Allen Texas Fossil Hunt

[DPS Ammonite]

Fossil Hunting in Allen Texas

A few years back on a nice spring day free from bad humidity, I decided to hike up the middle of Mustang Creek in Allen Texas to look for fossils in the Cretaceous Austin Chalk. Within a block of the trail to the creek I came across a bobcat that was searching door to door (probably for bowls of pet food) in a nice neighborhood. A neighbor told me that they see this cat often during the day, thus allaying my fears that the cat might be rabid. After taking a few pictures the bobcat disappeared into the brush along the creek that I was going to enter. When I got into the creek, the bobcat could probably see me but I could not see it.

On with the hunt in the creek, the limestone bed and banks yielded a few small oysters (Aucella or Exogyra), small pyritized burrows and pieces of one inch thick Inoceramus clams with typical fibrous texture. The best fossils were encrusting embionts. Several Pseudoperna congesta oysters which are thought to tolerate low oxygen conditions encrusted the Inoceramus. Tiny 1 mm shells of Spirorbis polychaete worms also were present.

Continuing upstream I came across a nice travertine limestone terraces with blue creek water spilling over. What a nice color. Further upstream the creek became even bluer. When I came to a fork, the stream on the right was unnaturally blue. Not even the lime saturated Little Colorado River and Havasu Creek (that empty into the Grand Canyon) with their numerous travertine terraces and waterfalls were this blue. What had happened? Did the Tidy Bowl truck crash nearby; did Allen have a leaking Tidy Bowl factory? Within two blocks the mystery was solved. A bright blue pond with a bright blue water fountain appeared; the source of the creek branch. Research indicated that blue dye and algaecide were added to the water to cover up and destroy the green algae. I just hope that it didn’t destroy anything else in the creek.

Here is the takeaway from my trip. If you want to see semi domesticated bobcats go to Allen and nearby Plano Texas. If you want to look at and collect fossils, there are better spots. Stop by the Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary in McKinney to see the local Mosasaur prepared by members of the Dallas Paleontological Society. http://www.heardmuseum.org/ Afterwards go to Post Oak Creek in Sherman for great fossil hunting for shark teeth and oysters.

Edited July 30, 2016 by DPS Ammonite

[Koldsimer]

Interesting thread with some nice pics. Allen is my hometown and I have spent many hours in Mustang, Twin Creeks, Cottonwood etc.. Not usually fossil hunting but when I was, my finds were very similar to yours. I have found that Rowlett Creek in Plano has a much better variety of fossils but it's still relatively mehh in my opinion. Thanks for posting!

[Trevor]

Ha I thought the Bobcat was going to attack you when you were in the woods! Thank you for the information and interesting report.