Question about Sharktooth Hill/ Ernst Quarries

[Misha]

Hello everyone,

I'm currently in California driving through many of the national parks, and other beautiful sites of the state. I saw that we may be driving through Bakersfield from Sequoia National Park while going towards the LA area and I was wondering if it would be worth paying a visit to the famous Shark tooth hill location, but immediately a few questions came up that I decided to ask here.

First of all, does anyone know how accessible the site is? Does one have to walk far to reach it or is it pretty much accessible by car? I'm with my family who are unfortunately not very excited by fossils and if it's not that accessible they won't want to go.

Additionally, what kind of equipment is needed? Since I came here from across the country I obviously don't have any gear with me. Do you need to actually dig, or is it possible to surface collect?

And finally, I saw a few things online about valley fever, how big of a concern is this? If it's something you need to protect yourself from, what kind of mask would work?

Thank you to everyone who looked,

Misha 

[Misha]

I wish I knew any TFF members from California to tag here. Maybe @siteseer?

I think I remember seeing you discuss the location.

[siteseer]

17 minutes ago, Misha said:

I wish I knew any TFF members from California to tag here. Maybe @siteseer?

I think I remember seeing you discuss the location.

 

Hi Misha,

 

There is an actual place called "Sharktooth Hill" but you're not allowed to dig there.  I think that law was put in place back around 1970.  

 

There is private land to dig on (Ernst quarries) but you need to make a reservation ahead of time and pay a fee.  You can visit the Buena Vista Museum of Natural History in town.  The displays have changed since I've been there but it should be a nice place to visit and check out fossils.  You might find something in the gift shop too.  There aren't really any sites along a public road where it's safe to park.   

 

The Sharktooth Hill Bonebed sites are out of town in a desert-like environment - no trees and no bathrooms for miles.  It's not an area for anyone who doesn't want to be there.  Yeah, you would need tools.  You can find a few things poking through the dump pile of previous collectors because some of them want only shark teeth so you might find some bones and ray teeth but that's not super productive.   If you dig at the Ernst quarries, I think they supply tools.  Otherwise, you need a pick and shovel, and some hand tools (hand pick/rock hammer, dental tools, screwdrivers, brush, maybe a trowel) and containers for specimens when digging into the layer itself.

 

Valley Fever is a concern.  Some people wear masks.  You want to avoid kicking up a lot of dust and breathing it in.  I heard of a small group of collectors who dug a big hole (big enough for four of them) and they all got it - probably from the dust they were creating and kicking up into each other).  You want to stay upwind of any other digging if it's windy.  I dug there a couple of times per year from the early 90's to the late 2000's and I never got Valley Fever but one of my friends did.  If you read some of the posts here on the FF, you'll hear about others getting it.  However, there are people who lived their whole lives in the area or the other areas known for cases, and they never got it and that includes fossil collectors.

 

Watch where you walk if you go to a quarry in the morning.  It's rattlesnake country.  Don't go exploring beyond the quarry.  Don't flip over pieces of plywood or old gates or anything like that because there probably is a rattlesnake resting underneath it.  You'll be okay if you obey whatever rules there are.

 

Yeah, you really need to plan ahead for a Bakersfield trip.  I would check out the museum.  It's on Chester, a main street in town.  It has a website.  I haven't been out there in years.

 

Jess

[Crusty_Crab]

In addition to what has been said, I would add that it has been really hot in Southern California the past week. Bakersfield is notoriously hot, even for Southern California, being at the southern tip of the Central Valley. The heat is a significant health concern, more so than Valley Fever in my experience doing fieldwork in the Central Valley. If you do go, bring plenty of water. The standard for me would be Cal Osha guidelines: 1 quart per person per hour for people working in the heat of summer. https://www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/etools/08-006/EWP_water.htm Its still worth visiting. Beautiful, large shark teeth can still be found there if you dig in the right spot, but its just challenging right now. 

 

An alternative would be to visit one of the beaches where fossils have been found. Its a win-win for families.  

[siteseer]

Oh yeah, Bakersfield in July is brutal.  It can be 100-105 degrees Fahrenheit and the cool days are in the 90's.  There were times in the year when I could get a few days off from work only in July and went on a Bakersfield trip whenever I could.  By 1130am, even the hardiest hunters pack up and head for air conditioning.  As I said above, there are no trees out in the quarries so the only shade is in your car unless you can get under your car/truck.  I always brought iced tea, Gatorade, and a big pack of bottled water (the ones with 30-35 bottles) in case a newbie didn't bring enough.  You can get dehydrated without noticing very fast in that heat.

 

Those were great days, though.