ShadyW Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 OK y'all, so I've been planning a hunting trip with a family of new fossil hunters (along with my wife and kids) for a few months now, and we fixed on this weekend for their first big trip. Lots of kids (and possibly dogs too) are super-excited to go find cool fossils! The plan was to go to the North Sulfur River on Sunday. But with all this rain it looks like that's a total write-off. So, the question is whether any of you can recommend somewhere else for us to go within driving distance of Dallas. We don't mind lots of mud, and we don't really mind what kind of fossils, but with the NSR and POC totally underwater we'd prefer to avoid creeks, rivers and flash-floods!!! Because we'll have 10-year-olds with us, we need somewhere that has relatively easy access, although everyone's about as adventurous as you could wish for and ready for a challenge! Any recommendations and suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Every complex scientific problem has an elegant and simple solution... and it is wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barefootgirl Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 Try some of the local lakes. When I was younger I would find fossils out at Grapevine Lake all the time. 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...
Traviscounty Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 Unless there is a lot more rain, the POC should be OK. It's close to Lake Texoma. You can park at the dam and walk down the shore for fossils. I have not been to Possum Kingdom or Bridgeport dams, but I have heard they are good. I'm sure someone in the area will offer some better advice. There's also Dinosaur Vally State Park south of DFW?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommabetts Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 I would go to lake Texoma, look for ammonites along the cliffs, down the hiking trail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobC Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 I'm with Mommabetts. There are ammonites there so huge that nobody can carry them out! I lived in Lewisville for five years, from 2001-2006, but that was long before I started fossil-hunting so I wish I could be of more help. Now if you were in Austin I could lead you to lots of places! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Siphuncle Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 Also consider some Fort Worth area construction sites for Duck Creek and Goodland material. Grüße, Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas "To the motivated go the spoils." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShadyW Posted May 8, 2009 Author Share Posted May 8, 2009 Great suggestions so far. Thank you! Thanks to a great PM from jimmy1971, we'll probably be heading over Fort Worth way. Danwoehr, do you have any specific sites that you would consider sharing with us for Duck Creek and Goodland fossils in the FW area? Every complex scientific problem has an elegant and simple solution... and it is wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LanceH Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grampa dino Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 Don't all TEXANS need help LOL Roadside Geology of Texasa by Darwin Spearing ISBN 0-87842-265-x I find all these books worth the price. don't get me wrong I like Texans as much as I likelittle kids, it all depend on how long they are on the BBQ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roz Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 don't get me wrong I like Texans as much as I likelittle kids, it all depend on how long they are on the BBQ Welcome to the forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShadyW Posted May 8, 2009 Author Share Posted May 8, 2009 Don't all TEXANS need help LOL Roadside Geology of Texasa by Darwin Spearing ISBN 0-87842-265-x I find all these books worth the price. don't get me wrong I like Texans as much as I likelittle kids, it all depend on how long they are on the BBQ Cheers Gramps! I may be in Texas, but I ain't Texan. What are your views on Limeys? Every complex scientific problem has an elegant and simple solution... and it is wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShadyW Posted May 8, 2009 Author Share Posted May 8, 2009 Uh... seriously? Every complex scientific problem has an elegant and simple solution... and it is wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oh-Man Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 Daniel, Can you all make it as far out as the Lake Jacksboro spill way? PM me if you want more guidance. Otherwise, you might try Highport on Texoma vice Ammonite flats since the walk is MUCH shorter. Cheers, Owen What is geology? "Rocks for Jocks!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grampa dino Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 They seem to get to grispy if you leave them on the BBQ to long But I like their beer. But for real that book is a good one. I'm an old Hippy, I real love everryone and everthing, until you or it pisss me off Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShadyW Posted May 8, 2009 Author Share Posted May 8, 2009 They seem to get to grispy if you leave them on the BBQ to long But I like their beer. But for real that book is a good one. I'm an old Hippy, I real love everryone and everthing, until you or it pisss me off The book's already on it's way to me from Amazon! Ain't the internets great? I miss real beer... Every complex scientific problem has an elegant and simple solution... and it is wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShadyW Posted May 8, 2009 Author Share Posted May 8, 2009 Daniel,Can you all make it as far out as the Lake Jacksboro spill way? PM me if you want more guidance. Otherwise, you might try Highport on Texoma vice Ammonite flats since the walk is MUCH shorter. Cheers, Owen I've been meaning to take the family to Lake Jacksboro for years, but it's too far to take another family this weekend... We've been to Highport and had fun with the dog, but found it to be heavily hunted out, and were disappointed not to be able to get to any of the more remote shorline on the lake. Are there no other public access roads around the lake that are less popular? Google Earth seems to show some, but I suspect that they're not open to the public. Every complex scientific problem has an elegant and simple solution... and it is wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 That's a good one. I can see the super fine print says, "Any fossils collected will be confiscated by LanceHall" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Siphuncle Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 Shady You could try that old quarry bisected by 820 on the north side of Fort Worth at Old Decatur Rd, 3-4 miles west of 35 I suppose. As you mentioned, the easy, kid friendly sites seem to be tapped out unless you happen upon a recent construction site. My info for the area is a bit out of date, but look for construction sites off 820 or main drags intersecting it on the west side of 35 - good luck! You could do the Denton Creek canoe trip with the DPS this Sat as well I suppose..... Grüße, Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas "To the motivated go the spoils." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LanceH Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 Uh... seriously? I keed! I keed! Actually central and western Tarrant county is very fossilerous. Good Luck! Here are the geo formations exposed in Tarrant County in stratigraphic order (oldest bottom, youngest top): 13. Eagle Ford - mostly soft yellow shale (low) or dark blue hard shale (high) - this is the main bone and teeth producing formation in Tarrant county. 12. Woodbine - mostly reddish sandstone with occasion thin shale pockets - best stuff found as it transitions to Eagle Ford above. 11. Grayson - mostly yellow/pale limeish shale with some thin limestones - lots of fossils 10. Mainstreet - mostly whiteish limetone - the big turrelites, Holectypus echs, brachs, nautilus 9. Pawpaw - 20 foot of cocoa brown clay - some spots totally devoid of fossils - some spots lots of crustaceans, pyritic ammonites 8. Weno - alternating shale/limestone - Typical Washita fauna. 7. Denton - mostly shale - didn't find anything in the one locality I know of. 6. Fort Worth - tight distict bands of alternating limestone/shale (clayey) - Similar fauna to Duck Creek. Nice little Mortoniceras ammos. 5. Duck Creek - lower 1/4th is large blocky limestone with the giant ammos - upper 3/4ths is mostly shale with thin poor limestone bands which is good for echs and ammos. (The upper part is what is exposed at the quarry Dan mentioned) 4. Kiamichi - Yellow clayish - mostly oysters 3. Goodland - Mostly white limestone - the upper 20 feet of the formation (most easterly outcrops on the geo maps) is best. 2. Walnut - Mostly marl (poor limestone/shale mix) capped by huge oyster benches - marl below the benches contains many species of echs. 1. Paluxy - 500 feet of unfossilerous sandstone. I have a more detail on these at Lance's North Texas Fossil Page (scroll left menu down halfway to see geology section). I also have lots of very detailed geo maps HERE ----------------------------- The reason for all these layers in one county is that they all dip to the southeast (continental dip?) at a rate of about 40-50 feet per mile. This explains why going west>east around here you travel UP the geologic column. You are seeing the upturned ends of the layers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oh-Man Posted May 10, 2009 Share Posted May 10, 2009 ShadyYou could try that old quarry bisected by 820 on the north side of Fort Worth at Old Decatur Rd, 3-4 miles west of 35 I suppose. As you mentioned, the easy, kid friendly sites seem to be tapped out unless you happen upon a recent construction site. My info for the area is a bit out of date, but look for construction sites off 820 or main drags intersecting it on the west side of 35 - good luck! You could do the Denton Creek canoe trip with the DPS this Sat as well I suppose..... Jax and Snakekeeper64 went there today. Since the last trip when the DPS cleared things out the situation has changed a little due to all the rain. Keep an eye out for a post later today or tomorrow. You might want to PM them for their thoughts on taking some newbies there. My last trip to Highport produces a 9" and a 14" full round ammonite, both in very good condition. The urchins a I found were not in the best of shape, but I still found about 15. Not too bad for a quick walk though. I'm not sure how "up" the water is at Texoma now though. Since Jacksboro is guaranteed to produce a bucket full of fossils you still might want to consider it! O What is geology? "Rocks for Jocks!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShadyW Posted May 12, 2009 Author Share Posted May 12, 2009 I just want to say that all of you are the best! Your suggestions were really, REALLY excellent, and I can't thank you all enough. Unfortunately Sunday was a write-off for other reasons, but since it looks like we're going to have continuous rain here in North Texas for EVER, I think we'll be heading off to Fort Worth next weekend to introduce yet more kids to the wonders of fossil hunting! Thanks again. You're an amazing group of people. Every complex scientific problem has an elegant and simple solution... and it is wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmy1971 Posted May 12, 2009 Share Posted May 12, 2009 Good luck Daniel! It's great to see the look in a kid's eyes when you tell him that he's the first human to have ever laid eyes on the fossil he just found. I still get the same look every time I find something too! don't forget to post pics of your finds! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobC Posted May 12, 2009 Share Posted May 12, 2009 CONTINUOUS RAIN?!!!! Man we are just a couple hundred miles South and we haven't gotten snarge for rain. It has been 90 and sunny for weeks. I really, really hate the heat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommabetts Posted May 12, 2009 Share Posted May 12, 2009 CONTINUOUS RAIN?!!!! Man we are just a couple hundred miles South and we haven't gotten snarge for rain. It has been 90 and sunny for weeks. I really, really hate the heat. It has rained here where I am in north Texas every day of this month and they are saying it is going to rain at least through Sunday up here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobC Posted May 12, 2009 Share Posted May 12, 2009 Well if it isn't too much trouble, send some of it this way. I love rain! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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