digit Posted December 21, 2014 Share Posted December 21, 2014 Finally managed to get out on a Florida fossil hunting trip for the 2014/15 season here in South Florida. Instead of going to the Peace River (where the water level is still dropping from a huge spike due to heavy rains nearly a month ago around Thanksgiving) I contacted Jeff (jcbshark) and we planned an outing at the creek where he collects his world famous cookiecutter shark micro-matrix. Earlier this year I had searched--cup by cup--through nearly a 5-gallon bucket of micro-matrix I had collected from the Peace River looking for cookiecutter shark teeth (to no avail). It seems that cookiecutter shark fossils are absent (or incredibly rare) in the deposits that the Peace cuts through. I've been fascinated with cookiecutter sharks since I learned about them as a kid (yup, I was a fish geek even then). The odd hole-saw-like fused lower dentition of this shark has been on my fossil bucket list since I first saw the images on this forum. Many of these images were posted by people searching through samples of the micro-matrix that Jeff had sent out to TFF members. It was high time I got in on the fun. I met up with Jeff and a few of his wife's relatives (who were new to fossil hunting) on the creek early Saturday morning. We were later joined by Chris (Search4) who came along to try his luck. The air temps were still climbing out of the low 60's but the skies were clear and the temps would later top out in the upper 70's so the chilly water (likely somewhere in the mid 50's) was actually quite bearable once you got used to it (read that as "numb"). The creek was mostly pretty shallow and I didn't get any deeper than about knee-deep all morning. My wife Tammy (always the more practical) was wise enough to bring her waders for comfort (and style). Jeff led us to the location he had previously collected his cookiecutter micro-matrix though he mentioned that there was likely nothing special about this spot and that the same sort of matrix could likely be gathered from anywhere along the creek. The creek which is the source of the cookiecutter micro-matrix. I had brought my micro-matrix collecting gear and soon got to work. I have sifting screens that I've made for searching the gravel beds of the Peace River and its tributaries. I've previously described how I make my sifting screen (and my probe) here: http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/topic/42992-end-of-year-peace-river-trip/#entry467550 I've since converted one of my sifters from 1/4" mesh to 1/2" mesh for when I work areas with coarser gravel or when I want to work through larger amounts of gravel quickly while looking for larger items. I brought my 1/2" sifter along with one of my 1/4" sifters as well as some 1/16" window screen mesh cut to size so that it fits comfortably into the sifting screens. The technique I use to collect micro-matrix is to double sift using a stacked pair of sifting screens. I place the fine window screen mesh inside the sifter with the 1/2" mesh. On top of this sifting screen I stack my sifter with the 1/4" mesh. The arrangement can be seen below: Loose window screen mesh fits inside one sifter and a second sifter fits on top of the first. The stacked sifters efficiently sort out the micro-matrix. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted December 21, 2014 Author Share Posted December 21, 2014 I then take my stacked pair of sifters to the creek and, looping the lanyard cords I have attached to the sifters around my fiberglass probe which is buried into the creek bed, secure the sifters so they don't move in the current. This hands-free arrangement allows me to easily shovel the mixture of sand, gravel and shell hash into the sifting screens when my wife is not available to hold the screens in place. The water and gravity soon starts pulling the mixture through the screens and sorting it by size. A little shaking and agitation helps the process along. The larger gravel--and in this case fossilized shell hash as well as numerous small live (and dead) freshwater clams--is caught by the 1/4" mesh of the upper sifter. Any material smaller than 1/4" inch passes through the top sifter and makes its way into the lower sifter. The window screen mesh fitted into this sifter catches the finer micro-matrix gravel while allowing the finer sand grains to pass through. If pictures really are worth 1000 words, here is about 4K worth of explanation of this process: Digging material from the creek bottom while my probe hold the screens in place. Shaking the screens to allow water (and gravity) to sort the material by size. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcbshark Posted December 21, 2014 Share Posted December 21, 2014 (edited) Thanks for the tutorial Ken, Figured I'd throw a couple pics from yesterday up too. I found this little guy, thinking maybe a camel incisor? A nice Gator vert and tooth, deer tooth , horse tooth, two whale teeth and a Holmesina osteoderm.As I walked down to the creek I saw a big bird takeoff totally soundless, I knew it was an Owl. He landed on a branch about 50 feet away and I snapped a couple pics with my phone.Once I had a couple I got a little closer.Finally, when I realized he wasn't going to spook I got as close as I could and snapped a couple more Edited December 21, 2014 by jcbshark Every once in a great while it's not just a big rock down there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted December 21, 2014 Author Share Posted December 21, 2014 I then remove the top sifter with the more coarse material and set that aside. I give the collected micro-matrix in the bottom sifter some additional agitation to make sure as much sand and fine material as possible makes it through the window screen mesh. There also tends to be a bit of broken up leaf litter and other fine vegetative matter along with the micro-matrix. I try to suspend this lighter material by shaking and submerging the sifting screen. The more of this material I can get to float away now, the less I'll have to see when I'm looking though the micro-matrix later searching for micro-fossils. Unlike the micro-matrix I collected on the Peace River this material contains a large amount of fine shell hash and so has a much more 'salt and pepper' coloration rather than the nearly pure black matrix I'm used to seeing from the Peace. By not having the window screen mesh permanently attached to the lower sifter I can easily grab three corners of the mesh and fold it into a shape which is simple to carry the micro-matrix to the awaiting bucket where it is easily dumped. In just a couple hours I was able to fill two 5-gallon buckets. Luckily the trip back to the car was not all that far and Jeff, being the gentleman that he is, helped me carry one of them. With the top sifter removed it is easy to remove thelast of the sand and leaf litter from the micro-matrix. The window screen mesh is easily removed from the sifting screenallowing the micro-matrix to be transferred to the bucket. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted December 21, 2014 Author Share Posted December 21, 2014 While the cookiecutter micro-matrix was really the main goal of this morning's hunt, we still took the time to look through the larger material caught by the top sifter. In addition to some very nice fossilized shells that my wife made quite a collection of throughout the morning, we did find a number of nice shark teeth and other fossils. It looks like most of the material I was digging through was found not too far from where it had been eroded out of the deposits in the creek bank. As a result of the material not having been reworked and transported long distances by the creek, many of the teeth were in very good shape. I'd say the percentage of complete and unbroken shark teeth was much higher than we usually find during a Peace River hunt. Once I made it back home (a 3 hour journey) I spread the collected micro-matrix out on my driveway using a tarp to make it easy to regather later. After the sun and dry air have a chance to dry out this material I'll do a final sifting. I found out that a lot of sand and fine material can still stick to the wet micro-matrix and a final sifting through the window screen mesh can separate out a fair bit of this material. I'm also going to see if any remaining broken up leaf and vegetative matter can be winnowed out from the micro-matrix once it is dried. Searching the more coarse material caught by the top sifting screen revealed some nice prizes. The results of my efforts drying on my driveway. After processing I'll have a nice cache of micro-matrix available and waiting for me right in my garage. So when the urge to go hunt for cookiecutter shark teeth strikes I can quickly give in to temptation and neglect my other duties to do a micro-fossil hunt right in the comfort of my own home. Hope my technique may possibly provide a few useful pointers to those who collect micro-matrix or, even better, motivate others to gather micro-matrix who've never considered doing it before. Cheers. -Ken 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted December 21, 2014 Author Share Posted December 21, 2014 (edited) Sweet deer molar Jeff. I didn't notice that yesterday when I was looking through your finds. Deer teeth might not be as sexy as something like mammoth, mastodon, or giant armadillo teeth possibly because deer seem more modern (in that they are not extinct). I still find them fascinating and they seem more rare than horse teeth (likely because they are smaller and more fragile). Looks like the big own you were photo-stalking yesterday is a Barred Owl (Strix varia)--very cool, very cool indeed. -Ken Edited December 21, 2014 by digit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcbshark Posted December 21, 2014 Share Posted December 21, 2014 Sweet deer molar Jeff. I didn't notice that yesterday when I was looking through your finds. Deer teeth might not be as sexy as something like mammoth, mastodon, or giant armadillo teeth possibly because deer seem more modern (in that they are not extinct). I still find them fascinating and they seem more rare than horse teeth (likely because they are smaller and more fragile). Looks like the big own you were photo-stalking yesterday is a Barred Owl (Strix varia)--very cool, very cool indeed. Thanks Ken! TBH I forgot that deer tooth was in my container when I showed you my finds. Thanks for the ID on the owl as well. I'm normally too wrapped up in fossil pics to get some of the great wildlife we see here in Fl! Every once in a great while it's not just a big rock down there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted December 21, 2014 Share Posted December 21, 2014 This is a great tutorial, and the photos really make it easy to follow! Your techniques and tips should encourage others to try this fascinating mode of collecting (the anchor-pole tip is not something I'd have thought of ahead of my first attempt). 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...
Ancient Bones Posted December 21, 2014 Share Posted December 21, 2014 I enjoyed reading about your trip with jcbshark, good info. there. Good luck with the cookiecutter search digit. ' Keep calm and carry on fossiling ' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sacha Posted December 21, 2014 Share Posted December 21, 2014 "In just a couple hours I was able to fill two 5-gallon buckets. Luckily the trip back to the car was not all that far and Jeff, being the gentleman that he is, helped me carry one of them." One of your more valuable tips Ken. Bring along someone to carry the load! Because I collect with my kayak, I've found those light cloth bags given away by lots of retail stores have 2 advantages over the 5 gallon buckets. 1) They allow excess water to drain and therefore help to lighten the load somewhat. and 2) they contour to the kayak and/ fit to your arms for an easy, or at least more comfortable carry. Actually a third benefit is how little space they take up. You can always have a couple in the car or in your pack. Nice report. Thanks. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted December 21, 2014 Author Share Posted December 21, 2014 Thanks for all the positive feedback on this topic. It's nice to know that my efforts in putting this "photo-tutorial" together may be useful to others on this forum. I noticed that the micro-matrix I had sitting on the tarp on my driveway still had more fine sediment and leaf litter mixed in than I would prefer so I decide to do some post-collection rinsing. I transferred smaller quantities (roughly 1/2 gallon by volume) into one of my 5-gallon buckets and flushed it with water from a hose. It was fairly easy to raise much of the leaf litter and small twigs to the surface as I filled the bucket with water. The water took on an opaque tan color (much like the background coloration of this forum). After several fillings and decantings, much of the vegetative matter was floated away and the water ran much clearer as the fine sediment was washed away with the rinse water. After this processing I spread the cleaned micro-matrix back onto the tarp where it will dry over the next few days. I think the rinsed micro-matrix will be a bit nicer to search through for any micro-finds. Though I am reasonably patient I had to scoop-up a cupful of the dry micro-matrix before I started the post-collection rinsing. I'm having fun looking through that at the moment. Since this micro-matrix is very dense with shell hash I'm also finding some interesting tiny white shells in addition to the normal black shark teeth and other micro-fossils that I'm used to finding while searching micro-matrix. I also looked through the larger fossils that were pulled from the top screen that sifted out the more coarse material. The composition was much more marine and much less terrestrial than I usually find in the Peace River. I did find one Holmesina osteoderm and a few nice gator teeth but shark teeth made up the bulk of what I pulled from the sifter. Ray pavement teeth plates were very common at this site. Though I usually don't go out of my way to collect these (having quite few already) I saved the ones from this site to see how many I could collect in a couple hours. I ended up with a few dozen--some of them nicely detailed. There were also a good quantity of fish vertebrae that we found including one that is puffy and bulbous and so likely a 'Tilly Bone'. We found several other classic shaped Tillies and one rib bone that Jeff thinks might be a Tilly rib bone. I'll try to post pictures of that one soon to seek the forum's opinion on this one. Puffer mouth plates were quite common (and in reasonable shape) as were ganoid gar scales. Even pulled a really nice ray dermal denticle with a really well defined 'thorn' on its top side. Pictures to follow soon. Right now I have some micro-matrix calling for my attention.... Cheers. -Ken 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted December 21, 2014 Author Share Posted December 21, 2014 One of your more valuable tips Ken. Bring along someone to carry the load! Because I collect with my kayak, I've found those light cloth bags given away by lots of retail stores have 2 advantages over the 5 gallon buckets. 1) They allow excess water to drain and therefore help to lighten the load somewhat. and 2) they contour to the kayak and/ fit to your arms for an easy, or at least more comfortable carry. Actually a third benefit is how little space they take up. You can always have a couple in the car or in your pack. I learned when carrying a heavy load of Mazon Creek nodules the extended distance back to the car that it was best to split the load into two buckets for balance and so the handles did not dig into your hands while carrying. I brought two buckets for micro-matrix but got greedy and ended up filling them both. I like the idea of the cloth bags for micro-matrix. They are smaller and would not be as heavy when filled. They also come with comfortable handles and best of all I have a dozen of them so I can bring back a good quantity of micro-matrix with them. I put the buckets into a large black plastic garbage bag before putting them into my trunk for the ride home so they wouldn't get messy if they somehow tipped. Would not have been an issue if I'd have taken my pickup truck. I could easily use this 'double bag' technique with the cloth bags to keep my trunk from getting too soggy. Thanks for the great idea John. Anybody reading this topic in the future is going to be an expert at collecting micro-matrix on their first time out. Cheers. -Ken 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KYAL Posted December 21, 2014 Share Posted December 21, 2014 Ken - Great tutorial!! Jeff - Great finds!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted December 21, 2014 Share Posted December 21, 2014 It seems pretty evident that this creek has been gentle with the fossils. I am guessing that it is not a raging torrent very often. "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...
RickNC Posted December 21, 2014 Share Posted December 21, 2014 I found several cookie cutter teeth in that matrix. I am still looking for one from the PCS mine in Aurora though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted December 21, 2014 Author Share Posted December 21, 2014 So you may be familiar with the joke where a guy sees someone late at night who appears to be quite drunk and who is searching the ground around a streetlight. The guy asks him what he is doing and he is told by the drunk that he is looking for his key. After joining in the search for a while and not spotting any sign of the missing keys, the guy says to the drunk, "Are you sure this is where you lost your keys?" The drunk says, "No, but the light is better here." The moral of the story--if there are morals to stupid jokes--is that it always helps to look for something where you actually stand a chance of finding it, not just where it is convenient. I've previously mentioned how I parsed my way through a 5-gallon bucket of micro-matrix from the Peace River in a (futile) search of a cookiecutter shark tooth. Results are much more reliable if you spend your time looking where you are likely to find something. After only half a plastic Solo cup of my newly obtained jcbshark-patented cookiecutter micro-matrix, I have attained my goal and checked something else off my fossil bucket list. A big thanks goes out to Jeff (jcbshark). It will be interesting to see how many more cookiecutter teeth are lurking in this micro-matrix. I've also heard rumors that nurse shark and even whale shark teeth have been found in this mix so I've got a new set of goals now. The power of this forum (and its members) as a resource to aid and abet fossil addictions is well documented. I do love attainable goals. Cheers. -Ken 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike from North Queensland Posted December 21, 2014 Share Posted December 21, 2014 It is good to see that you have found a nice example of the target species of shark tooth that you were after, the rest is pure fun and the chance to find you the other different species to cross off you to find list. Mike D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plantguy Posted December 21, 2014 Share Posted December 21, 2014 Hey Ken, nice find and trip report/details. Sorry I missed you all. Yep Jeff is a great guide! Regards, Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted December 21, 2014 Share Posted December 21, 2014 Score! And to think that all it took was several hours of back-breaking labor... "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...
digit Posted December 22, 2014 Author Share Posted December 22, 2014 Score! And to think that all it took was several hours of back-breaking labor... Yup. Easy once all the hard work is done. -Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted December 22, 2014 Author Share Posted December 22, 2014 While listening to one of my favorite NPR radio shows (Says You -- http://www.saysyou.net/ -- check it out) and relaxing with my favorite rum--a weekend tradition, I decided to sort through another cup of cookiecutter micro-matrix. Within a few minutes I came across another cookiecutter shark tooth. This one much smaller (only a couple of millimeters long). I'll have to pull out the magnifier to get a good photo of this one. It's almost as easy as shooting fish in a barrel. -Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcbshark Posted December 22, 2014 Share Posted December 22, 2014 (edited) Ken - Great tutorial!! Jeff - Great finds!! Thanks Al! : ) Edited December 22, 2014 by jcbshark Every once in a great while it's not just a big rock down there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcbshark Posted December 22, 2014 Share Posted December 22, 2014 Congrats on the cookie cutter Ken, from what I've seen from the stuff I send out it seems to be about one per lb. I've only found one nurse shark tooth in there but I haven't looked thru near as much as you hauled out yesterday alone lol. It's good to know it's a reliable site for something that's fairly hard to come by:) I'd like to know what makes them common there, wish I'd find a Meg for every lb I shoveled out there! Every once in a great while it's not just a big rock down there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolffish Posted December 22, 2014 Share Posted December 22, 2014 Great reports, photos, and instructions - a veritable trifecta of "good stuff"! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted December 22, 2014 Author Share Posted December 22, 2014 Thanks. For the record I'm now up to 5 cookiecutter shark teeth though none quite as large or complete as the first one. -Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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