fossil hunting locations

[AlphaX9]

hello there. my name is Jonathan. and i'm new to fossil forum.

next week i'm planning to go to Florida with my family next week and i'm aware that Florida is a great state to look for fossils.

but i don't know where to go exactly, if anyone can tell me where i could go, i would appreciate it. i'm going to Fort Lauderdale. so if there's anything nearby, that would be great.

also, i'm from Connecticut, and i know that Connecticut isn't the ideal state to hunt for fossils. however i do know that the fossils that are in CT dates back to the early Jurassic ( 200 million years ago ). i'm not sure if they're any dig sites available, and if they are, can anyone tell me the name of the site, the address, the fossils that are there, and whether or not i need permission?

i would highly appreciate that.

thank you.

[mrieder79]

Don't know much about Ft Lauderdale, but if you're planning to make a stop near Jacksonville, PM me and I'll tell you where to find shark teeth at the beach. Good luck!

[Fossildude19]

Jonathan,

In Connecticut, you need permission from the land owners to collect on their land.

Most of the old sites are protected by the State, and Private land owners.

You have to research to find any sites at all. Not many people wishing to give away their sites.

Please read this thread.

Regards,

[digit]

Unfortunately, summertime is not the best part of the year for fossil hunting in Florida. One of the main fossil hunting locations in South Florida (as you will find if you search this forum) is the Peace River. We hunt the Peace for shark teeth and other fossils in the dry season when the river level is low and the gravel beds are easy to get to (and the river flow is slow). Currently, the Peace is about 10 feet too high and moving much too swiftly to risk getting into without the distinct possibility of ending up as some future fossil.

There are a few other activities on the East Coast of Florida that you might find interesting while you are down here so drop me a PM and I'll see if I can give you some ideas of activities you might enjoy (one involving shark teeth).

Cheers.

-Ken

[Anchiornis]

Welcome to the Fossil Forum!

There are a few Fossil Forum posts on Connecticut fossil hunts:

http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/topic/11632-fossil-footprints-conneticut/?hl=conneticut

http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/topic/66880-forum-friends-find-filthy-fossil-fish/

I'd recommend you hunt alongside your fellow Connecticut fossil hunters, as they probably know the best sites.

On Florida, here are some articles on fossil sites.

http://www.dep.state.fl.us/geology/geologictopics/fossils/fossil-collecting.htm

http://www.wildflorida.com/Activities/Fossils.php

http://ufdc.ufl.edu/UF90000378/00001

If you plan on collecting any vertebrate fossil (shark teeth are excluded though), make sure to get a permit from the Florida Museum of Natural History before you leave. If you do find a vertebrate fossil that is not a shark tooth, make sure to notify the museum and give them the fossil's name and locality info.

[AlphaX9]

thank you guys.