Where To Hunt

[Bigkountry]

Ok everyone, I know this is gonna sound like a real noob question... Where do you guys look for nicely preserved fossils? Here's the deal, I live in North Central Texas and we have a lot of very hard limestone with nice fossils in it. In between the limestone layers is a clay/shale layer that is very soft, Should I be looking through that layer for goodies or continue trying to break my finds out of limestone and destroying them 9 out of 10 times? I just really hate seeing a nice echie and destroying it trying to break it loose if you know what I mean.

[LanceH]

In my experience here in North Central Texas:

The Walnut-Goodland formations are good for Salenia uchins and others if you find the right layer. The Duck Creek-Fort Worth and Grayson formations have good quality Pectens, large urchins, and oysters. The Grayson formation seems to be best for quality Phymosoma and Goniophurus. The Pawpaw formation is great for shark teeth, pyritic ammonites, and tiny crustaceans. The Eagle Ford formation is good for teeth, well preserved ammonites, larger crustaceans, and occasional vertebrate remains. The Ozan (at NSR) is known for abundant vertebrate remains also.

[tracer]

don't spend too much of your time at first attacking monolithic limestone. go find places where fossils have already weathered out or which are more marly. there are places in north texas where perfectly preserved stuff is sitting just waiting for you to pick it up. but do take your rockhammer along always.

[mommabetts]

For once I agree with Tracer, there are a lot of places to look that you don't have to kill yourself beating up limestone. The main thing is to get familiar with the area you are hunting and learn to see the layer where the fossils are hiding. After you have been doing it for a while this will become easier for you. Some layers are thin and not obvious as a layer with just a little rock and shell but mostly dirt. They usually will have teeth in them too. Just stand back and take a good look at the embankment, study the layers, sample each one and see what you find. After awhile you will just know which ones are fossil baring. Good luck.

[jimmy1971]

As a newbie myself.......that is great advise. Thanks. That's what makes this forum so great......there is always someone willing to help and teach.

[CreekCrawler]

In my experience here in North Central Texas:

The Walnut-Goodland formations are good for Salenia uchins and others if you find the right layer. The Duck Creek-Fort Worth and Grayson formations have good quality Pectens, large urchins, and oysters. The Grayson formation seems to be best for quality Phymosoma and Goniophurus. The Pawpaw formation is great for shark teeth, pyritic ammonites, and tiny crustaceans. The Eagle Ford formation is good for teeth, well preserved ammonites, larger crustaceans, and occasional vertebrate remains. The Ozan (at NSR) is known for abundant vertebrate remains also.

Thanks Lance for the info,but there is only one thing lacking for the newbies.

That is how to go about locating these formations you mentioned.

When I joined this site this kind of info was thrown at me also and I must have looked like a "deer in the headlights" when I thought about how to locate these formations. I am still not very clear on reading and interpreting the geo maps. How bout a little more guidance from the esteemed collectors out there.

Barry

[racevw112]

Opened for more training here. I for one could use any information. I have went and looked at some sites on my own and have pretty much struck out on finding anything. The sites I have been to and found fossils, is the ones that I attended with a group and the ones that people have mentioned they have visited.

Lyle

[LanceH]

Well I have a few north Texas geologic maps digitized here: Local Geological Maps

If your county isn't there you should definitely purchase one of the geologic quadrangle maps from the Bureau of Economic Geology in Austin. Your local Mapsco store may carry some also, at a higher price of course.

Thanks Lance for the info,but there is only one thing lacking for the newbies.

That is how to go about locating these formations you mentioned.

When I joined this site this kind of info was thrown at me also and I must have looked like a "deer in the headlights" when I thought about how to locate these formations. I am still not very clear on reading and interpreting the geo maps. How bout a little more guidance from the esteemed collectors out there.

Barry

[racevw112]

I just took a look at the map you have on your site for Weatherford in Parker county. Yesterday I went to a site where they are digging to put in a Jiffy Lube. I found just a few oyster shells.

The area on the map I was at shows to be Paluxy Sand and Walnut Clay. So, what I found, Oyster shell's is what is expected to be found in that area?

Thanks,

Lyle

[tracer]

i once stayed in weatherford as sort of a central location to run around looking at roadcuts and other localities from benbrook up to decatur over to jacksboro down to mineral wells, possum kingdom, bridgeport, cisco, all around. i didn't really look for anything in weatherford, as i was looking for places i'd seen "tips" about on the internet or in books. there are tons of places in north texas in the cretaceous where you will find all manner of "oysters". try to save the really high quality ones (complete with great preservation) and have some examples of each type you find. when you find a good location with quite a few different fossils and good preservation, try to look up and figure out what formation it's in and remember it. the paluxy sand would not be a favored place for me to look. you're really ideally situated between the cretaceous and the pennsylvanian. i'm kind of jealous. i wouldn't mind living in weatherford. you need to get with dallas paleo, though, probably. they may still sell a book called "Pennsylvanian Fossils of North Texas" that's worth having. The Houston Gem and Mineral Society sells like four books, called "Texas Cretaceous Echinoids", ...Bivalves, ...Gastropods, ...Ammonites and Nautiloids. These references assist in ID'ing things, but also tell what strata and what counties stuff comes from.

[LanceH]

Was it larger more ornate oysters (Ceratostreon) or a conglomerate of smaller scoop-like oysters (gryphea)?? If you can find a crumbly yellow marl/limestone mix with Ceratostreons, heart urchins, and occasional gastropods and clams there's a good chance of Salenias also. I think the Gryphea conglomerate represents the top of the Walnut formation but there maybe some layers elsewhere in the formation also.

[racevw112]

The top portion had those scoop like oysters, they were packed pretty thick. Below that was an yellowish type of material, that was pretty hard, but there was nothing in it that I could find.

I agree on needing to find the books mentioned. I know at one time the DPS was sold out of the Pennsylvanian book.

I will continue to look at the maps and figure out where I gone and how it corresponds to the formations.