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As part of our recent tour through the Carolinas, Tammy and I stopped for a bit at the Aurora Fossil Museum (Aurora, NC) to walk through the museum itself as well as to have fun playing in the "sandbox" across the street. The local phosphate mine dumps fine gravel from the mining process in a big pile (two, actually) across from the museum so visitors can hunt for fossils in the fossil-rich gravel without having to deal with the liability issues of coming to the open-pit phosphate mine itself. I'm not quite sure if the fossiliferous gravel represents the Pungo River Marl (Lower Miocene), the Yorktown (Early Pliocene), or a mixture of these and other formations at the mine so the stratigraphy is muddled and likely impossible to determine from this off-site location. We were in luck in that the gravel piles were "turned" that morning exposing fresh material at the surface. It had also rained persistently for several days so the piles were a bit of a sticky mess. I think this made it all the more fun for the young fossil hunters we met on the piles. I was only interested in collecting some of the finer material to look through back home for micro-fossils and so we made use of our sifting screens to remove the larger shark teeth helping the kids to increase their finds. http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/topic/87495-epic-carolinas-roadtrip/&do=findComment&comment=950166 I've been busy since returning from this trip but I did manage to wash the sticky silt from the Lee Creek micro-matrix we collected from the piles and dry and store it for later perusal. I had to try a sample of this to gauge the fossil density and get an idea of what was hiding in there as this was a novel micro-matrix source for me (though it has been offered several times on this forum). I've been quite impressed with the density and diversity of mostly tiny shark teeth and other items I'm used to seeing in marine-based micro-matrix. There are some novel species that I'm not used to seeing in micro-matrix from South Florida. In particular, these nice little shark teeth with the cool side cusps were a welcome surprise. They are roughly 3 mm across the root and about 4 mm high. As these popped out of the first small sample that I picked through, I'm guessing these are quite common and well known by the folks familiar with this material. I'm hoping @powelli1 or @sixgill pete or @Al Dente might be able to provide an ID from the image below. Even more interesting that the shark teeth was what appears to be a claw core that also appeared in this small sampling of the micro-matrix. I don't know my claw cores very well--unless it is an enormous ground sloth core from Florida (still high in my Florida fossil bucket list). I don't even know enough to know if this would be from a bird, reptile, or mammal but I'm sure this forum will come to my aid and offer some clues to what I've found. In particular, @Auspex should be able to quickly made an avian/non-avian determination. As a size reference, this item is about 8.5 mm in overall length and around 4 mm at its widest width. Looking forward to another bit of forum-based education tailored to the items that have recently encountered. Cheers. -Ken

I ordered some fossil matrix from the Aurora Museum shop in North Carolina. The kids had an absolute blast going through it! We found a very worn vertebra that I was hoping someone might be able to identify. There was also another bone that looks awfully distinctive, but I have no idea what it is. Thanks in advance!

I was going through some Aurora Creek matrix, and I found that this tooth was a bit more unusual than the rest. Its root is a bit wider and its blade is shorter than the other teeth I have found. I'm thinking it could either be an angel shark tooth or a hammerhead shark tooth.

Hello all! I found an odd looking tooth at Aurora NC. I believe it is a porpoise tooth, however it is unlike those porpoise teeth I have found at the Claert Cliffs because it has enamel halfway up the tooth. What is the Aurora Tooth? Thanks!

Forgot I had this one on the shelf. Would love additional input. Thanks again.

Hoping i found something other than just vertebra while there lol. Thanks again.

Found this with the recently identified whale vertebra. Thanks for the help so far.

Found this a couple of years ago while searching in the phosphate mine spoils in Aurora. Not sure exactly what it is.

MHello everyone. The 25th annual Aurora Fossil Festival is in the books, and a great time was had by all. Besides being able to see some old friends and acquaintances from the forum ( @MikeR @Plax @SailingAlongToo @Boesse @Al Dente @Jniederkorn @Daleksec along with the young man @powelli1 and I'm sure I've missed a few) I also was privileged to finally meet our own @FossilDAWG. Lots of great fossils on display. The three Don's (Plax, myself and FossilDawg) Some shots of mine and plax's displays.

Aurora Fossil Festival this weekend. We (actually I) want to see some pictures people!!!

Hi all! The Mace Brown Museum of Natural History will have a table in the community center this saturday at the Aurora Fossil Festival. I'm currently trying to write up the marine mammal assemblage from Belgrade Quarry, which appears to be transitional between the upper Oligocene Chandler Bridge Formation here in Charleston and the late early Miocene assemblage from the Pungo River Formation in the Lee Creek Mine. Bring your Belgrade marine mammal specimens to our table, I'd like to see them! Several members of this group and the exceedingly generous North Carolina Fossil Club have already donated a bunch of great specimens including earbones and teeth. Also, I just realized I accidentally left @sixgill pete off of this flyer - thanks to him as well!

Looking to explore an area outside of our "home base" this Sunday. Plan to head out Sat evening and venture to the Calvert Cliffs area, OR Aurora, NC for an early Sunday hunt. Any tenured hunters of shark teeth have a recommendation on which direction may be best? Pros/cons of each locale? Would love to meet up with an expert/local in either area. Not to discover your honey hole or special spots, but to learn the lay of the land and laws to make sure we stay in the right, and some general knowledge tips on hunting in either place. Thanks!!

Found this in the Pungo River Fm of Lee Creek (Miocene). I'm pretty sure it's a Carcharhinid, and more than likely a lower tooth, but that's all I got. Half-inch in length, smooth cusp (even under micro), strong foramen, curved root base. Maybe there is a slight notch in the blade (left side, labial view), but I can't be sure that's not a nick. My first thought was Lemon Shark, but the tooth is too triangular, and the base of the root has a very definitive curve. Then I thought hammerhead of some sort. Photos in order: Lingual, Labial, side Ideas?

Hafa adai everyone, greetings from Guam! Been sortin' through the collection and came across my Lee Creek bird finds. I have about a half-dozen bird vertebra. Does anyone know anyone who might be able to ID? I also have a large-ish bird vert from Calvert Cliffs. Thanks in advance!

Hello all, I recently visited Aurora Fossil Museum again, and I found this piece of a shark tooth. Now I am fully aware that making an id by a piece very well may be impossible. However, I also know that many of you are very knowledgeable. Here it is, take a stab at helping me identify it if you don’t mind. It has no serrations, so I know it’s not from the carcharocles line. The root is very conical.

Hello all! So, I recently took a trip to the Aurora Fossil museum in NC. I hunted for some teeth while there, and truly enjoyed the exhibits as well. I found nearly a 3 inch fragment of a meg. The main reason I was there, however, was because I was told that to get my little meg Identified for certain, I needed to get it looked at in person. So I took it there asking for an ID by Dr. George, the fossil museum educator and I was finally given the 100% certain thumbs up that my little tooth was from a megalodon and they were kind enough to give me a little case to put it in. I also found lots of other teeth too! Check it out sometime, it’s awesome there.

Bryzoans are difficult! Can someone at least help me with a genus? From Miocene times, from Aurora, North Carolina.

I put a low bid on this not thinking I would win? Then I did so I want to make sure this is what I think it is. It was labeled as squalodon, is this true? Should be here soon, until then here are the sellers photos, it’s from lee creek mine, Aurora, NC. Remember a fossil hunting friend of mine looked for one for many decades till he finally found one last year and was ecstatic. So o thought they were rare, but with the price I payed I’m starting to doubt that. I’m going to save y’all the trouble of calling @Boesse to the thread and do it myself.

Hello! I've been trying to identify some fossils from Aurora, North Carolina. My sister sent them to me, now that I have started collecting fossils again (after a LONG hiatus of 45+ years). Some I think I have done correctly, but corrections most welcome. I'm not too familiar with the fossils of this area OR Era. (Pennsylvanian fossils of Pennsylvania is what I have hunted/found). I've made the clearest photos I could (I am a bit shaky with the camera sometimes). Here are my attempts (and requests for help!) A: Sea Urchin Spine B: Lemon Shark Negaprion sp C (1,2,& 3): Tiger Shark - Galeocerdo (contortus?) D through J: Sand TIger Shark Tooth K: A tooth? A claw? I have no idea! L: Do not know M: Do not know N: Rootless Sand Tiger Shark tooth? O: I have no idea! P: A coral? Stromatolite? Q: I have no idea! R: Sponge Thank you for your attention. As I learn and study, I hope to be able to help in the future! I've been gathering books to study, and enjoy this subject very much! David Ruckser I have combined the photos into one; I can certainly upload individuals if needed.

Found this in some Matrix from Aurora, NC yesterday. I'm not sure whether it's a seal tooth, or a porpoise tooth, or something else entirely... Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance... -Bill

Found yesterday in some matrix from Aurora, NC. I think it's an Invertebrate, but not 100% positive... Thanks in advance... -Bill