fossilover Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 Is it possible to determine what period the fossils are from that I find on the beach? Or would it be a conglomerate of different time periods? I am just wondering, because knowing what period my finds are from can help me determine what kind of animal/shark it is - especially since many of the beach fossils are worn from being tumbled in the sand. I'm sure there will always be some fossils that are out of place, but I am just speaking on general terms. Please be gentle! I love collecting fossils, but I find it kind of hard learning about the different time periods and what came from when. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracer Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 start googling for geological maps of the states/counties you're searching in and try to figure out the formations. read the pinned info here for newbies, and just keep reading info on the geology and paleontology of the areas you hunt in until it starts to make sense to you. but of course the simplest way is to get someone who already knows all the stuff to hunt with you and explain what you're looking at, if you can find someone in your area. good luck. p.s. - the beach can be sort of a problem because stuff can get pretty mixed up there from all of nature's dynamics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest solius symbiosus Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 It really depends upon the drainage basin of the local rivers. I think most of the strata along the East Coast that produces fossils is Mes. or younger(except N. Va and points N.). Like tracer alluded to, study maps. There is a wealth of information on them. I have never collected the East Coast, but around here I have found Late Paleozoic fossils, on a strath that hasn't been active since the Pliocene, situated upon Ordovician sediments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracer Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 It really depends upon the drainage basin of the local rivers. I think most of the strata along the East Coast that produces fossils is Mes. or younger(except N. Va and points N.). Like tracer alluded to, study maps. There is a wealth of information on them.I have never collected the East Coast, but around here I have found Late Paleozoic fossils, on a strath that hasn't been active since the Pliocene, situated upon Ordovician sediments. hey, i never allude, dude - who'd do dat? dat's rude! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bmorefossil Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 hey, i never allude, dude - who'd do dat? dat's rude! dat not you! he just b n a h8tr haha, no like the others said you must study study study, beach fossils found in Delaware are extremely old or fairly new and then stuff in Maryland is mostly miocene but i seem to find really old fossils there as well it just depends on where you are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaleoRon Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 If you are collecting in the Jacksonville area the oldest fossils you will find should be no older than Eocene and most will be Oligocene and younger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracer Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 If you are collecting in the Jacksonville area the oldest fossils you will find should be no older than Eocene and most will be Oligocene and younger. yeah, so guess an age between yesterday and 40 million years ago or so, but just don't burn up anyone's girlfriend, because that type of carbon dating is illegal. (could somebody puh-leezzzzze tell me why i say weird stuff like that??!) fossilover, never mind me. i'm just the forum idiot. anyway, post pictures of what you find and you can mention the county, and somebody will try to help you. but on the beach, it's kind of a snarge shoot. i find all kind of stuff at the beach. the best way to know exactly when a fossil is from is to find it still in the matrix of a particular strata, and if it's a known "index fossil" that's used to help date the matrix it's found in, that's even better. some critters didn't live that long in geological terms and they therefore help identify the age of the rock they're found in. man, it's weird how fast i go back and forth between weird and only semi-weird. <walking off, shaking head> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilover Posted March 11, 2009 Author Share Posted March 11, 2009 yeah, so guess an age between yesterday and 40 million years ago or so... I was afraid of that. It seems to be pretty difficult identifying these shark teeth. I've got way too many to post. Hmm... That could be a good thing OR a bad thing! Plus with the fossils I've found, most have no matrix rock on them. And there are always bones all over the place with no matrix on em' and have no defining features (which I don't usually pick up unless something about it is unique because they are so plentiful). And tracer, you're not an idiot. I love your randomness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracer Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 I was afraid of that. It seems to be pretty difficult identifying these shark teeth. I've got way too many to post. Hmm... That could be a good thing OR a bad thing! Plus with the fossils I've found, most have no matrix rock on them. And there are always bones all over the place with no matrix on em' and have no defining features (which I don't usually pick up unless something about it is unique because they are so plentiful). And tracer, you're not an idiot. I love your randomness. that last line was random Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 ...It seems to be pretty difficult identifying these shark teeth. I've got way too many to post... Nice problem to have! Many beaches have shark's teeth from only one or two epochs or periods (except for the occasional wild-card stray from way up river). It shouldn't be too hard to narrow down what a given area of beach is coughing up. Sort them into piles of look-alikes and post pics of the best representative from each pile; the process of narrowing down the possibilities can commence from there. "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilover Posted March 11, 2009 Author Share Posted March 11, 2009 Nice problem to have!Many beaches have shark's teeth from only one or two epochs or periods (except for the occasional wild-card stray from way up river). It shouldn't be too hard to narrow down what a given area of beach is coughing up. Sort them into piles of look-alikes and post pics of the best representative from each pile; the process of narrowing down the possibilities can commence from there. Good idea, Auspex. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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