Phillyrockhound Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 Drove 2 hrs from philly to st claire pa for a long over due day of digging with an old friend. The weather was windy and chilly when we arrived. I packed my gear into a suitcase (all I own with wheels on it besides my truck!) I strongly suggest bringing a wagon with decent sized rubber wheels as to my approach! I was lucky as the ground wasn't muddy and got by fine. A bow hunter approached me and said he spotted loads of bear tracks going through the digging area toward a grove of hemlocks. I have never had any issues with black bear and decided the show must go on. Grizzlies are a whole different story! We hiked to the site in what couldn't have been more than 15 mins. Nobody around!! We found a spot that had been recently worked and set up shop. We attempted to break off a decent sized plate by using flat chisels and very small wedges that I purchased from an industrial supply shop. It was working like a charm! A 7' horizontal crack with the whole section lifting evenly and then it split into 3!!! Why?? Because of a series 6"" deep saw cuts that someone had left to collect water in. The shale was saturated to the extent of becoming clay! I have no idea why someone would need a saw to dig in shale!!! I mean, it doesn't get any easier to dig unless your at the beach! Why would anyone want any specimen with a saw cut anyway?? So we still had a couple of nice chunks to break down. It took both of us to lift them into an area we could start splitting. We tried using kitchen knives which gave a real clean and flat break but the distance you had to drive them in was no good. No good because it left scars on the faces of the finished slabs that really hurt the aesthetic of the finished product. So out came the trusty ol brick hammer!! I learned to cut stone with one of these as a masons apprentice 15 yrs ago. Keep the edge sharp, swing it with purpose and a steady hand! They were opening up in sheets now with no marks from the hammer! I used the same hammer to trim down the shale into tight decent sized pieces for display! It's more in the wrist than it is in The arm. I lost a few, but I was well under my acceptable loss ratio. Night came in fast! We hurried out with almost no daylight left to spare with a suitcase of some decent finds. None were museum quality, but our hard work was rewarded with some satisfying specimens that had us leaving with more questions about the history of the earth than we had entered the pits with!! It was a good day!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lissa318 Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 What beautiful pieces!!! I really need to go there one of these days! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 Great specimens and good variety; well done! "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! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeepTimeIsotopes Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 That's quite a few brilliant samples. Amazing work! Each dot is 50,000,000 years: Hadean............Archean..............................Proterozoic.......................................Phanerozoic........... Paleo......Meso....Ceno.. Ꞓ.OSD.C.P.Tr.J.K..Pg.NgQ< You are here Doesn't time just fly by? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minnbuckeye Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 Hi phillyrockhound. Isn't this site a gem? Wonderful examples of the treasures found here. Are collectors being more conscientious with their garbage at this site yet? To see such a beautiful site littered the way it was when I visited earlier this year, it took much of the thrill of discovery away. Still have not unpacked my collection yet. Winter is long up here in Minnesota and I am saving these fossils to help pass the long cold days of winter. Do have some items that I will post for ID later. Lissa 318, plan a trip there. Its great, even for children as the place is "littered" with plant fossils. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 Nice report and finds!Thanks for posting them. Regards, Tim - VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER VFOTM --- APRIL - 2015 __________________________________________________ "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~ ><))))( *> About Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lissa318 Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 Hi phillyrockhound. Isn't this site a gem? Wonderful examples of the treasures found here. Are collectors being more conscientious with their garbage at this site yet? To see such a beautiful site littered the way it was when I visited earlier this year, it took much of the thrill of discovery away. Still have not unpacked my collection yet. Winter is long up here in Minnesota and I am saving these fossils to help pass the long cold days of winter. Do have some items that I will post for ID later. Lissa 318, plan a trip there. Its great, even for children as the place is "littered" with plant fossils. That's a shame about the litter. Good to know it's kid friendly. If we go we'd leave nothing behind. Even my 4 year old has been taught and knows better than that! Hopefully I'll get there next year. It is already getting too cold for me out there... lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilDAWG Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 I doubt that fossil hunters are the main culprits behind the litter issue. Some time ago this issue was discussed in another thread and as I recall the site is also frequented by ATV enthusiasts, some of whom have an attitude that is quite disrespectful of the site. Certainly something should be said when we see anyone littering any site. Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phillyrockhound Posted November 17, 2014 Author Share Posted November 17, 2014 I did not see any litter on this trip!!! I was really impressed by how clean it was with the exception of the parking area (which is used by many others besides fossil hunters). I would like to get one more trip in before winter really sets in, a lot of sunlight hits the digging area to keep you warmed up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minnbuckeye Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 Unfortunately, most of the garbage that I hauled out was located around excavation areas, hence likely to have been collectors. Good to hear it was in better condition for phillyrockhound! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 Unfortunately, most of the garbage that I hauled out was located around excavation areas, hence likely to have been collectors. Good to hear it was in better condition for phillyrockhound! You, and other TFF members, have been known to haul out more than fossils; Thank You! "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! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffrey P Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 Congrats on some really nice finds. Beautiful stuff Though St. Clair is a great site, finding great fossils there is not automatic. One often has to spend a bit of time searching, digging, and splitting rocks. You also need a little luck. Looks like you had all of the above. Your report has me yearning to return there ASAP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plantguy Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 Great material. thanks for showing us! Regards, Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shamalama Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 Great report and finds! There are a number of good pits opened up there now. The saw marks are from collectors who wanted to get something out of the rock without damaging it. Perhaps it was a large, intact specimen and trying to split it out would have damaged it. Sometimes the shale is not so soft as when you visited. Nevertheless, you found some good stuff! -Dave __________________________________________________ Geologists on the whole are inconsistent drivers. When a roadcut presents itself, they tend to lurch and weave. To them, the roadcut is a portal, a fragment of a regional story, a proscenium arch that leads their imaginations into the earth and through the surrounding terrain. - John McPheeIf I'm going to drive safely, I can't do geology. - John McPheeCheck out my Blog for more fossils I've found: http://viewsofthemahantango.blogspot.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmaier Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 Also, over many decades of cleaning up nature sites, I can tell you that you have done more good for the site than just the litter you picked up. The cleaner a site is, the more likely it is that other people will not litter, so by cleaning it you have made a resistive barrier to more littering. When people see litter, even good people will throw more. When they see it is clean, they are very hesitant to do that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mzkleen Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 St. Clair is a wonderful site for the ferns! I love going there. I can't wait until spring when I'll be going out & about again to St. Clair. Great finds Phillyrockhound! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
traveltip1 Posted November 26, 2014 Share Posted November 26, 2014 your display shelves will be nicely fernished Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted November 26, 2014 Share Posted November 26, 2014 your display shelves will be nicely fernished Tim - VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER VFOTM --- APRIL - 2015 __________________________________________________ "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~ ><))))( *> About Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DE&i Posted November 26, 2014 Share Posted November 26, 2014 Brilliant report it appears the day really panned out for you well. Could you tell me the definition of a bow hunter please. Regards, Darren Regards.....D&E&i The only certainty with fossil hunting is the uncertainty. https://lnk.bio/Darren.Withers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrangellian Posted November 26, 2014 Share Posted November 26, 2014 Bow and arrow hunter, I take it. Somebody give traveltip1 a rim shot! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DE&i Posted November 26, 2014 Share Posted November 26, 2014 Bow and arrow hunter, I take it. Somebody give traveltip1 a rim shot! I see...as opposed to a hunter of bows..doh .silly me. Regards.....D&E&i The only certainty with fossil hunting is the uncertainty. https://lnk.bio/Darren.Withers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stocksdale Posted January 10, 2015 Share Posted January 10, 2015 One definition of a bow hunter. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQSNhk5ICTI Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.–Carl Sagan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minnbuckeye Posted January 10, 2015 Share Posted January 10, 2015 (edited) In June of 2014, I had the pleasure of visiting this wonderful site. Upon my arrival at the broken off telephone pole along the road, a elderly gentleman was just stepping out of his vehicle and we exchanged pleasantries. Eager to get back to the fossil site, I asked him if he could instruct me as to how to reach the fossils. He offered to take me on a shortcut past his son's bow hunting stand to the famous site. This sounded great!!!! A short cut and being shown exactly where to go. What more could I ask for. Immediately, I realized this may be a longer trek back to the site than I initially thought, as the gentleman leaned back on the trunk of his car and began to talk about the meaning of "life". It was a very deep conversation without a definitive conclusion from either him or I, but a very good talk none the less. Finally, he descended down the first few feet of the path, said he must rest and conversation resumed. For the next 45 minutes, we would walk through the woods, stop to rest every 10 feet, and talk about everything that we came across. There was a story about trees, rocks, animals, landowners, his son, and may other topics. I began to feel very sorry for this man as his loneliness in life became apparent from his stories. After a few more stops and stories, we could see his son's tree stand used for BOWHUNTING dark against the lighter sky as the opening to the fossil site appeared. It was here that this gentleman disclosed his reason for a walk through the forest today. While each of us sat on a moss laden log , he explained to me that his son, the bow hunter, had committed suicide a month ago and the ashes of his remains were stashed in the bag that he was carrying. His purpose was to sprinkle those ashes around the tree stand that overlooks the St Clair fossil site so that his son could rest in peace at a spot that was heavenly to him. There we stood in silence for awhile, looking around at the beauty at this site. He then pointed me to where I had wanted to go. Told me a few tips. Then with a light hug and a strong handshake, we departed ways. I felt honored to be part of the final journey of the bow hunter and his loving father that day in June. Everything finally made sense as I descended to the fossil site. I was so grateful to be the shoulder to lean on for this man as he walked through the woods. Edited January 11, 2015 by minnbuckeye 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coco Posted January 10, 2015 Share Posted January 10, 2015 Thanks for this marvelous and sad story. I am very affected, especially on these difficult days in my country... Coco ---------------------- OUTIL POUR MESURER VOS FOSSILES : ici Ma bibliothèque PDF 1 (Poissons et sélaciens récents & fossiles) : ici Ma bibliothèque PDF 2 (Animaux vivants - sans poissons ni sélaciens) : ici Mâchoires sélaciennes récentes : ici Hétérodontiques et sélaciens : ici Oeufs sélaciens récents : ici Otolithes de poissons récents ! ici Un Greg... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted January 10, 2015 Share Posted January 10, 2015 In June of 2014... What a poignant story. "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! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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