Back to the Carboniferous Period...

[Rockin' Ric]

I got to visit North Alabama again to another location to hunt Carboniferous/Mississippian Period Marine Fossils in March 2022.

Getting up early isn't fun at all, but when you are with your hunting buddies and get to hang with them and others it turns

out to be a fun day of discovery. You couldn't ask for a gorgeous day considering most weekends it was raining, it was sunny, not a cloud in the sky.

It was cold though and it didn't help that the wind was gusting at times to the point where I lost my footing a few times on flat ground!

There were piles of rock in the area, some new... freshly dumped there, and others that had been dumped years ago.

It was the older piles that got my attention. It was there the stone had time to weather from the main slabs where fossils loosened and fallen

out from them! Crinoids, lots of em' as well as Blastoids, Brachiopods and really cool hash plates consisting of

Archimedes/Fenestella in colors that I'm not accustomed to seeing!

I rarely find whole or partial Crinoids other than the 3D stems and segments of ones when I'm out in the field. In this place

I found more than all my hunting days combined, some full and other in pieces like the ones pictured above.

The coolest finds of the day were the 3D Crinoid Flowerette called a Phanocrinus bellulus pictured above.

The before and after picture of the 3D before gluing and a Calyx. The last picture was in a slab of rock that weighed

more than a hundred pounds, so a picture had to do.

Blastoids are one of my favorite hunted Mississippian Period fossils and probably popular among fossil hunters in general.

Some are found in 3D form, others found in hash plates and some smashed beyond recognition... here are a few I found that day.

Another favorite of the Carboniferous/Mississippian fossils are the hash plates. These two hash plates come

from different areas of the state. One is a two color white to beige and the other is a two color gray to blue tint.

I encountered two nesting sites with clutches of eggs from the Killdeer bird. Those eggs are well camouflaged so

stepping on them would of been easy and had to watch my steps! I found it humorous that these birds made use of the

material around them including fossils seen in picture #1! Then there were the tracks made by them in the mud. With the right

environment and chemical processes, these tracks could become trace fossils in a million or so years, how funny is that!

 

What a great hunt that day and ends March 2022 with some great finds!

Being around people with like minds and just enjoying the fellowship, sunshine and gorgeous weather to boot.

Hope to get back to this site soon!

 

[Fossildude19]

Awesome finds and report, Ric!

Thanks for posting.   

[Tidgy's Dad]

That's terrific, those crinoids are incredible! 

Thanks for sharing this wonderful report with us.  

[Pagurus]

Thanks for the photos of the site, along with those wonderful finds! I enjoy these vicarious trips, even if I can't be there myself. Thank you. Along with the eggs and the tracks did you see any of the Kildeer? I always enjoy their antics when they try to attract my attention away from their eggs. Thanks again for sharing your hunt.

[Rockin' Ric]

8 minutes ago, Pagurus said:

Thanks for the photos of the site, along with those wonderful finds! I enjoy these vicarious trips, even if I can't be there myself. Thank you. Along with the eggs and the tracks did you see any of the Kildeer? I always enjoy their antics when they try to attract my attention away from their eggs. Thanks again for sharing your hunt.

 

Yes, I did see them and they are great mama's trying to steer you away from those clutches. Just an awesome sight and sound of those birds. Those eggs of course were undisturbed and warned others to watch out for them.

[Ludwigia]

Great finds. If this wasn't back in March, then you'd have had some FOTM material there.

[Jeffrey P]

Great report and finds. Congratulations. Those Mississippian echinoderms are SWEET! Thanks for sharing.