Mango Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 I have joined a local fossil club that is having a field trip into the Vulcan mine in Brroksville FL. This is my first trip into a mine and I am getting excited. Not as excited as I would be if it was Lee Creek of course. Have any forum members been to this mine? Any tips for newbies? Tools to not forget? Thanks. Mango. Pentax Optio W60 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest N.AL.hunter Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 Let us know if you find Spock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mango Posted May 8, 2009 Author Share Posted May 8, 2009 My hunting will be based on logic and reason. No interference from emotion.....unless I find a 4+" tooth. Pentax Optio W60 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinG Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 "tools not to forget?" Tricorder of course, without that you won't find a thing. Good luck! LED flashlight (Maglites A+) , batteries and warm socks. Kevin Goto, Lafayette,CA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phoenixflood Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 I have never been, what kind of fossils can you find there? I get the essentials, food, water, rockhammer collecting bags/tins, chisel, kneepads, rake, shovel. It's probably better to be over prepared and have a lot more supplies then to get there and find ouit you have to dig and sift. You may even have to break rocks open. But hopefully someone will have taken a trip there and be able to tell you. Hunt long and prosper The soul of a Fossil Hunter is one that is seeking, always. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaleoRon Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 From what I have heard, collecting in the Florida phosphate mines consists of looking through what has come through their waste slurry pipes, with no actual mine access. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Pristis Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 Yes, I've collected at Vulcan. It's Late Oligocene, Suwannee Limestone. The limestone is poorly indurated generally, and a knife or screw-driver is good for digging. A light geological or mason's hammer may be useful. You'll need a hat, sunglasses, and plenty of water or gatorade. A nail apron is handy for carrying finds. You can expect to find echinoids, lots of Cassidulus sp. If you're lucky, you may find a regular echinoid like Phymotaxis sp. It would be very unusual to find anything other than marine invertebrate material in the mine, but anything is possible. Good hunting! 1 http://pristis.wix.com/the-demijohn-page What seest thou else In the dark backward and abysm of time? ---Shakespeare, The Tempest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hogtownfossil Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 When I've been to Vulcan usually someone finds a bone and everyone gets excited and spend the rest of the day prepping it. So besides this and a few battered shark teeth I would have to say it is an easter urchin hunt. It's usually a large area to go over and if you are a digger fairly easy shoveling, rock chiseling skills might be needed, it's been gone over by the dozers several times so a lot of fossils are broken, but they are everywhere so you can be choosy if you want. If you find a nice sand dollar great cause they are fairly rare intact in most of the mine. And the weeds are pretty short right now so that expands your area even more, and avoid stepping in a sinkhole or falling off a ledge. And a happy hunting to you, 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mango Posted May 9, 2009 Author Share Posted May 9, 2009 Thank you for responding. I do enjoy finding invert material, but it is the vertebrate stuff that I am really after. I think my day might be better spent locally where I WILL find teeth. I am taking my two boys with me, and unless there are shark teeth, it could be difficult keeping them interested. Thanks again, and I will post my finds from wherever I end up. I will save up my excitement for a pcs trip in the future. Pentax Optio W60 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siteseer Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 Yes, I went out there with the Tampa club once - lucky to go when they went into a new area. Everyone found a pile of the common echinoids. I found two the uncommon regular ones - one really nice one. It was all surface collecting that time but some people were digging. I don't think anyone found a tooth on that trip - said to be rare. The only bone material I saw were sea cow rib sections (an Oligocene sea cow tooth would have been great). I enjoyed it - still have to prep them. Yes, I've collected at Vulcan. It's Late Oligocene, Suwannee Limestone. The limestone is poorly indurated generally, and a knife or screw-driver is good for digging. A light geological or mason's hammer may be useful.You'll need a hat, sunglasses, and plenty of water or gatorade. A nail apron is handy for carrying finds. You can expect to find echinoids, lots of Cassidulus sp. If you're lucky, you may find a regular echinoid like Phymotaxis sp. It would be very unusual to find anything other than marine invertebrate material in the mine, but anything is possible. Good hunting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Dactyll Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 My first ever encounter with fossils was on a trip organised by a local museum into an ironstone quarry.... it wasnt widely advertised, and access to the quarry to collect fossils had been 'bought' by one individual, so another way to collect always worth looking out for ........museums can have greater leverage ..... Cheers Steve... And Welcome if your a New Member... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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