Bone Valley

[aurora]

just wanted to share a photo of the famous bone valley phosphate mines because there are so few pics on the net. looks basicaly like like aurora. with the exception of smaller but more colorful teeth:D

[MOROPUS]

just wanted to share a photo of the famous bone valley phosphate mines because there are so few pics on the net. looks basicaly like like aurora. with the exception of smaller but more colorful teeth:D

WE WANT MORE PICS!

[Auspex]

Thanks!

Never seen a pic before, and had only the dimmest idea of what this "mysterious" area was like.

[fossilselachian]

just wanted to share a photo of the famous bone valley phosphate mines because there are so few pics on the net. looks basicaly like like aurora. with the exception of smaller but more colorful teeth:D

I see a meg

Would really enjoy seeing more pics if available

Edited September 2, 2010 by fossilselachian

[Guest N.AL.hunter]

My new fossil collecting equipment for Florida:

1. Black Ninja Suit

2. Black hangglider or Black Ultralite

3. Night Vision Goggles with additional UV light

4. Black Shoe Polish for face

[aurora]

he he, i know

i tell ya, if i lived near those mines i would conveniently forget im not allowed to just walk into the spoil piles.

here are some more pics

[aurora]

more

[Stonebreaker]

where is that? I swear I have been there before.

[aurora]

central florida, dont know exact location.

[Stonebreaker]

HA! I have been there as a kid. I think its Mulberry. Every year we would take trips there for school.

[jason longboard]

These pictures are amazing and Im looking forward to researching whatever is known online. Im sure not much on location, but I would love to know some history. Thanks for taking the time to share.

[Stonebreaker]

I remember going here as a kid and you would find buckets of stuff...kinda sad that they closed it to the public.All I remember finding is lots and lots of teeth. I found what was probably a 6" meg and being a kid knowing no better,threw it in a drawer and god knows what happened to it. It was the RW Grace quarry or something.Fertilizer I believe.

I remember going to Crystal springs between plant city and tampa and snorkeling the river. Used to find tons of stuff too..Went back a few years ago and Zephyr hills water must have bought the spring,capped it and closed it to the public. Really kinda sad.

Edited September 3, 2010 by Stonebreaker

[siteseer]

I collected in a couple of the mines years ago. A friend brought me along. It was the easiest fossil collecting imaginable. You walked along and just picked them up off the surface. I found my first complete megalodon on my first phosphate mine collecting trip in Florida after a few years of trips digging in Bakersfield and other areas of California.

You have to watch your step because the ground can be a lot softer than it looks in the low spots or even on the hills. I had to spend a minute or two digging out one of my shoes more than once. Of course, there's red ants everywhere and the possibility of alligators in the ponds.

In the few trips I went on I found numerous shark teeth, a few croc/alligator teeth, and even a couple of horse teeth and an antelope horn point (plus half a camel tooth). My friend gave me a dugong vertebra that I walked right past because it was about the same color of the sediment and a nice megalodon that looks like something bit it on the lingual side. I heard that collectors used to find a lot more stuff and bigger specimens but I thought it was great as it was.

just wanted to share a photo of the famous bone valley phosphate mines because there are so few pics on the net. looks basicaly like like aurora. with the exception of smaller but more colorful teeth:D

[32fordboy]

WOW! I always figured it was just a series of rivers or something like that. Very cool!

[Paleoc]

Old pictures of a Florida phosphate mine:

Edited September 4, 2010 by Paleoc

[aurora]

Old pictures of a Florida phosphate mine:

sweet i like those pics, it just looks fosiliferous

[Stonebreaker]

And to think that i used to sneak in those just to go fishing. Man there were some lunker largemouths though.

[bear-dog]

central florida, dont know exact location.

Polk County Florida.

[Stonebreaker]

West of Bartow...about 8 miles. When you hit the area where you think u hear banjos...you're there. Wait...thats all of central Florida.

[Search4]

I can't figure out what presents more of a danger to ecological resources, hmm, a bunch of fossil hunters armed with shovels, or a phosphate company armed with earth moving equippment?

If only I had millions of dollars to donate to state leaders, then I too could say the heck with the preservation of lands and dig a hole the size of Tampa Bay! But I don't have a million dollars so my screen and gardening spade will have to do.

Edited September 22, 2010 by Search4

[Scylla]

I can't figure out what presents more of a danger to ecological resources, hmm, a bunch of fossil hunters armed with shovels, or a phosphate company armed with earth moving equippment?

If only I had millions of dollars to donate to state leaders, then I too could say the heck with the preservation of lands and dig a hole the size of Tampa Bay! But I don't have a million dollars so my screen and gardening spade will have to do.

Of course they could open the spoil piles and keep our shovels out of the last few wild areas

[coral daddy]

I remember going here as a kid and you would find buckets of stuff...kinda sad that they closed it to the public.All I remember finding is lots and lots of teeth. I found what was probably a 6" meg and being a kid knowing no better,threw it in a drawer and god knows what happened to it. It was the RW Grace quarry or something.Fertilizer I believe.

I remember going to Crystal springs between plant city and tampa and snorkeling the river. Used to find tons of stuff too..Went back a few years ago and Zephyr hills water must have bought the spring,capped it and closed it to the public. Really kinda sad.

the water company didnt buy it, its owned by the Thomas family, they own the 2 river ranch right there on 39 up to chancy road and 301. They own a few thousand acres. They closed our beloved springs so they could sell more water.

As for the phosphate mines. if anyone want to google them, just google earth it hwy 60 and 39 in Plant City and follow 39 south. This area has been mined since the late 1800`s, and it goes eastward.they hit the rivers first and moved outward. The biggest operations now are the dead end of 39 and moving east and west. They have ALOT of land torn up right now, and their security force is growing. I also saw a picture from the late 1800`s of the town of Mulberry which is 10 minutes east of me, it had a RIVER goiing right through the heart of where the town is now.I hear at church all the time about what was dug up last week or so and so found this or that. It SUCKS,lol

you used to ba able to just drive right in anywhere you wanted to hunt as long as there was a bucket crew working right there. noone ever bothered you. What some people do is buy load of phosphate for their driveways and there are thousands of little teeth in it.

Edited September 24, 2010 by coral daddy

[Scylla]

the water company didnt buy it, its owned by the Thomas family, they own the 2 river ranch right there on 39 up to chancy road and 301. They own a few thousand acres. They closed our beloved springs so they could sell more water.

As for the phosphate mines. if anyone want to google them, just google earth it hwy 60 and 39 in Plant City and follow 39 south. This area has been mined since the late 1800`s, and it goes eastward.they hit the rivers first and moved outward. The biggest operations now are the dead end of 39 and moving east and west. They have ALOT of land torn up right now, and their security force is growing. I also saw a picture from the late 1800`s of the town of Mulberry which is 10 minutes east of me, it had a RIVER goiing right through the heart of where the town is now.I hear at church all the time about what was dug up last week or so and so found this or that. It SUCKS,lol

you used to ba able to just drive right in anywhere you wanted to hunt as long as there was a bucket crew working right there. noone ever bothered you. What some people do is buy load of phosphate for their driveways and there are thousands of little teeth in it.

Will they ship to new york?