Boogra Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 Okay so I couldn't wait and went out today for about two hours scouting around. I ended up finding some of the exposed cretaceous beds characterized by a flaky whitish-gray soft rock that crumbles into a fine powder when pried apart. I didn't end up finding fossils of any real value to me, except a pretty large oyster looking thingy. However...I found some pretty cool looking metallic things of varying colors, from siler to gold to coper that are very very dense and very very heavy for their size. I'm not sure they're a big deal, because they were lying literally all over the place. If I can upload some pics, here they go... My best stop: Here are the curious metallic pieces: Many of them were exposed sitting on the ground after weeks of heavy rain, but some were buried inside the material. All of them have what looks like crystals of metal and are varying shapes, from long thin 2" phallic looking things to egg shaped balls. Some have sharp points on the ends, while others are rounded on the ends. All of them are really cool looking. Halp? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GRAVELGAZER Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 THAT STUFF IS MARCASITE,THERE IS ALOT OF THAT DOWN THERE. YOU ALSO CAN FIND MOSASAUR BONES AND TEETH AS WELL IN THAT GRAY CLAY Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boogra Posted January 21, 2009 Author Share Posted January 21, 2009 THAT STUFF IS MARCASITE,THERE IS ALOT OF THAT DOWN THERE. YOU ALSO CAN FIND MOSASAUR BONES AND TEETH AS WELL IN THAT GRAY CLAY So do I need to dig for those bones and teeth? When I went there today I saw almost nothing except that large oyster thingy. There were several places where the material is sort of flaking off in large chunks and I could pry those apart if I had to do so. Also, there was a cool waterway I walked down today. The bottom of it was made entirely of this clay material and the water was only about an inch deep. It was really neat to walk down the waterway. Had it been a little warmer and the water not so cold, I could have walked probably a mile down the river without getting my ankles wet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hybodus Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 Looks like the type of geology around Tupelo. It's been quite some time since I lived in the Mid South, but I have done quite a bit of collecting north and south of Tupelo along Hwy 45. If you are finding oyster shells, the big ones are Exogyra and Pycnodonte - this also means you are collecting in the correct area. Keep looking... lots of Cretaceous fossil shark, ray, reptile, crabs and so on in that area. Best time to hit those exposures is after a good heavy rain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boogra Posted January 21, 2009 Author Share Posted January 21, 2009 Looks like the type of geology around Tupelo. It's been quite some time since I lived in the Mid South, but I have done quite a bit of collecting north and south of Tupelo along Hwy 45. If you are finding oyster shells, the big ones are Exogyra and Pycnodonte - this also means you are collecting in the correct area. Keep looking... lots of Cretaceous fossil shark, ray, reptile, crabs and so on in that area. Best time to hit those exposures is after a good heavy rain. We'e had severalgood heavy rains, but the ground was pretty barren aside fromsmall flakes of the clay material. Do I need o bring a shovel and dig for these items? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracer Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 i really like seeing pictures of places i've never been. thanks for posting them, and good luck with your fossil hunting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest N.AL.hunter Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 That is the exact stuff I said to look for in another post. Just keep walking and walking and walking. You'll soon start finding shark teeth and such. I do not recommend digging until you spot something partially buried. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boogra Posted January 22, 2009 Author Share Posted January 22, 2009 That is the exact stuff I said to look for in another post. Which is exactly why I went there. I guess its just a process of getting to know what to look for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Nicholas Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 Gravel gazing is key! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GRAVELGAZER Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 So do I need to dig for those bones and teeth? When I went there today I saw almost nothing except that large oyster thingy. There were several places where the material is sort of flaking off in large chunks and I could pry those apart if I had to do so.Also, there was a cool waterway I walked down today. The bottom of it was made entirely of this clay material and the water was only about an inch deep. It was really neat to walk down the waterway. Had it been a little warmer and the water not so cold, I could have walked probably a mile down the river without getting my ankles wet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GRAVELGAZER Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 NO NEED TO DIG, WEAR RUBBER BOOTS TO WADE, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnJ Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 Which is exactly why I went there. I guess its just a process of getting to know what to look for. Once you get to know the possibilities (think giant swimming reptiles) of where you are, you may not feel the inclination to go pick up leaves in Utah, but brush the leaves off the (did I mention) GIANT SWIMMING REPTILES and company... The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true. - JJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boogra Posted January 24, 2009 Author Share Posted January 24, 2009 Once you get to know the possibilities (think giant swimming reptiles) of where you are, you may not feel the inclination to go pick up leaves in Utah, but brush the leaves off the (did I mention) GIANT SWIMMING REPTILES and company... You found this? Wow! I like leaves though. They're beautiful as fossils. I like the possibility of trilobites as well. The trip just sounds like fun to me,and its been a long time since I've been out West. I like that you posted that pic though too, though. I notice a specific color there that I've seen several times in the clay. That's a mosasaur yes? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnJ Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 You found this? Wow!I like leaves though. They're beautiful as fossils. I like the possibility of trilobites as well. The trip just sounds like fun to me,and its been a long time since I've been out West. I like that you posted that pic though too, though. I notice a specific color there that I've seen several times in the clay. That's a mosasaur yes? Yes, last August. Yes, it's mosasaur from a similar formation in Texas. As others in your area have said, you're in the right stuff. I hope you find one. The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true. - JJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boogra Posted January 24, 2009 Author Share Posted January 24, 2009 Yes, last August. Yes, it's mosasaur from a similar formation in Texas. As others in your area have said, you're in the right stuff. I hope you find one. Okay so here's a question for you then if you're familiar with these formations. My description: I found a creek where the bottom is nothing but this clay, so the water runs perfectly crystal clear. On top of this, the water is, in most places, only about 2" deepand in some places less than that. At the most, from what I saw, 6" of water is all I'll have to wade through. I can see in the bottom of the creek shapes of clams and oysters and long tubular things and triangular shapes. At the bridges, the effect of the whirling eddy around the pylons has essentially created a "bowl" about two and a half feet deep. My theory: The depressions in the creek bed probably contained fossils, and once the water released those fossils, they would have been swept downstream somewhere, so I should look for steps in the creek as I go down, because water tends to pool in steps. Heavier items will fall off the steps and not be moved much further. In the bottom of the "bowls" around the pylons, there should be a large collection of stuff, and items have no way at allof getting out of these bowls once they fall down into them. Am I on the right track? Also, this creek has sides about nine feet high. Should I be looking in the layers above this creek bed? I like this creek because its so out of the way, I don't think anyone goes down there at all, much less walks the creek bottom looking for old fish teeth. Its public property, so I can stay there as long as I wish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnJ Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 ...Am I on the right track?Also, this creek has sides about nine feet high. Should I be looking in the layers above this creek bed? I like this creek because its so out of the way, I don't think anyone goes down there at all, much less walks the creek bottom looking for old fish teeth. Its public property, so I can stay there as long as I wish. YES to your deductions. Boogra, there are people drooling over your descriptions...you'll probably receive a few PMs begging you to take them. (Share wisely.) Continue to learn the geology of your creek. Even in heavily frequented areas, you can make exceptional discoveries...look where it's not quite as "easy". As you know, part of wonder and impact of discovery is in what you learned on the way. The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true. - JJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracer Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 when you can walk the rice paper without leaving a mark - then it will be time for you to go... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boogra Posted January 25, 2009 Author Share Posted January 25, 2009 when you can walk the rice paper without leaving a mark - then it will be time for you to go... Yes, master. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boogra Posted January 25, 2009 Author Share Posted January 25, 2009 Once you get to know the possibilities (think giant swimming reptiles) of where you are, you may not feel the inclination to go pick up leaves in Utah, but brush the leaves off the (did I mention) GIANT SWIMMING REPTILES and company... So did you ever clean that poor guy up? And when you find something like that, how the hell do you get it out of the ground? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracer Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 water dynamics tend to sort things. although there could be fossils in eroded holes around bridge supports, in creeks and rivers there are usually gravelly areas, some with finer stuff and some with bigger stuff concentrated. gravel bars, or gravel under water if you can see it or get to it, are where a lot of fossils are found. depending, though, on the energy of the water and the stability of the fossils, they can get quite worn and broken, particularly if you find them a long ways downstream from where they originated. if you can find edges of fossils that haven't yet eroded from the matrix, and get them out, you will likely end up with specimens in better condition. tools for getting stuff out of clay/limestone/etc. depend on how big the fossils are and how hard the matrix is. the main rule is don't destroy the fossils. fragile stuff of value may get plaster jacketed and prepped out of the matrix back at a lab, but a lot of fossils don't require that kind of effort. i've only used hand tools and haven't resorted to anything like powered rock saws or heavy equipment, but some people do. it is my sense that if you read a lot online and get out in the field a lot - good things will start to happen for you. good luck with your hunting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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