shark teeth in creek
Marjorie examining a recent find. What's in your bucket?

fossil shark teth, fish vertebra
Some of Marjorie's finds. Nice fish vertebra.

hunting shark teeth in creek
Len and Daniel, way down the creek.

hunting shark teeth in creek
An untouched stretch of sand and gravel bars, no footprints in sight. All Right!!

fossil mosasaur vertebra and shark tooth
Mosasaur vertebra found by Vicki, this makes 3, one per trip! Nice find!

fossil bone
Bone is about 5 inches long along the longest side, possibly plesiosaur. (Vicki plans to call it a plesiosaur until someone convinces her otherwise!)

screen of fossils
Steve and Steve, with some of their finds.

screen of fossil shark teeth
Closer view of Steve and Steve's finds.

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turtle shell

April 19, 2025 - Cretaceous, Dallas County, Alabama

June 13-14, 2009 - Cretaceous and Tertiary Fossils, Butler Co, AL

08-08-16-vl-turtle-3090

March 19, 2005 - Cretaceous Fossils, Greene Co, AL

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