Field Trip to the Georgia Eocene

[MikeR]

This past weekend through a joint field trip with the Georgia Mineral Society and the Mid-Georgia Gem and Mineral Society, I visited the BASF Dixie Mine in Wilkinson County, Georgia.  The highlight of the trip was the ability to collect from the Clinchfield Sand which is known for its Upper Eocene marine invertebrate material.  After meeting in the BASF Gordon office we made the seemingly long 20-30 minute drive out to the actual mine.  The first stop within the pit was to an area in which overburden is stored in the kaolin mining process.  Although it was here that most of the shark teeth had been found in the past, today the pickings were slim.  Although I heard reports of a large sand tiger tooth that had been found, I was only encountering a few small teeth.  I spent more time collecting within the Tivola Limestone, a northern extension of the Florida Ocala Limestone.  Although I have collected many echinoids from this unit in quarries located south of the city of Perry, they were not abundant here, however there were some rather nice internal gastropod casts found within the Tivola.  The second site within the mine yielded even less however I did find several sting ray barbs. 

 

The last site visited in the mine was to the bottom of the quarry where the Paleocene to Early Eocene Huber Formation is mined for kaolin to observe middle Georgia stratigraphy .  Overlying the Huber are two members of the Clinchfield Sand, The Riggins Mill Member containing the bivalve Chlamys cf. membranosa and shark teeth followed by the Treadwell Member "Scutella Bed" aka Periarchus lyelli.  Next in order is the marine Tivola Limestone which underlies the Twiggs Clay Member of the Dry Branch Formation which is mined for Fullers Earth to the southwest where it is thicker.  Lastly is the unfossiliferous Irwington Sand Member of the Dry Branch Formation.  Although the trip in general did not match the prior anticipation, I felt the opportunity to view the area geology well worth the drive.

 

 

 

[ynot]

Nice trip report, and a few good finds!

Thanks for sharing!!

Tony

[Fruitbat]

Looks like you had fun anyway!  Nice stratigraphy!

 

-Joe

[Fossildude19]

Thanks for the great report and pics, Mike.
Regards,