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WHAT WE LEARNED IN OUR

FIRST FOSSIL HUNTING SUMMER

This is a short recap of what we learned on our fossil trips this summer, in our first 3 months as very new fossil collectors.

This week, Nancy and I gave a slide presentation on our summer fossil hunting experiences, to the Delaware Valley Paleontological Society. We didn't realize it ourselves but in 3 months we visited 8 sites in Pennsylvania and New York including: Antes Creek, Deer Lake, Red Hill, Juniata County, McIntyre Mountain, Montour and St. Clair in Pennsylvania, and a very productive trip to Tully, NY.

We visited St. Clair 4 times, which has become our home site. At St. Clair, we were astonished by the diversity of species - we collected well articulated samples of more than a dozen species including: Alethopteris, Annularia, Asterophyllites, Cordaites, Cyclopteris, Eusphenopteris, Lepidophylloides, Neuropteris, Odontopteris, Pecopteris, Sphenophyllum, Sphenopteris, and numerous Seeds, Bark, Roots. Most notably - I learned to pronounce all of these without stuttering!

At St. Clair, we spent one trip looking exclusively for seeds trigonocarpus), and one trip looking just for roots (stigmaria). Our most significant finds have included very large (2 foot long) display pieces covered with well articulated orange ferns, an alethopteris seed attached to a leaf stem, and many Carboniferous leaves that have different shapes from traditional ferns.

What we learned this summer has really helped us find some interesting fossils - here are a few things we did that helped a lot:

1. DOING OUR HOMEWORK. It helped to study each site in advance using Internet websites and books on fossils (Dave's "Views of the Mahantango" and "Louisville Fossils" are among the best, imho). Several universities also have great educational sites that bring each era to life in very creative and interesting ways, with lots of illustrations and photos. I like the UC-Berkeleyand University of West Virginia websites.

2. LEARNING FROM TRIP REPORTS. We read trip reports from other groups and individuals to see what they reported - sometimes this helps us stumble across new places to visit such as the site at Tully, NY and Deer Lake.

3. SETTING GOALS AND TARGETS FOR EACH TRIP. For each trip, we establish specific goals - for example we may look for seeds, or roots at St. Clair, or trilobites or shell assemblages at a Devonian site. Our interest right now is in looking for things that are scarce or rare, and fossils that are extremely well articulated (which is also rare!). We also like solving puzzles so eventually we would like to find things that help add to the fossil record in areas where there are still questions or missing links.

4. DISPLAYING WHAT WE FIND. Personally, Nancy and I like collecting larger fossils that we can display in mounts and frames, and we are also looking for larger pieces that we can display like sculptures - we have a few pieces that we drilled holes in, inserted wooden dowels that we stained, and then drilled/inserted the dowels in wooden trophy bases - all available from a craft store. This allows us to display thicker fossils esp. assemblages, like sculptures, and you can turn them around and look at all sides when they are mounted like this.

5. WE AVOID FOSSIL HORDING. We both agreed that we would NOT become "fossil horders" putting hundreds of rocks in boxes and sticking them away in the basement or garage - instead, we focus on finding display-quality items, and rare or scarce finds which we are slowly putting in frames.

6. DOCUMENTING OUR FINDS WITH CLOSEUP PHOTOS. We photograph everything we find as soon as possible after returning from a trip, using a digital camera with a closeup attachment - many times we find new discoveries while taking closeup photos and some of our best finds came AFTER we returned from the trip and inspected our fossils. I usually put the finds on a white background on an ironing board and use window light, nothing fancy, but it works.

7. FOSSIL ID. We post anything we can't identify on the Fossil Forum and are EXTREMELY grateful for the terrific response from our friends on the site! We are also accumulating a growing library of fossil books (some modern, some from the 19th and early 20th century) so we can identify more fossils ourselves without having to post on Fossil ID.

8. WRITING ABOUT OUR EXPERIENCES GIVES US NEW INSIGHTS. We report everything that interests and excites us about fossil hunting on Fossil Forum to share our experiences - and we find that writing about what we're doing helps us learn more and gain insights, just from writing about it. We have also started videotaping some of our adventures and are thinking about the best place to post some of these.

9. WINTER PLANS: COPING WITH CABIN FEVER. Our winter plans are to visit one or two more sites, then go into "fossil hibernation" and organize, identify and label fossils we haven't processed yet. We have a Dremel to do some light preservation work where needed. We are not planning to become "chemical conservators" - using chemicals to dissolve limestone and so forth - that's a bit too ambitious for us at this point. We may get involved in some interesting activities by local universities that are using 3D printing to process and replicate large dinosaur bones. We are also planning to provide an exhibit (on Carboniferous plants and trees/coal swamps) at a fossil fair in April.

10. RECOMMENDED READING: I enjoy reading fossil books - I'm currently reading with great interest a small book entitled "Leaves and Stems from Fossil Forests" by Raymond E. Janssen (1939) which I bought last night at the DVPS meeting, and a textbook entitled Introduction to Paleobiology and the Fossil Record by Benton and Harper (2008) (excellent book). The book that has been the most useful to me so far is the classic book "Fossil Collecting in Pennsylvania" by Hoskins et. al. (3rd ed. 1983). I am constantly re-reading the Hoskins book and find something new each time as my knowledge grows. A book that impressed Nancy and me is a large beautifully illustrated book entitled "Prehistoric Life: The Definitive Visual History of Life on Earth" (published by Dorling Kindersley, 2012)

UPDATE (Oct 11): Nancy is taking some college courses which are prerequisites to enter grad school, so I am doing most of the fossil reading and ID. I read several books at the same time and other books I purchased that I am currently reading are: Paleobotany: The Biology and Evolution of Fossil Plants (second edition) by Thomas Taylor; and Introduction to Paleobiology and the Fossil Record by Benton and Harper.

I guess you can tell from this that I'm reading up on fossil plants - my main interest is not just to understand the evolution and fossil record, identification tips, etc. - but also to try to figure out where the missing links and gaps are so if we come across something that adds to the fossil record, we will be able to recognize the value. What is most surprising is that there is a lot missing from the Carboniferous record - partly because after this period, many of the oceans and swamps apparently dried up and there were ice ages and other factors that caused mass extinctions.

Here are some interesting things I have learned this summer about Fossil Plants and Trees:

1. More Carboniferous insect fossils and evidence of insects are needed (by the way, there are some GREAT current discussions about insects on this forum!).

2. Many categories of lycopsids and other Carboniferous trees and plants do not have verified associations between the leaves and seeds, or leaves and trunks/stems. Many trigonocarpus (fossilized seeds and "fruits") are found with leaves, but examples of seeds actually ATTACHED to leaf sprigs are rare (we have found one example of a seed attached to Alethopteris).

3. More Leaf and Bark Verifications are Needed. Another interesting thing I learned is that there are more than 30 different types of "scale tree" patterns but only half a dozen leaves for these trees - suggesting that a lot of different species had the same leaves - or - there are a lot of missing leaf types or the existing leaf types have not been matched to the bark patterns yet.

4. Another peculiar revelation is that most Carboniferous leaves that do not fall neatly into classic fern shapes seem to be lumped together as "sphenopteris" - we have many "non-traditional fern" leaf fossils that are VERY different from each other and obviously different species, but when we go online to ID them, they all seem to be grouped as "sphenopteris!" Maybe some of these leaf types match up with the bark patterns I mentioned.

5. Last but certainly not least is the insight that fern trees could have 2 or 3 different types of leaves on the same tree! This was really interesting. Also, some leaf types can come in different shapes - for example, Neuropteris can be round at the base of a stem and elongated along the stem and at the tip...AND...some paleobotanists now classify cyclopteris - the round fan shaped leaf - as a form of Neuropteris. This definitely adds to the confusion.

I'm still reading and trying to understand all of this and these are only my initial impressions, which are still forming and there may be explanations for some of these questions that I haven't discovered yet but these are the questions that I am trying to answer by reading, and of course, by fossil collecting. I hope that many of our new friend (and I should add, VERY COOL new friends!) on the fossil forum will help clarify some of these interesting questions.

Hope this is helpful.

Edited by hitekmastr
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Wow. I could only dream of being this organized, methodical, etc. Kudo's to you guys for being so well organized right from the get-go as new fossil collectors. I would think that this sort of thing would only come after years of experience. I really liked your thoughts on not becoming a fossil horder. Now that I have tens of thousands of sharks teeth, I refrain from collecting teeth I don't "need", and isntead, donate alot to friends, coworkers, kids, etc.

Daryl.

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Michael,

Kudos to you on your well thought out strategies. I'll echo Daryl's words, - wish I was this organized!

Your methods are working, and that is the greatest testament to the successful implementation you are practicing.

I think all newbies should read this, and try to emulate at least some of your practices.

You and Nancy are obviously a great team, and I look forward to your continued success and "paleontological " growth.

I enjoy your posts, and am learning things along with you.

Regards,

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    Tim    -  VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER

   MOTM.png.61350469b02f439fd4d5d77c2c69da85.png      PaleoPartner.png.30c01982e09b0cc0b7d9d6a7a21f56c6.png.a600039856933851eeea617ca3f2d15f.png     Postmaster1.jpg.900efa599049929531fa81981f028e24.jpg    VFOTM.png.f1b09c78bf88298b009b0da14ef44cf0.png  VFOTM  --- APRIL - 2015  

__________________________________________________
"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks."

John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~   ><))))( *>  About Me      

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This is an exemplary "post game report", and will benefit all collectors who read it. I am going to pin it to assure that more do!

"There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant

“Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley

>Paleontology is an evolving science.

>May your wonders never cease!

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Thanks for your kind words - it makes the effort worthwhile and encourages us to keep sharing whatever insights we stumble across.

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Regarding fossil collecting you ' Took to it like ducks to water '... is the saying...I look forward to seeing some of your choice fossil displays... Great to have you on board....

Cheers Steve... And Welcome if your a New Member... :)

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  • 2 weeks later...

GREAT POST! So informative. Please consider posting some of your mounted and framed fossils for inspiration to us all! THANK YOU!

The more I learn, I realize the less I know.

:wacko:
 
 

Go to my

Gallery for images of Fossil Jewelry, Sculpture & Crafts
 

Pinned Posts:

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GREAT POST! So informative. Please consider posting some of your mounted and framed fossils for inspiration to us all! THANK YOU!

I promise to post some displays as soon as we finish some. We took some Riker mounts to the Delaware Valley Paleo Society to show as part of our presentation and they turned out really great - I just received a case of deeper (2 inch) mounts and will be experimenting with those - in some cases the heavier larger pieces need to have velcro on the back and I just stick the velcro to the Riker cotton just to keep things from slipping and sliding, although I still have to keep things pretty flat (not vertical). Working on vertical framed versions that can be hung on the wall while keeping the fossils in position. Also, with my new Dremel, I hope to drill some precision holes in the Deer Lake and other "shell aggregation" pieces to mount on platforms. Also, musing this week about what a "fossil art" sculpture might look like if there were several pieces arranged like a multiple-rock sculpture with the individual pieces all on some kind of vertical rods that allow them to be turned for inspection - this would be more complex but thinking about how this might work. This is because one 5 or 8 inch rock doesn't look like much although it looks nice mounted as I described, but 4 or 5 rocks that size covered with fossils, viewable on all sides by turning on axles, that would be a larger piece of "fossil art" and more appealing. So that's what I'm thinking about as a winter project and I'll post some photos if I succeed - well, okay - I'll post some pictures even if I don't succeed!

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thats amazing totally organized i keep forgetting to take sticking plasters

Enjoyed reading about your fossilized bird skulls!

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Exemplary post indeed and helpful so for the new, as for us older collectors!

Congratulations to both members of your powerful team, Michael!

''...We also like solving puzzles so eventually we would like to find things that help add to the fossil record in areas where there are still questions or missing links...''

And please add my island to your program. :)

Astrinos P. Damianakis

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Exemplary post indeed and helpful so for the new, as for us older collectors!

Congratulations to both members of your powerful team, Michael!

''...We also like solving puzzles so eventually we would like to find things that help add to the fossil record in areas where there are still questions or missing links...''

And please add my island to your program. :)

Thank you so much - we are especially enjoying meeting so many new friends from different parts of the world who share the same interest, enthusiasm and are trying to solve many of the same problems. Fossil collecting is the ultimate global network since many of the geological formations and fossil beds extend across the U.S., Europe, Asia and other parts of the world and many of us in different countries are looking at the same formations, fossils, and trying to answer the same questions. It's great fun and opens windows every day on parts of our pre-history that were previously invisible or unknown.

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  • 5 months later...

Thank you so much - we are especially enjoying meeting so many new friends from different parts of the world who share the same interest, enthusiasm and are trying to solve many of the same problems. Fossil collecting is the ultimate global network since many of the geological formations and fossil beds extend across the U.S., Europe, Asia and other parts of the world and many of us in different countries are looking at the same formations, fossils, and trying to answer the same questions. It's great fun and opens windows every day on parts of our pre-history that were previously invisible or unknown.

I'll go along with that. It's good to keep in touch.

 

Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger

http://www.steinkern.de/

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  • 2 months later...

Come winter, we'll look forward to photos of your fossil mounts like gardeners who drool over seed catalogs while it's snowing outside!

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I'm a hoarder.

Haha - we all are hoarders in some way. We have a room in our house my wife calls our "fossil museum" where we collect and process our finds but it's getting a bit crowded. We are trying very hard to resist the temptation to collect and hoard fossils in boxes - trying to collect rare or extremely well articulated finds that are unique, trying to make finds that will add to the fossil record, and collecting fossils that can be displayed. We feel that displaying fossils is a cool way of keeping a collection so they don't wind up in boxes and eventually get disposed of.

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Congrats on the great approach to collecting and displaying. After cleaing out a fossil hoarder's house after she died I'm no longer a hoarder. I grew up in the area where you are now. A great wintertime project is to find a library (normally a university - Ursinus & kutztown might be a starting point for you) that has the PRINTED (much of the online material has had the locality information redacted) volumes from the PA geoloic survey and research possible localities. Don't overlook road cuts you drive by every day - Stop and Look!

“Beautiful is what we see. More beautiful is what we understand. Most beautiful is what we do not comprehend.” N. Steno

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  • 6 months later...

Very informative as a nubie, i have book marked the books for buying later maybe chrimbo pressies wanted. look fwd to hearing more.

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  • 5 months later...
On ‎5‎/‎26‎/‎2014 at 3:47 PM, hitekmastr said:

Haha - we all are hoarders in some way. We have a room in our house my wife calls our "fossil museum" where we collect and process our finds but it's getting a bit crowded. We are trying very hard to resist the temptation to collect and hoard fossils in boxes - trying to collect rare or extremely well articulated finds that are unique, trying to make finds that will add to the fossil record, and collecting fossils that can be displayed. We feel that displaying fossils is a cool way of keeping a collection so they don't wind up in boxes and eventually get disposed of.

I am getting a few boxes going, I am goona see if the local library is interested.

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