Bekron Posted February 2, 2009 Share Posted February 2, 2009 Went out hunting today near Ft Worth Texas looking for shark teeth. Went to a recently leveled field of a few hundred acres. Soon it will all be covered in parking lots, but now I figured it would be prime shark tooth hunting. The fields have been there long enough to have been rained on a few times and are mostly limestone. I walked around for hours looking for contrasting dark objects against the limestone but found no shark teeth. Got down in several areas for closer inspection but still nothing. The place is literally littered with echinoids. You could easily fill a 5 gallon bucket in an hour with echinoids if you desired. Any tips on how I can find my first shark tooth? Am I doing something wrong or am I in the wrong area or both? I am on a mission! Thanks, Ron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bmorefossil Posted February 2, 2009 Share Posted February 2, 2009 hmm well look for a shine, thats the key give away if there is a sharks tooth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracer Posted February 2, 2009 Share Posted February 2, 2009 you have to learn which formations have shark teeth in them and then try to find the locations of those formations. there are a lot of places where there are plenty of fossils, but no shark teeth. you either have to get a knowledgeable fossil hunter to help you or do some research, or both. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bekron Posted February 2, 2009 Author Share Posted February 2, 2009 Yah I am not very informed on the different formations in my area, but I have a book on the way. I will keep looking and watch out for shiny things other than glass. Think I will go back to same place and fill a 5 gallon bucket with echinoids. Thats gotta come in handy for something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LanceH Posted February 2, 2009 Share Posted February 2, 2009 Go East young man! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracer Posted February 2, 2009 Share Posted February 2, 2009 yeah, good advice. research the eagle ford formation. consider looking more around say, the west side of dallas as opposed to where you were looking. but you really need to learn to spot specific formations, like say the atco contact layer between the austin chalk and eagle ford, or the kamp ranch member of the eagle ford. you've heard of bonnie and clyde? go drive around and look for exposures near where bonnie went to elementary school and where clyde lived in a tiny house that's still there. or actually just figure out where those formations go north and south of there, because that's a rough part of town... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommabetts Posted February 2, 2009 Share Posted February 2, 2009 The best way to find shark teeth that I have found is to stay low to the ground and don't look for any one thing. Scan the ground in grids, I find the most by just squating down, not moving and scanning the area that I am in. You have to train your eye to notice everything on the ground. I have found that when you are looking for just one thing, you miss alot that way, so go slow and low, looking at everything. Or you find good soil rich in fossils then sift, sand bars are good for that. After you have learned to train your eye, you will be able to cover more ground but at first go slow and low, remember those 2 words. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barefootgirl Posted February 2, 2009 Share Posted February 2, 2009 Tracer and Mommabets are both right, first you need to be in the right location then when your their just take it slow and low and you'll find one. If you get in the right area I promise you will find one. They seem to stand out even in a crowded area. See if you cant talk to snakekeeper he knows alot and could probably help you out. Good luck with your search. In formal logic, a contradiction is the signal of defeat: but in the evolution of real knowledge, it marks the first step in progress toward victory. Alfred North Whithead 'Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already tomorrow in Australia!' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Siphuncle Posted February 2, 2009 Share Posted February 2, 2009 You want to be in the Eagle Ford group in your area. Highest concentrations come from the Atco contact as Tracer mentioned, but the Lower Britton Formation, Arcadia Park, and Kamp Ranch member can be quite productive as well. It will take some research to figure out aerial outcrop as I most often see the entire Eagle Ford group mapped undivided, specifically on the Dallas Sheet of the Atlas of Texas from UT Bureau of Economic Geology. Remember that shark teeth are often found in storm deposits, so think layers of glauconitic shell hash in the Eagle Ford group often turn up concentrations of teeth. The Pawpaw formation in the Fort Worth area also gives up shark teeth, but not as abundantly as the Kef in my experience. Many of the other formations also give up teeth sparingly. Grüße, Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas "To the motivated go the spoils." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bekron Posted February 2, 2009 Author Share Posted February 2, 2009 Thanks for tips thus far! I know a guy with a few acres out towards Mansfield. Might head over there and take a look on my way east. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now