A trip to a non-working mine site to explore spoil piles for invertebrate fossils was on the menu for BPS's August field trip. The mining company, headquartered in Tuscaloosa county generously offered us the opportunity to explore at this site. A long, hot day on a moonscape was nevertheless a great trip, yielding some beautiful specimens.
We met with the mining engineer who gave us a quick overview of the mining operations, then let us go onto the piles to do our hunting. We hunted until the heat got to us and it was time to seek air-conditioning.
After cooling off at a Mexican restaurant, we ended the day at the Museum of Natural History at Tuscaloosa with a visit to their superb collections.
(photos courtesy Chris and Vicki Lais)
BPS members listening to lecture on mining operations in the area.
Vast expanse of spoil piles, discarded rubble from the mining operation.
Collecting fossils in spoil piles.
Tailings piles from the mines, brought from hundreds of feet underground.
Fern
More black rock, empty landscape at the collecting site.
Appears to be sigillaria
Stigmaria, the root system of a lycopod such as Lepidodendron or Sigillaria.
Lepidodendron, a type of lycopod.
Lepidodendron, a type of lycopod.
Stigmaria, the root system of a lycopod such as Lepidodendron or Sigillaria.
Lepidodendron, a type of lycopod.
Becky got dirty - real dirty!
Stigmaria, the root system of a lycopod such as Lepidodendron or Sigillaria.
Stigmaria, the root system of a lycopod such as Lepidodendron or Sigillaria.
Nice sample of Sigillaria
Stigmaria, the root system of a lycopod such as Lepidodendron or Sigillaria.
Miscellaneous fossils found by Leisa.
Sigillaria
Sigillaria
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