Beginner Gear

[Tywin]

Hi folks,

I am curious what y'all would recommend a beginner.

I live really close to an allegedly good area for fossil hunting in my part of the UK. I've wanted to get more involved in Geology in general as I am still contemplating studying it to try and make a career of it, so I figured why not kill two birds with one stone and get stuck in down at the local site and see what I can find.

It's literally a mile away, so I plan on going there quite often.

This is a an example of the terrain I'd be working;

OK -- So now you've seen the type of terrain I'll be working on -- Would a pick be necessary? The soil is quite compacted and difficult to break apart when dry, so I can see an advantage there, but other than that I think I could manage without, or at least until money is less of a problem.

I've got a rugged rucksack I can use to transport equipment and samples in an out of the site, so that's sorted.

So right now on my shopping list I have the following;

20 x 15 ml plastic containers with screw tops.

20 x 30 ml plastic containers with screw tops.

6 x 50 ml plastic containers with screw tops.

4 x 200 ml plastic containers with screw tops.

10 x 3 inch plastic test tubes with screw tops.

A-12 piece wax carving tool set (It's cheap and their are various heads I'd imagine would be suitable for cleaning up samples.

A trowel

Some stickers for labelling things.

A rack and 80 screw-top tubes for micro fossils.

A 10-piece brush set varying from quite large to quite small.

All together it comes to about $80 and I think should keep me going for quite a while.

The containers, at least the smaller ones, I plan on using for storage of smaller fossils I find, as well as the tubes (Teeth are common here).

The larger tubs I'd be using to store things in when transporting them home.

Any advice appreciated. Cheers.

[RyanNREMTP]

When I started at the local site that I frequent, I took just some basic stuff: ziplock bags, a small folding shovel, tweezers, a metal spike for digging and a few other things. As I got more used to the area I changed up what I carry. Now I go with just a container, tweezers and that small metal spike. It's going to be about adaption. Plus what works for one person at the same site might not work for another. Basically trial and error is what I think.

[Guest11596]

Some decent info on collecting Yaxley found here...

http://www.yaxley.ukfossils.co.uk

http://www.yaxley.ukfossils.co.uk/Yaxley.pdf

http://www.yaxley.ukfossils.co.uk/geology-guide.asp

"A pick and knife are very handy when looking in the clay, although all you really need is a good eye. Fossils are mostly found either scattered on the surface or poking out of the embankments and dykes. Fossils from Yaxley can be fragile, so should be placed in small containers, the most fragile of which (such as shells) should be wrapped up in tissue."

Edited September 15, 2014 by middevonian

[caldigger]

Oh ya, you'll also need to send me a plane ticket...you will want someone to dig with, safety first you know!

[DeepTimeIsotopes]

Not sure this will help but hey, here you go..

http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/topic/49391-what-is-your-standard-fossilmineral-hunting-gear/#entry531308

[Ludwigia]

And make sure to clean up behind yourself otherwise you may have problems with the authorities.

[Tywin]

Thanks for the replies!

[hfxbenoit]

A good thing that could be handy is a sifting screen with about 1 to 2 cm wire mesh. I've found that it is very handy on wet days when working near water.

[Kosmoceras]

I would recommend some re-sealable bags for individual specimens found on site which aren't too fragile.

Regards,

[Frankduff]

Found this link to make a sifting screen http://fossilsofnj.com/index_files/sift.htm