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Showing results for tags 'huntsville'.
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Good day everyone, my name is Thomas. I'm a student who is starting out in Alabama, with a year out yet in my geology degree. I research primarily sedimentary structures and fluid mechanics revolving fluvial river systems. I would like to get into contact with any and all who hunt the states of Alabama and Mississippi. I've been an avid fossil hunter for over four years, and have hunted all across the country. The Eocene deposits in the south half of the state are by far my favorite to research and collect, from Point A in Andalusia, to Silas, Alabama. Our state has a ridiculous amount of outcrops and localities to hunt, and thus I feel as though I can reasonably share some high quality reports with you all down the line. On the side I edit and create specimen tables for purposes of research, and just as a hobby.
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- alabama
- eutaw formation
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I'm here in Huntsville Alabama visiting my father for two weeks. I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions on roadcuts or locations to hunt in for any general fossil types. I'm not looking at any specific Era or anything like that, just fossils. I've done research of my own, and have some locations down, but I'd like to get the word of some locals or others who've hunted this state successfully. Thank you.
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Natural Things: Walker County Fossils Dr. William Godwin, SHSU, The Item, June 15, 2022 Yours, Paul H.
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- acorn hill
- akin hill
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I hope, hope, hope that I don't wear out my welcome by asking questions about rocks with Fenestellan Bryozoan fossils in them! That's about all I got around here, but I do get other items IN those rocks that I don't recognize, like this one. Thanks so much to those guys who take the time to read and answer my questions - over and over again, LOL! This is yet another rock that I found in my yard and it is filled with what looks like layers of a variety of fenestellan bryozoan fossils? I have included a photo that shows what I am talking about, so please correct me if I am wrong! There is this shell like structure, though, that I am puzzled about. Is it part of the fenestellan colony or something totally different. I have studied the post about 3D structure of the fenestellan colonies and I don't think there is anything like this in them... But I could easily have missed something. I have more photos if needed? I also think I see some Rugosa coral on this rock, along with a few other things, but I will only ask one question at a time. ;-) Thanks! Ramona
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Found this in our yard in Madison County, AL. We have tons of Fenestellan Bryzoan fossils, crinoids, etc (as you can see in this rock, also). Is this embedded fossil object a more complete bryozoan fossil? It looks like it would easily fall out, but I don't want to mess with it. This is a macro photo - the embedded object is about 3/4 inches long. Thanks! Ramona
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With all of your help, I am learning to better identify fossils in the rocks I pick up in my yard - mostly bryozoan and crinoids. Boring to most folks, but still fun for me, LOL! I picked this rock up assuming it was a non native one, but then decided to get my macro lens after it to make sure. I need your help! Do you see any bryozoan or crinoid fossils in these macro photos? I didn't think so at first, but then I started wondering about some tiny things I was seeing. So, if no one sees any fossils, I will just go back to my original idea - that it is a non native rock to our yard. I would also love to understand a bit about how a rock like this is formed! It is a gorgeous rock and I would be happy to post a photo of the whole thing if anyone is interested. Thanks! Ramona
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Here I am again, with questions on another rock! I can recognize more and more fossils and rocks, but I love finding things I don't recognize. :-) This limestone rock, found in Huntsville, AL, as a portion that has a lot of quartz in it, and a lot of tunnels and crevices. I recognize the crinoid fossils but am not sure about some of the other ones. I have put questions marks on the areas I am wondering about, and asked a question in one image. It also almost looks like there are areas where geods were trying to form, but that may just be due to all of the quartz. Help appreciated! Thanks! Ramona
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I have been watching Youtube videos about cleaning fossils and have learned quite a bit. Since I have SO many rocks in my yard I decided to kind of take one apart and learn about it. I originally thought this was some sort of coral/sponge fossil, but now I am not so sure. It has been thoroughly cleaned with vinegar and then I started removing what I think is the "matrix" with a dental pick. It's okay if I damage this - I am doing it so I can learn! I basically dug out any soft areas and have been surprised at what is emerging. In fact, I am not so sure it is a fossil at this point? Question: Will a fossil be damaged by scratching matrix out from around it? How can you tell what is matrix and what is fossil if you aren't completely sure what the fossil is? And I mostly have fossiliferous limestone, which is hard/impossible to remove all of the matrix from (this rock is not fossiliferous, but I have a lot of them laying around!)? All input appreciated! Thanks Ramona
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I think I have completed my first full cleaning of a fossiliferous limestone rock. I will post a series of macro photos of the rock here and would welcome input. I am new at this (like I said, it is my FIRST full cleaning) so would appreciate input and suggestions. I first soaked the rock in a vinegar and water solution for a couple of days, taking it out every once in a while and brushing it with a soft bristled paint brush. I had ordered some essence of vinegar to have a stronger acid, so when that arrived I used a very small amount of it on the brush to continue cleaning the rock. I then placed it in a baking soda and water solution overnight, again brushing and rinsing it every once in a while. It seemed to have stop bubbling this morning, so I declared it "done", but would like thoughts on whether it looks completely cleaned or not. I mostly see fenestella bryozoan fossils in it, in different stages and at different angles, so please let me know what else, if anything, you see in this rock. The size of the rock is as follows: 5cm long, 3 cm wide, 2.5 cm tall and I found it in our yard in Huntsville, Alabama. I am posting a number of macro photographs of different areas of the rock and I may ask questions on some of them. Thanks for any and all input!
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I continue to be amazed at the plethora of fossils in our yard, so I tried an experiment. I raked up some rocks that were around a tree in our front yard and half filled a five gallon bucket with them. I figure that some of them were brought in as decorative rocks, but to test that theory I grabbed two from the top at random. I cleaned them with vinegar and water and then photographed them with my macro lens. They are at least a different type of rock than I am used to seeing (not all of these are different, but those two were). I mostly see limestone, but I will post photos of these in the comments. They look like quartz to me? Or are they a different type of limestone? And maybe I am imaging it, but I think I am seeing some crinoids and bryozoans in them? If no one else sees them I will circle what I THINK are fossils for further verification. Is it odd to find an area so rich in fossils? Or am I odd in that I am looking so closely for them, LOL? I guess since this area was once covered in water, it is likely "normal" to find bryozoans and crinoids everywhere I look, right? Thanks for all input! I learn so much here! (And I won't be surprised to hear that the following photos really ARE rocks that were likely brought in as decorative, LOL!) Ramona
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It's me again! And I promise that this is NOT a piece of concrete! ;-) (Joke from previous post.) This is the bottom of a limestone rock that has a lot of bryozoan fossils in it, found in our yard in Huntsville, AL. Do the holes look like trace wormholes? Or could they be from the digestive systems of the fenestalla bryozoans? I can get a closer photo tomorrow, plus photos of the rest of the rock if that would help. I left this one in the yard, but I know where it is! Thanks! Ramona
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I am trying to wrap my head around what these things looked like in "real life" so I can recognize them better. This is a limestone rock with what I think are fenestella bryozoan fossils, found in Huntsville, AL. Mississipian age. This photo is looking down at what I call the "top" of the rock. The next photo will be from the side, looking at the same area but from the "inside" of the rock. Can anyone point me to a site where I might find a diagram of these to better help me understand what they looked like? Thanks! Ramona
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This is my first post in the Fossil ID section - I am SO excited to find this resource! A have found a few very helpful folks in other places, but this group is a huge wealth of information! A bit of background - we moved into a house just outside of the city limits of Huntsville, AL, a couple of months ago. After finding a couple of fossils laying around in the yard, I decided to investigate the wooded area at the back of our property a bit more. Whoa!!! There is a creek bed on the property and the closer you walk to the creek the more rocks you have to walk over. Every single rock I picked up had some kind of fossil in it. The sides of the creek have rocks embedded in them, too. It seems like someone may have looked around a bit in the past (found a small pile of rocks) but many (MANY) of these rocks are in their natural state. Most of them, in fact. It seems overwhelming to me, but I have been delving into understanding the treasures I am finding. I don't understand all of the classification systems, but I found a place online that seems to indicate that we are in the Mississipian Age? The rocks which have been identified so far are all limestone, so I am assuming this one is limestone as well. The soil is VERY red (someone called it ochre red?) and some of it always remains on the rocks after I clean them. The fossils that have been identified so far are fenestella, bryzoan, crinoid. And I think the word fossiliferous was also used? I am a photographer by trade and macro photography is my FAVORITE, so I will post plenty of photos. This particular rock is a very small one compared to most of them. It is also harder than the other ones I have worked with - less "crumbly". The first couple of photos are of the top and the bottom of the rock, to get a general idea of the size and shape of it. The rest of the images are close ups of various areas. Any and all input is appreciated! Is it common to find an area like this where rocks such as this one are very abundant? From what I can tell these are all common fossils, but a great springboard for learning! Hints on how to clean and store the rocks appreciated, too, since there are so very many of them? Thanks!! Ramona
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Hi everyone - I'm a relatively new member here. I live in the MD area and frequently visit the Calvert Cliffs and Potomac for fossil hunting excursions with my two daughters. We even ventured down to Aurora, NC for the Fossil Festival this year and had a blast. My oldest daughter will be attending the week-long Space Camp in Huntsville at the end of August and thusly I will be in town while she is there. I've poked around in the forums and found this question asked before, but without a lot of specifics outlined. I'm looking for specifics on hunting for fossils solo in the area. I have no delusions of finding something remarkable simply laying on the ground, but I'd prefer not to have to spend a week chiseling at bedrock Any suggestions or simply pointing me to better resources would be appreciated. Note: I found the Alabama Paleontological Society's page but there doesn't seem to be any contact form there.
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I found this today in Monte Sano Park off the Sinks trail. The area is known for Mississippian fossils, but I have no clue what this could be. The rock that it is in is unfamiliar to others I have seen in the area. I can tell if it looks marine or something else. The park is right in Huntsville. Maybe somebody here has seen something like this before.
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I found this guy along with a bunch of crinoid stems in a creek in Huntsville AL. I believe it to be some type of coral. Nearby is Bangor Limestone and Hartselle shale. I can’t seem to ID this one.
