MeargleSchmeargl Posted April 4, 2016 Share Posted April 4, 2016 (edited) I am currently staying in Pigeon forge in Tennesse, and am looking forward to a spring break with tons of new specimens (and maybe even a FOTUM entry?(excuse my current inability to find a way to get better pictures of my bivalve last month)). Being a state very abundant in Ordovician fossils, I have heard across the internet that Tennessee is LITTERED with specimens (especially Nashville, not to mention a site being at a Target). I would willingly take the 3 and a half hour trip from pigeon forge and hunt in Nashville all day each day of the week, but before I went through the trouble of going to such lengths, I was wondering if there were any fossil sites closer to Pigeon forge where you could find specimens (not including Cades Cove), as I cannot find of any said sites on the internet. Any ideas? Thanks! Edited April 4, 2016 by MeargleSchmeargl Every single fossil you see is a miracle set in stone, and should be treated as such. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilDAWG Posted April 4, 2016 Share Posted April 4, 2016 I'm afraid you are a bit confused about your geography, it is about 4 hrs from Pigeon Forge to Nashville. Knoxville is about an hour away, and there are outcrops of the Benbolt Formation with Ordovician fossils there, but I have not collected there myself so I can't guide you further. Also the area around Thorn Hill, TN is about 1 1/2-2 hrs from Pigeon Forge, and it is a classic outcrop area for Cambrian and Ordovician rocks. You should be able to get info about that area online. The Blue Ridge Mountains including the Pigeon Forge area is made up of Precambrian and highly metamorphosed rocks, there are no fossil sites in the immediate area. Don 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeargleSchmeargl Posted April 4, 2016 Author Share Posted April 4, 2016 I'm afraid you are a bit confused about your geography, it is about 4 hrs from Pigeon Forge to Nashville. Knoxville is about an hour away, and there are outcrops of the Benbolt Formation with Ordovician fossils there, but I have not collected there myself so I can't guide you further. Also the area around Thorn Hill, TN is about 1 1/2-2 hrs from Pigeon Forge, and it is a classic outcrop area for Cambrian and Ordovician rocks. You should be able to get info about that area online. The Blue Ridge Mountains including the Pigeon Forge area is made up of Precambrian and highly metamorphosed rocks, there are no fossil sites in the immediate area. Don Thanks for the info (and me realizing I made a typo)! Cant wait to get started. Every single fossil you see is a miracle set in stone, and should be treated as such. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plax Posted April 5, 2016 Share Posted April 5, 2016 get a geo map on line or from the state geological survey. It is easy to research from a map. Also; Google is your friend! Pick a county west of you or a larger city followed by a comma, then the word "fossil" or "fossil site". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted April 5, 2016 Share Posted April 5, 2016 This Website has very old information, (Like,... early 1900's old) but you could use it as a starting place for your research. Sites may be gone, built over, overgrown, owned by state, federal, or private concerns. You might want to talk with some of the locals, as I'm pretty sure "Littered with fossils" is quite an overstatement. I think the locals may disagree. The people from Tennessee that I know from the forum work very hard to find the things they find. 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...
caldigger Posted April 5, 2016 Share Posted April 5, 2016 Ya, you don't run into those "littered with fossils" sites too much around here. Unless it is "fossil litter" (broken up bits, that aren't desirable to collect). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimB88 Posted April 8, 2016 Share Posted April 8, 2016 The people from Tennessee that I know from the forum work very hard to find the things they find. Regards, Too true...too true... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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