Fossil Hunting In Oklahoma

[sweeneyb]

Are there any pay to hunt sites for trilobites in Oklahoma? or good locations in general to check out?

[Roz]

I haven't been there but hear there are trilos...

I know he lets groups in so maybe give him a call..

Black Cat Mountain

[LanceH]

I don't think anyone will mention any specific site publically here.

Experienced hunters protect their best sites like fisherman protect their best ponds which is the wise move.

Your best bet is to dig into the old geologic literature and learn what layers produce what critters and then target those layers on a geologic map like a treasure hunter.

"Geology is the Keyology ©" to better fossil hunting.

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Your profile says you are in Big Spring, Texas. Here's the geologic sheet for that region:

http://www.twdb.stat...ig%20spring.htm

There are Cretaceous (Ktf) deposits AND Triassic (Trd) deposits in the mountains to the southeast. The Triassic age Dockum Formation (Trd) deposits are famous for early reptiles and other stuff. There is quite a lot of geologic and palentological literature about the Dockum Formation.

Edited January 14, 2011 by LanceHall

[jpc]

I met Leon Theisen at the Denver show a few months ago. He allows people to dig for trilobites on his land, too. It costs 200 bucks for a day, but if your interested, here's the link. One thing to keep mind if you go to one of these OK trilo places is that you will not find really beautiful trlobites like theyshow on their websites... you will find cross sectioned, or barely exposed trilos that need a lot of prep work... generally air abrasive work.

Good luck. Keep us posted.

[PaleoRon]

I met Leon Theisen at the Denver show a few months ago. He allows people to dig for trilobites on his land, too. It costs 200 bucks for a day, but if your interested, here's the link. One thing to keep mind if you go to one of these OK trilo places is that you will not find really beautiful trlobites like theyshow on their websites... you will find cross sectioned, or barely exposed trilos that need a lot of prep work... generally air abrasive work.

Good luck. Keep us posted.

I talked with him when I was in Oklahoma this summer and he told me it was $200 for a beer/soda flat of material and he keeps the rare bugs you find, not $200 for a full day of unlimited collecting. I didn't take him up on his offer but I did buy a prep-at-home trilobite from him.

[piranha]

I talked with him when I was in Oklahoma this summer and he told me it was $200 for a beer/soda flat of material and he keeps the rare bugs you find, not $200 for a full day of unlimited collecting. I didn't take him up on his offer but I did buy a prep-at-home trilobite from him.

Sounds pricey to me especially considering what JPC already pointed out. You won't find too many bugs 'popping' out of the matrix. And a cross-section trilobite requires a very skilled hand with the proper setup to extract it from the matrix. The spiny bugs are NOT beginner fossils for prepping that's for sure! For $200 he should let you keep the rarer bugs with the understanding that he preps them for you at the going rate. It just seems unfair to break your back in the hot sun only to have to turn over anything 'good' at the end of the day. If that's the case he should pay you the $200 bucks. The ondontopleurids are rarely articulated or complete anyway. I'm curious which ones are OK to keep and which ones aren't? Sorry if I don't sound that excited about a flat full of Oklahoma phacopids or a few Dicranurus scraps for such a high price.

Oh well, it's no different than a $8 beer at the ball game .... if you're thirsty have at it!