MikeD Posted October 28, 2008 Share Posted October 28, 2008 Anyone know if there are any fossil sites near Mt. Ida, Arkansas? Leaving Wednesday afternoon. Going for some crystals, but also want fossils if possible. I have a lead for the Malvern area, which is as far east as I will probably get. Was wandering if there was anything easily accessible between Texarkana and Mt. Ida. Don't anybody post anything while I'm gone, because I don't want to have to read 1000 posts like Auspex did when I get back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Murphy Posted October 29, 2008 Share Posted October 29, 2008 MikeD: Most of the rocks around Hot Springs and Mount Ida area are metamorphosed and fossils are not readily accessible. There are some low-lying exposures of upper Cretaceous Saratoga Chalk just south of the intersection of Arkansas Highway 26 and Arkansas Highway 51 near Hollywood. This would be south of Hot Springs and west of Arkadelphia. The chalk is exposed on both the east and west sides of Highway 51, especially on the west side. There are usually oysters, echinoids and some ammonites exposed. Better exposures of the Saratoga Chalk are found west and southwest of Saratoga, Arkansas on the east side of Millwood Lake. Echinoids and ammonites are much more common here than at the location near Hollywood. Weathering is a key to exposure of the fossils from this chalk. PM me if you are going up or coming back on I-30 and I will give you more detailed directions to the Saratoga localities. Regards, Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hybodus Posted October 29, 2008 Share Posted October 29, 2008 Mike, send me a PM... cretaceous marine fauna including shark/ray teeth in a few locations around Hot Springs, as well as a Cretaceous amber site I collected a few times. It has been many years since I collected the area, but I can turn you on to a few folks that could point the way for you... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkfoam Posted October 29, 2008 Share Posted October 29, 2008 Mike, Just west of Mt. Ida is the community of Crystal Springs on US Hiway 270. There is a road at Crystal Springs that proceeds north to Lake Ouachita. There are road cuts on this road that expose the Womble Shale (Ordovician). Graptolites are found in the shale. Suposedly, the best graptolites are found down the road near the lake shore. It has been 30 years since I have collected there so I don't know what to tell you to expect except that Graptolites were the only thing to be found. JKFoam The Eocene is my favorite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted October 29, 2008 Author Share Posted October 29, 2008 Thanks guys. I will see what I can find. Mike Murphy and hybodus, I have PM'ed you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sadiyah Posted July 24, 2010 Share Posted July 24, 2010 Where can the shark and ray teeth be found? we're c Visiting from Tx and are complete novices! Donna "A child is a curly dimpled lunatic." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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