Braintree Hunt, Ma

[FossilDAWG]

Hey Orangebuccaneer, really interesting that you can still find Braintree trilobites. I noticed that you labeled your gallery Hayward Quarry trilobites, but my understanding is that the actual quarry was destroyed (blasted out and leveled) when the Quincy Shipyard was expanded in WWII, according to Wheeler (1942) who apparently did some salvage collecting as the quarry was being blasted. Another paper mentions that trilobite fragments could be found in rock fill from the quarry, so I wonder if you have found an area with such fill that you know or surmise is from the quarry, or if you have discovered a productive bedrock outcrop. I don't expect you to give out any site details, just curious if you are collecting from material that actually came originally from Hayward Quarry. Both the Geyer & Landing 2001 paper and a more recent (2005) paper by Fletcher et al indicate that they looked for, and did not find, productive outcrops.

Reading these papers really makes me want to go and collect in Newfoundland. The trilobites are much better preserved there, and although Manuels Brook is off limits it seems there are a number of other sites that may be accessible, especially if one has a small boat.

Don

Edited November 2, 2011 by FossilDAWG

[orangebuccaneer]

I have found an area in which a boat or kayak is needed...I was messing around one day around where the quarry WAS and I found an outcrop with fragments possibly someone else found as well..Its not hard to get there but it's not easy....I dont mind sharing but i want to make sure i covered my area well and that maybe i find a good one.....since noone has found anything there in years...You can also view a really nice one at harvard...free on Sunday...I have been invited in the back and have seen amzing trilobites I am working on a great trilobite spot near rhode island and that will blow your mind...I am close hopefully before snow gets here...Thanks for fixn the pictures i was wondering why and who those pics were..............thanks

[dhk]

hi all

this was my first time hunting in the united states! i was in mass for a school break, and decided to go hunt for braintree trilobites. it was a sunday morning when we left westborough and drove to braintree. we went to go hunt in mill's cove. the rocks there all seemed to be metamorphic. i hopelessly searched for 2 hours straight and had no results. there were absolutely no more sedimentary exposures left there! so i stopped for a while, had a quick bite and a sip of water, then was going to head back by crossing some hills to look somewhere else. but then, i spotted some blue shale-like pieces buried in the soil in a hill. i sat down and started chipping away at the scattered blue shale, and after 30 minutes, i found a few strange black things embedded inside the shale. at first i thought i found some sort of mineral like biotite, but then when i found a few more of them, i noticed that they were fossil wood! there was one specimen where it was preserved orange instead of black, which triggered something inside my mind. the age and species are unknown, but they are currently being ID'd.

pictures coming soon!

PS: when i came back to west borough at 9:00pm, i found out about the amphibian track site in plainville. apparently they were only open for collecting on sundays, which left me puffing with regret!

i could have met dhk!!

Westboro to Braintree????? You drove right through Plainville!!!!! right through... There are tracks with your name on them, there are plants, no trils but other great stuff. Perhaps next time. Love the thread though. DHK

[Nandomas]

aww..

so then that means that my first hunt in the states was a failure..

I guess you enjoyed the field trip, so it was not a failure. Next time ask in advance on TFF... I am sure many people will help you with their advices. :P

Nando

[Bguild]

Resurrecting this thread from the dead! I'm hoping to get out to some new localities in the Massachusetts area this coming summer. Fossils up here aren't so easy to come by and it's been a dream of mine to find remnants of the rare Braintree, MA trilobites. It's my understanding that these fossils are near impossible to find these days, but one can hope and one can study up! Does anyone have information on these guys?

 

Here's some pictures of the Braintree trilobites on display at the Harvard Museum of Natural History that were previously mentioned. I couldn't help, but drool a bit over these guys.

 

 

[Darktooth]

On 3/3/2017 at 12:03 PM, Bguild said:

Resurrecting this thread from the dead! I'm hoping to get out to some new localities in the Massachusetts area this coming summer. Fossils up here aren't so easy to come by and it's been a dream of mine to find remnants of the rare Braintree, MA trilobites. It's my understanding that these fossils are near impossible to find these days, but one can hope and one can study up! Does anyone have information on these guys?

 

Here's some pictures of the Braintree trilobites on display at the Harvard Museum of Natural History that were previously mentioned. I couldn't help, but drool a bit over these guys.

 

 

Make room for one more!