Enafter Posted August 6, 2020 Share Posted August 6, 2020 I found two ichthyosaur ribs and a fern leaf on my local beach, yesterday. Unfortunately for me, they were in a massive slab which probably weighed no less than 25-30kg. At first I tried using my chisel and hammer to try and split up the rock into more manageable chunks but that didn't seem to work. Moreover, the bits of rock were flaking dangerously close to the fossils. I then tried rolling the rock, and this worked for a while until it rolled into a pit where it got stuck. With the tide coming in, I was forced to leave the slab. Now this got me thinking: How do people go about getting big and heavy slabs off the beach without specialist equipment. I was thinking of maybe coming back to the beach tomorrow to try again to see if I can still find the slab and bring it home. Some methods of transportation I've been thinking of include: Rolling it onto a flat board and dragging it over the rocks. Putting it in a carrier bag then dragging it. More information: The beach is very rocky The tide comes in very fast so I'll only have around 20 minutes to get it past the tideline I don't have a stone saw or any other similar equipment I don't think its of any scientific value, but it would definitely be one of my best fossils. If anyone could give any advice on how to go about getting big slabs like this off the beach it would be great! Thank you! Also I'm sleeping for the next 12 hours so probably won't be able to reply Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpc Posted August 6, 2020 Share Posted August 6, 2020 Bring a few friends and a stretcher. Buy them a beer afterwards. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimB88 Posted August 7, 2020 Share Posted August 7, 2020 Maybe a 2 wheel dolly or a 4 wheel wagon? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted August 7, 2020 Share Posted August 7, 2020 I'll go along with jpc. Nothing like a bit of company 1 Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilNerd Posted August 7, 2020 Share Posted August 7, 2020 3 hours ago, jpc said: Bring a few friends and a stretcher. Buy them a beer afterwards. You had me at beer! Seriously though, I agree with JP, a few friends with strong backs should do the trick. 2 The good thing about science is that it's true whether or not you believe in it. -Neil deGrasse Tyson Everyone you will ever meet knows something you don't. -Bill Nye (The Science Guy) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuMert Posted August 7, 2020 Share Posted August 7, 2020 7 hours ago, jpc said: Bring a few friends and a stretcher. Buy them a beer afterwards. That's the way to go. Simple and effective. But if you want a heavy lifting experiment, watch this 2 My sites & reports Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnJ Posted August 7, 2020 Share Posted August 7, 2020 @mamlambo The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true. - JJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erose Posted August 9, 2020 Share Posted August 9, 2020 A good camera.... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpc Posted August 9, 2020 Share Posted August 9, 2020 mamlambo's video might work, but it sounds like your beach is very rocky... could be tough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plax Posted August 10, 2020 Share Posted August 10, 2020 Two sturdy sticks and some rope with one friend. Tie up the rock and tie to the two poles midway. Sort of the stretcher mentioned earlier. Or even a single pole over each shoulder of the two carriers. Can see how a slab doesn't lend itself to a shoulder heft and haul. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TOM BUCKLEY Posted August 11, 2020 Share Posted August 11, 2020 If the slab isn't too thick, a rock saw may whittle it down to size. They can be rented. Tom 1 AVOCATIONAL PALEONTOLOGIST STROKE SURVIVOR CANCER SURVIVOR CURMUDGEON "THERE IS A VERY FINE LINE BETWEEN AVOCATIONAL PALEONTOLOGY AND MENTAL ILLNESS" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enafter Posted August 24, 2020 Author Share Posted August 24, 2020 So I haven't been on in a while as I lost my phone, but now I've found it. I actually went back about 2 days ago to try and get it off the beach with a good friend of mine and a stretcher but we didn't find it. The sea must've carried it away, either that or I just didn't see it. In any case, Thanks for all the brilliant suggestions! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted August 24, 2020 Share Posted August 24, 2020 7 hours ago, Enafter said: So I haven't been on in a while as I lost my phone, but now I've found it. I actually went back about 2 days ago to try and get it off the beach with a good friend of mine and a stretcher but we didn't find it. The sea must've carried it away, either that or I just didn't see it. In any case, Thanks for all the brilliant suggestions! That's really a pity. I'm sure it must be there somewhere. The question is just where? Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamlambo Posted September 5, 2020 Share Posted September 5, 2020 Sorry for the late reply, I've tried a few different ways to get things off the beach that are in the 100+kg (220lbs+) range. I've found building a sled to go over the rocks with a 2ton pulley to work well for smaller distances like a 50 to 100m. We managed to get this 200kg piece of petrified wood off the beach using a sled, pulley and homemade wagon: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now