Does Anyone Know Any Fossil Sites In Arizona?

[Miatria]

Looking for collection sites in Arizona; fee sites are ok. Please message me with info and thank you!

[Scylla]

T rat's web site lists many sites in Arizona. I couldn't paste the link. www.t-rat.com

Edited December 9, 2014 by Scylla

[Miatria]

T-rat is an awesome site but not specific enough for an out-of-towner with extremely limited time. I'm looking for very specific info. Internet searches are wild goose chases at this point,lol. I did email the producer of the T-rat page but haven't heard back.

[Fossildude19]

This part of the T-rat website wasn't helpful?

Where in Arizona are you going? And when?

How much time do you expect to have to hunt?

I would think that by cross referencing this site with the T-rat one you could narrow down a search area.

Regards,

Edited December 9, 2014 by Fossildude19

[Miatria]

Maybe I have unrealistic expectation. I have about 3 days so I'm trying to nail down a couple of very specifics sites where I could spend a day working/hunting with a reasonable expectation of finding a little something; i enjoy the experience of the search. I have to include drive time as well. I just want to best utilize my time. :-)

[FossilDAWG]

Arizona is a big state, and you have not been specific at all about where you will be. Options around Tucson are different from Flagstaff, and you can spend the whole day driving from one place to the other. Also you might offer some indication of the kind of thing you are looking for.

I lived in Arizona (Tucson) for 5 years and I have to say the state is not as great for fossil hunting as you might expect. Most of the most productive areas are in national parks (Grand Canyon, Petrified Forest) or on Indian land for which permission to collect is not readily granted. There is a lot of Devonian, Mississippian, Pennsylvanian, and Permian rock in some of the mountain ranges, but essentially all of it is massive limestone (layers hundreds of feet thick) and the fossils are generally sparsely distributed and quite difficult to extract. I have read of a few places where silicified fossils weather out and can be found in the soil, but I never had luck finding those places myself. Also access to many of the mountain ranges is pretty much at the whim of ranchers who lease land around the mountains, and they may or (more commonly) may not care to unlock gates, even if the gated roads cross BLM (= "public") land. If you do get access, virtually all of these sites are quite remote and require a 4-wheel drive vehicle. In winter the weather is changeable and in the mountains you can get caught by snow. In the summer the heat can be debilitating. Any time of the year the terrain is full of hazards, in the warmer part of the year including a diversity of stinging and poisonous critters. The point is, it is unwise to head off into such territory alone; if you get into trouble with no-one to help or to get help a minor (or major) crisis such as a broken leg or rattlesnake bite can easily be terminal.

To be honest I did head out on my own a few times. At least twice, I spent several hours digging my car out of soft sand I got stuck in while driving up dry washes. Digging sand, and cutting branches and trying to jam them under the tires in full sun and 110 degree heat was not much fun. Another time, I got the car hung up on a large rock (again, driving up a dry wash) and had to get off by jacking the car up so it was off the rock, then pushing it back so it fell off the jack while rolling back a couple of inches.

I really know of only one Arizona site you can drive up to on a paved road and be assured of finding a fair diversity of fossils, but those fossils are brachiopods, bryozoans, and bits of crinoid, not everyone's "cup of tea". That is the Kohl Ranch site; it has been discussed here in the forum so you should be able to search for it. I know of a site on National Forest land where you can find Devonian corals and if you are lucky fish bits (isolated teeth and pieces of arthrodire plates) but those are not guaranteed, and it is a long drive on rough dirt roads.

The best bet would be if a local were to offer to be your guide for a day. Either that, or check out the Tucson Gem and Mineral (and Fossil!) show if you are there at the right time of the year. The show is amazing and you can snag some decent specimens at a reasonable price, or fantastic specimens at an outrageous price.

Don

[Miatria]

Thank you for all the info, Don. Warnings heeded, and I would never set off alone into rough terrain. I'm doing the research now so I can maximize time when I get there. Crinoids, fish bits,trilobites, petrified wood, all would be awesome! Not as big on corals (I'll be posting what i just found in the Alafia last week) and not as interested in shells, brachiopods. I'm hoping to turn up a local for a bit of guidance and I'm always willing to share some Florida finds.

[DeepTimeIsotopes]

Depending on how far you want to drive just a little north to the neighboring state of Utah it might be easier to find fossils if what Don said is accurate, which most likely is.

[FossilDAWG]

Bear in mind that my experience was mostly in southern Arizona. That T-rat website lists some sites in northern Arizona that sound intriguing, if they are accessible (not on Indian reservation land). We still don't know if you will be in Phoenix, Tucson, or somewhere else in the state. If you'll be in the northern part it could be worth checking out some T-rat sites, at the worst you'll see some spectacular country while you're driving. Fossils would be a bonus.

For all it's harshness, I miss Arizona. As a biologist by profession and geologist by avocation, that place is amazing.

Don

[RichW9090]

I can vouch for the accuracy of Don's assessment. I've been here in Tucson more than 20 years now, and have spent a great deal of time in the field. Sites are not easy to get to, and making sure you aren't on State or Federal land can be tricky, as the state is basically a checkerboard pattern of private versus public lands.

Don, if you only got stuck twice while off road in 5 years, you sure didn't do much off-roading!

Rich

[Miatria]

I will have a basic rental car and I have the OCD to drive many miles for a trilobite, lol. I was reading about Utah but sounds like there may be a snow issue to contend with.

Rich, what is the status, as far as you know, in regards to road cuts? They are fair game in some states and I've read about several road cut options in Arizona where things may be found. I'm open to rock hounding, as well, for crystals, etc. I'm extremely flexible, willing to drive great distances, and excited for the opportunity. I've visited AZ many times in the past and, as mentioned, can't wait to feast my eyes again on the terrain.

[FossilDAWG]

Don, if you only got stuck twice while off road in 5 years, you sure didn't do much off-roading!

Rich

Unfortunately you have that right. I was a postdoc and job 1 was to publish as much as I could in my field (which is not paleontology) and get a grant, so I could get a real job. Job 2 was paying attention to my family; little enough time was left over after job 1 and kids are young only once, if you miss it you'll never get another chance. Time for leisure pursuits such as fossil hunting was (and still is) hard to come by.

Oh, and the car was a minivan! Not ideal for driving up washes.

Don

Edited December 16, 2014 by FossilDAWG

[DeepTimeIsotopes]

I will have a basic rental car and I have the OCD to drive many miles for a trilobite, lol. I was reading about Utah but sounds like there may be a snow issue to contend with.

Rich, what is the status, as far as you know, in regards to road cuts? They are fair game in some states and I've read about several road cut options in Arizona where things may be found. I'm open to rock hounding, as well, for crystals, etc. I'm extremely flexible, willing to drive great distances, and excited for the opportunity. I've visited AZ many times in the past and, as mentioned, can't wait to feast my eyes again on the terrain.

At this time of year in Northern Utah, certainly. When will you be going though? Southern Utah though has about the same as northern Arizona which is very little ever. All this though depends on when you will be going to Arizona.

[Scylla]

When I lived in Arizona in the early 70's it was a rock hounding paradise. Fossils in roadcuts, copper mine tailings, maps scribbled on napkins, and just looking in the gravel and sand used for landscaping would all yield treasures galore.

[RichW9090]

Scylla, it still is that - but you have to have the time, and be willing to enjoy just being outdoors, even if you don't find anything sometimes. But to try to identify a place to direct someone to with, say, an 85% chance of finding the kinds of fossils Miatria is looking for for a quick, direct trip is next to impossible.

Edited December 17, 2014 by RichW9090

[Miatria]

Scylla, it still is that - but you have to have the time, and be willing to enjoy just being outdoors, even if you don't find anything sometimes. But to try to identify a place to direct someone to with, say, an 85% chance of finding the kinds of fossils Miatria is looking for for a quick, direct trip is next to impossible.

I never let common sense stand in the way of enthusiasm, Rich. ;-) I do realize it's a shot in the dark but I'll never know unless I ask, never accomplish anything unless I try.

Don spoke of going off road in a mini-van. Been there, done that, in a rental, no less. Stuck for 24 hours before we hiked far enough to find help. Lesson learned! Maybe I'll just wander around people's front yards, lol. Seriously, though, thank you all for the input!

[Miatria]

Great successes in Arizona!!! I promised myself not to wait so long between visits from now on.

[Scylla]

Great successes in Arizona!!! I promised myself not to wait so long between visits from now on.

Well, share the results with us

[Miatria]

A variety of perfect brachiopods (Paleo site,Payson, AZ), petrified wood (near Marble Canyon, AZ), baculite segments (Big Water, UT), and glauberite pseudomorphs (Camp Verde, AZ). All collecting sites were within view of my rental car, on good quality roads. Exactly what I needed for a solo trip with limited time to hunt. Let me know if you're going and I'll gladly share info. :-)

[Azfossils]

I recommend the Paleo Site, which is on highway 260 about 10 miles east of Payson, on the right side of the road, look for the sign. It makes for a nice day trip from Phoenix. There is a large parking lot but no toilet facilities. Bring a bucket, a rock pick and a scoop. Once in the parking lot, walk through the small opening in the fence to the collection site just ahead. We stopped there for a quick ten minutes and found several kinds of Brachiopods right on the surface. We also scooped up some surrounding soil with a few of the pieces. After arriving home I cleaned up the brachs, surprised to find a number of other items embedded in the flaky soil, but I haven't been able to identify them yet. I'll be uploading pics to the Fossil ID section soon.

[Scylla]

Those pseudomorphs came from the halite mine? I used to collect there as a kid. Unfortunately, most of my specimens turned to salty dust over the years.

[Miatria]

I don't think I was in the actual mine area but who knows. I just pulled over where the directions said, walked less than 1/4 mile from my car, and started "combing" them out of the gully sides with my fingers. Hopefully, with enough Damp Rid, they'll last a while. I had to move my chunk of halite to a secure location (plastic container); what a mess in Florida humidity!