shark teeth

Saturday, Feb. 2, 2019 was an absolutely PERFECT day for a field trip!  There were 14 BPS members and guests who got together to spend a much-needed day in the great outdoors looking for fossils.  The general area was a lakeshore in Franklin County (lower Bangor limestone formation) and our leaders selected 3 sites from which to collect.  The first site, a public boat launch, was fairly void of fossils (except for a nice shark tooth in limestone matrix) but we had heard that the area had been over-collected recently so it was not unexpected.  Even with slim fossil findings, the beautiful very spring-like weather had everyone enjoying the hunt. 

It was decided to relocate to the site we collected last year so we all packed up and headed over.  Thanks to expert navigation by Bob, we made it to the next site quickly and without a hitch – good job, Bob!!  And this site proved to be as productive as it was last year.  The shore consists of fossil slabs and loose fossils that had washed out of the matrix.  Copious crinoid components, bryozoan components, horn corals, bivalves, brachiopods, and blastoids were all found while at this site.  A non-fossil but interesting find was a pharyngeal dental plate from a freshwater drum fish.  It was very pleasant to sit in the warm sun, with the fresh breeze, sifting and searching the washed-out fossils along the shoreline. 

Some called it a great day after this but the remainder of the group ventured on to a road cut several miles away.  Still in the Mississippian strata, we found a few blastoids, a brachiopods and even a couple of trilobites or, rather, the infamous “trilo-butts”.  One specimen was very nice, being in pristine shape as if newly exposed.  By this time, the sun was beginning to set so the remainder of the group wrapped up the hunt and bid the fossil hunt good day.  There’s a great Mexican restaurant on Hwy 157 that is convenient to the interstate so the last of the Mohicans stopped there for good food and conversation before heading the rest of the way home.  What a great day!         

On March 31, thirteen BPS members and guests had the pleasure of visiting a working limestone quarry in Morgan County.  The weather was superb, the attendees were enthusiastic and the fossils were everywhere!  The fossils found were primarily Mississippian (Paleozoiz era).  Many crinoid stems and whole crinoids were found as well as blastoids, bryzoans, brachiopods and corals.  There were many nice examples of these fossils and even a "museum quality" slab of whole crinoids that was just too heavy to carry out.  Maybe someone will remember to bring the helicopter next time!

The quarry employees who accompanied us were very helpful and even managed to maintain a positive attitude while giving up a part of their Saturday to be with those of us who love to look for fossils.  One of the employees was lucky enough to find an elusive shark tooth, as did one of the BPS members.  Though we could have stayed much longer, the group ended their searching at 2:00 (as promised) to give the employees the rest of their Saturday afternoon.  After the quarry, the group headed to a nearby Mexican restaurant for good food and conversation.  It was another very enjoyable field trip on a nearly perfect day!