Frenchman Mountains Las Vegas?

[nickkcin11]

I'm in Las Vegas this weekend and I heard that fossil trilobites can be found at Frenchman mountain. Is this area still open to the public and can you find anything with little equipment?

[piranha]

I have no idea on accessibility at Frenchman Mountain, but these papers have good field trip and trilobite information.

 

Webster, M. (2011)

Litho- and biostratigraphy of the Dyeran-Delamaran boundary interval at Frenchman Mountain, Nevada.

Museum of Northern Arizona Bulletin, 67:195-203

 

Foster, J.R. (2011)
Trilobite taphonomy in the lower Pioche Formation (Dyeran; global stage 4) at Frenchman Mountain, Nevada.

Museum of Northern Arizona Bulletin, 67:282-283

 

 

In: Hollingsworth, J.S., Sundberg, F.A., & Foster, J.R., eds. (2011)

Cambrian Stratigraphy and Paleontology of Northern Arizona and Southern Nevada.

Museum of Northern Arizona Bulletin, 67:1-321

 

PDF LINK

 

 

 

[Ridgehiker]

No idea, I was at the site about 16 years ago. I don't even recognize LV anymore. There was an excellent site for agatized stromatolites we used to go to...better still some of the the same rock had been used to make primitive scrapers. Now it's 'gone'. Such a shame.

An aside for a future longer outing....not LV but north along on the interstate is a town called Glendale. Turn west on hwy 168 and go 18.5 kms. About a half km on the north side are really good Upper Carboniferous fossils. Excellent loose brachiopods in the south facing slopes....and in the middle to upper lower layers shark teeth visible as bluish black bits in the darker harder matrix. Below this is Devonian layer with trilobite traces in the big slabs. I never saw any that were removable with a rock hammer but probably some could be foundin the general area if one was diligent in looking. We were studying Carboniferous strata so never really got into the the older rock.