Monster Amber Specimens Have Been Found!

[Tennessees Pride]

On the evening of september 16th. 2013, right @ dark, Amber fossil resin was discovered for the first time ever in Henderson county,TN. This discovery was made by myself. On the afternoon of september 20th. 2013, i discovered a specimen of Amber that my wildest dreams had never imagined! Hahhaaa....yea!!! It snatched away the previous state record sized specimen from the late (& great!) Professor Bruce Wade, like it wasn't even there! His record specimen was about a inch and a half in diameter, and it stood for 99 years until i came along on that fateful day! It is an honor for my name and accomplishments to even be mentioned in the same paragraph as mr. Wade's.....here's to you Bruce!!! The sept.20th. specimen has rough demensions of about 4in×3in×2in thick., and a lovely red color. It's exact weight is 149.2 grams, or 5.263 oz. Needless to say, i went straight awol crazy after finding that!.......so......the story doesn't end here! No sir!.....was struck down w/ the worst case of "Amber-Fever" the world has ever seen! (still haven't been able to shake it off) so there i was hunting in the middle of the pouring rain on the afternoon of nov. 22 nd. 2013 when the magic happened again. Found the largest Amber specimen i've ever seen in my life. It's about the size of a hamburger. (Robble-Robble! ). So, barely 2 months after breaking the state record, & before it could even be documented.....i broke my own record......here's to you Bruce Wade! Rest in peace Brother! These discoveries of mine i have for the most part been relatively secretive about. Since finding the wonderful objects, i have began to actively work with a prestigious University and two intellectuals that it is truely an honor to meet. I must for present remain somewhat secretive about sites/locations/time periods/ stratigraphy/lithology......ect., ect. Because revealing that information will jeopardize their work, and i could never do that. If i like it or not,it is the way it has to be until all has been finished. This experience has taught me that patience is truely a virtue, good science doesn't happen overnight,but painfully takes an untold amount of months....but, it just has to be that way. But when all is finally completed, Henderson county and the great state of Tennessee can take pride in their true-blue "native son", and the wonderful things that lie right in their back yard. Praise YAHVEH!

[Tennessees Pride]

The Amber that started it all. Photo taken sept 16th 2013, shortly after discovery. The largest specimen roughly tied the existing state record that night.

[Tennessees Pride]

A lovely selection of Tennessee Fossil Resin.

[Tennessees Pride]

Pic#1, under that ugly crust is a sight for sore eyes....pic#2 another view of selected Tennessee material.

[JohnJ]

Bruce Wade

A burst of intense geological exploration and interpretation of the eastern Mississippi Embayment marked the first three decades of the 20th century. Bruce Wade, a Vanderbilt and Johns Hopkins-trained geologist, played a central role in the interpretation of the stratigraphy and paleontology of the Cretaceous deposits of West Tennessee. He discovered and described the perfectly preserved and extensive fauna of the Coon Creek fossil site, made detailed county stratigraphic studies, and is credited with discovering the first fossil insect preserved in amber reported from North America. Wade served in World War I and later worked in the oil industry in Mexico as an exploration geologist in the early 1920's. His promising career was cut short by a severe illness which left him confined in hospitals for the rest of his life. He died at the age of 84 in relative obscurity.

[Tennessees Pride]

The big-boy.....Robble-Robble....

[Tennessees Pride]

More views....

[fossilized6s]

Very cool! Congrats on the record, and more importantly helping science, and in part indirectly helping all of us!

[Tennessees Pride]

The first large specimen.

[Tennessees Pride]

Very cool! Congrats on the record, and more importantly helping science, and in part indirectly helping all of us!

Thank you very much Fossilized6s! Scientific studies are certainly underway @ present, but this being my first time dealing w/ this type material, i never dreamed it would take so long to test stuff like this,it is an incredibly slow process....you just wouldn't believe it! On a brighter note, excavations & that type of documentation go alittle faster. Still,it takes a long time for all the required documentation to come together and be published in one concise way....man, i can hardly wait to read the published works!....it'll be awhile. But when it happens, i'd like to post the pdf on here that day.

[Tennessees Pride]

Because i'm all hung-up on superlatives, i contacted an expert in Fossil Resin to ask how these specimens ranked in terms of size with everything else that has been found in America. (This person i won't name, because i haven't asked to quote their opinions) i was assured that the two large specimens are in the top 10 largest ever found in the U.S.A.! Needless to say i almost droped the phone. wasn't really expecting to hear that,cause i'd saw some pretty big chunks on the net, however, they were from overseas. Amber specimens just don't get that big over here. But in the same breath i was told that size isn't an indicator of value.......but what may be found as inclusions in the Amber....that is whay makes the value sky-rocket. I t seems to me, the inclusions won't be a problem w/ these pieces either! The red specimen has them, but i can't tell what...i do believe something big is in it.......but the largest example.....it's a jungle in there man!!!!! Under magnification, one will get lost and never find their way out! I don't even know what all i'm seeing, it's just completely filled full of crazy stuff....i'm seeing hairy legs and pieces of botanicals, bacteria (i guess), white milky droplets, and who knows what else! Another thing i might point out....big specimens from overseas like one sees on the net.....their age can't even touch this American stuff. As bad as i would like to donate these items, i just can't bring myself to do it, my daughter will inherit this. I have stated on numerous occasions though that if a small sample of the big stuff needs to be tested, i will be more than agreeable to the proposition.

Edited April 8, 2014 by Tennessees Pride

[Auspex]

...As bad as i would like to donate these items, i just can't bring myself to do it, my daughter will inherit this. I have stated on numerous occasions though that if a small sample of the big stuff needs to be tested, i will be more than agreeable to the proposition.

It would be highly unusual for a researcher to publish on a specimen that is not under the perpetual curation of a museum. Published research is only as valuable as the results are reproducible.

[Tennessees Pride]

So without further ado, let me announce: The prep has began. Gonna try for that invert/plant find of the month. Granted, these specimens will be alittle on the ugly side to some, but in terms of Amber, they're a grandslam! I don't know, we'll see what happens. All that needs to be done @ this point is the fine polishing, which i have held off on, for lack of knowing what to use. If anyone has good ideas, i am open for suggestions. If forced i can produce "in situ" shots,(but i will have to resize them) this stuff has been fully documented by myself, but i've been reluctant to post them to look out for the University's interests, and the rules don't specifically say "before, in situ photos".

Edited April 8, 2014 by Tennessees Pride

[JohnJ]

.... Since finding the wonderful objects, i have began to actively work with a prestigious University and two intellectuals that it is truely an honor to meet. I must for present remain somewhat secretive about sites/locations/time periods/ stratigraphy/lithology......ect., ect. Because revealing that information will jeopardize their work, and i could never do that. If i like it or not,it is the way it has to be until all has been finished. ....

.... As bad as i would like to donate these items, i just can't bring myself to do it, my daughter will inherit this. I have stated on numerous occasions though that if a small sample of the big stuff needs to be tested, i will be more than agreeable to the proposition.

They are yours to do with as you desire and no one can say otherwise. However, I would personally not want to jeopardize any scientific value in the attempt to do "significant preparation" just to enter them into the FOTM contest. The science is more important than an award, to me.

You alluded to working with a university regarding the specimens. Are there specific university or museum researchers interested in publishing on these finds? If so, what Auspex mentioned would apply. If it was me, I would donate the largest to an interested researcher and let them prep it. If any new species were found in the sample, you could ask that one or more be named after your daughter.

[fossilnoggin]

congrats!!

back in the mid 1990s, the cretaceous (turonian 90-94mya) sayreville amber site was in its heyday. i only made probably a dozen trips to the site. wish i had made 10 times that. i didn't recognize what we had there at the time. anyway, from my relatively paltry number of trips (compared to other collectors), i managed to find a new species of beetle, and numerous other insects. they were very common. one day a friend and i were digging, and found a large piece of amber. no measurements unfortunately, but i believe it to be a good deal larger than the ones you have come across. it broke in 2, and i would guess it weighed over 1lb. we were excited. but it was mostly oxidized with 1 part being a little opaque. we donated it to the amnh, and it is probably in storage somewhere wasting away. i have heard of other large pieces from sayreville, one baseball sized and clear. am sure there were many other larger pieces found.

so keep looking! my bet is you will find something larger.

btw, i donated that beetle to the amnh as well. along with a wood gnat i found from another location a few towns away that only produced smaller specs of amber and a few insects. i miss the specimens but honestly they would just be in my display case. and as they were new to science, they are better off in the hands of the scientists. there was a textbook written about the sayreville site and in it, the author thanked all the amatuer collectors who donated specimens. there were very many. and almost everyone had a new species. some were named after the collectors who found them. i would suggest you consider doanting, or at least put them on loan.

[Tennessees Pride]

It would be highly unusual for a researcher to publish on a specimen that is not under the perpetual curation of a museum. Published research is only as valuable as the results are reproducible.

Sir, the two large specimens will NOT be published in the official report by the University, the most i can hope for in that report will be a passing citation in the preliminary report that i have written and was agreed would somewhere find inclusion in the main report. It is heartbreaking to, but i simply can't donate this material. And the University and primary author reserve the right for final edit, some any passing comment i make on it may still go unpublished. I hope for kindness is all i can do. But mr.Ron z. The State Geologist in Nashville told me last year he wouldn't mind doing a small bulletin or investigative report on these specimens to be published through the Tennessee Dept. Of Geology. I could write it & it is a very generous offer i will take him up on. But i need to let the other works be published first, cause i don't want to offend sir.

[Auspex]

Thanks for clearing my confusion

[Tennessees Pride]

Fossilnoggin,very pleased to hear from you Sir! Hahhaaa....yea, that specimen of your's isn't in the back collecting dust as far as i know. Last year before i'd told anyone what i'd found, i called up there to see what the biggest stuff on display was up there, got ahold of a lady that went and checked. She said a specimen from NJ that was about 8 in long & about 6 in thick! That's gotta be you! That specimen is actually the only one i know of on display that is larger than mine. & just to tell you the truth about it, whoever that lady was, she was alittle rude to me. And my dieing wish is to name things after my sweet baby girl. Already working on that w/ some other things presently. But i certainly would be agreeable to having the specimens looked @ for "new" things that could carry my daughters name sir. But as far as selling/donating, my 3yr would have to make that call,strange as it may sound...just fact of the matter. Doubtless new material WILL be present in these specimens....but sir, i have the largest selection of TN Amber right now, i'm sure no institution has as much as me, and the rest of my material isn't that shabby, no doubt new stuff is already in the other, i am just seriously crippled by not having even a students microscope....if i did, i'd gladly go through the material, find the good stuff and let it be looked at for potential classification w/ my baby's name attached on the end. That to me would be the equivalent to finding gold sir!!!

[Tennessees Pride]

@ JohnJ, sir,it is a great idea you have there, maybe the post previous to this one answered most of the subject. In regards to the prep, i have taken extreme caution to only remove the thin outside crust, spots difficult to access have been left untouched, and i would bet the specimen will have practially the same weight. I'm like you sir, i'm scared to mess this stuff up. Thinking i will go to a local University started by my ancestor's and use their lab for finish prep. Surely they won't mind.

[fossilnoggin]

i'll have to check next time we go to the museum! i would bet something will be named for your daughter, probably a good bet too. been a long time but i remember some of the collectors got pretty clever with purchasing and modifying equipment to take photos of their specimens. will have to ask around and see what my friends suggest.

[Tennessees Pride]

i'll have to check next time we go to the museum! i would bet something will be named for your daughter, probably a good bet too. been a long time but i remember some of the collectors got pretty clever with purchasing and modifying equipment to take photos of their specimens. will have to ask around and see what my friends suggest.

I pray you're right sir...but if it don't happen now, my comfort is that i know it will sooner or later, i find too much good stuff. I've posted nowhere near the whole substance of my collections yet. What can i say, i'm a family man, and my family is my only true love in the end. If you did find out a way to get good resolution from unconvential things, ect., sure, i would be very appreciative sir. It sure is great to touch bases w/ the man that found such a wonderful and large specimen of Amber! Small world!!! You surely have to hold the title and honor of finding the largest specimen in America.

[Tennessees Pride]

Gwynneth

[CH4ShotCaller]

Pretty good report unfolding here and waiting for the day when you find and post a pic of an inclusion.... after the dust settles. I'll bet you a crab that there's people already looking for your site.

[Tennessees Pride]

Pretty good report unfolding here and waiting for the day when you find and post a pic of an inclusion.... after the dust settles. I'll bet you a crab that there's people already looking for your site.

I will be right back to comment that in just a few....

[Tennessees Pride]

CH4ShotCaller, sir, that's one bet i wouldn't dare take you up on! You don't know how right you are! I've already experienced complications in the past, and months ago i'd already locked this thing down just as tight as i could get it. My paranoia in those regards has already causeed me to delete my fb account (even though nothing was on there), and i was also the administrator of an outstanding page that i ultimately felt had to be unpublished. I will say this much sir,people in my area are generally distrustful of "outsiders" (though my momma raised me better than that), and even if that weren't the case, no one around me knows bout these goods yet. I am more than sure what u stated is an absolute truism. BUT, the cold facts are the Amber has been discovered in a very unique setting......that is why it took 99 years for the material to be improved on! There's nowhere available for the setting i am talking about to be accessible to the general public. Any places that potentially would be available have already been picked over w/ a fine-tooth comb.....i can promise that, and the unique setting i allude to simply isn't to be found @ places like that. The setting i speak of has the Amber thickly concentrated in "mother load" quanities....and it's to be found only on private property in the backwoods and hills where only i know where is. There's one way to this Amber, and that sir, is through me! It has now been seven months since the discovery, & i can guarantee, there's not one place i haven't searched for it in that time. But, with all of this being said, I KNOW still, people are, and will be coming, and they will be reviewing every single post i have so far put on TFF for clues, i hate to disappoint, but i'd already expected it,and have been extremely cautious. I have so many different projects going on right now (includeing subjects & materials that still haven't been posted), that truely, it is getting difficult for me to keep from getting mixed-up! I have projects going with leaf botanicals, projects w/ unaltered wood, projects w/ bones, projects w/ layers dealing w/ potential microtektites, projects w/ undisclosed minerals, projects with atleast 1 other semi-precious gemstone, and last but not least, 1 project that i won't dare speak of to anyone presently. I am streched so thin w/ all of these things together,that it's almost to my breaking point, but i want to have an active participation in everything i can get my hands on, so i have accepted it and bare the burden. So when others use my posts to clue in to exactly where this one subject may be located (for ambush journalism), they certainly will be leaving w/ hurt feelings. I have been compromised on several occasions w/ my phone through emails.....this is no new game to me.