What's your strategy for finding fossils when you know you're in the right location?

[FossilSloth]

So you've been tipped off on a locality that is said to contain good fossils. You get there, and find it's bullet-hard limestone cliffs and rocks. What do you actually do to find the fossils? Do you scout around and only look at the surface of the cliffs, hoping to see fossils sticking out? Or do you just indiscriminately start smashing up rocks, hoping to find fossils inside?

 

This is the situation I found myself in yesterday. I'm a complete beginner fossil hunter, and have been to several sites that are supposed to have fossils, but every time I go to one, I'm just not sure what exactly the next step is.  I also visited a roadcut that is known for fossils. Do I just start indiscriminately hacking away at the road cut until I see something? 

[Uncle Siphuncle]

Find an unknown spot in the same zone, hit it, keep quiet, hit it again, rinse, lather, repeat...

[Fossildude19]

The best bet is to scout the base of the cliff or road cut. See if you can find any fossils in any debris that is laying around.  

When you find something, note the color and texture of the surrounding matrix. Did it fall from higher up? Was is washed down the creek, from elsewhere?

Locate the point of origin, then try to remove more of the same. 

Having to remove tons of overburden can be a hassle. But sometimes, it's necessary. Other times, it is just a matter of working a crack already present in the rock, or a reachable overhang. Watch for snakes, scorpions, spiders, and centipedes.  Gloves, boots, safety goggles, kneepads, and hardhat are helpful accessories. High visibility vest if working near the road.

 

If you are having trouble finding things, you may consider joining a local fossil/mineral club.  There you can meet people who already know what they are doing, and learn  to hunt safely out in the field.  Also, you may get access to field trips to places not open to the general public. 

Hope that helps. 

Good luck. 
Regards,

[Uncle Siphuncle]

I also tend to initially do vertical sweeps at lateral intervals in order to ascertain productive layers.  Then, once found, I spend more time working best layers laterally.

[Kane]

To add to this: if you know the formation, you could try (if it exists) locating a stratigraphic analysis of it that will describe, in most cases, the lithofacies and index fauna. You can map that on to the layers you are seeing (if they are clear of overburden). It becomes a fun forensic adventure and a learning opportunity as you bump up against neat terms like "argillaceous", "cherty", "calcareous", "wackestone", etc. 

 

EDIT: The strata may not always neatly line up in terms of thickness between where you are and where the analysis was done, as it may slope or outcrop differently from one area to another, but it should give you a fairly rough idea based on the descriptions.

[Yvie]

Take pictures,so you can find the same place if its productive.The site may change from season  to season or in my case on the beach after storms,so I take a picture of a point in the background eg green bungalow beach,then I can locate near to where a productive layer has been covered with sand or shingle.

  You'll soon get your eye in.

    Yvie

[FossilDAWG]

I see you are from Arizona.  Welcome to the Forum!

 

I used to live in Tucson, so I have experienced something like what you describe.  Many of the marine formations in Southern Arizona (and I believe throughout the state it is similar) are massive thick beds of incredibly tough limestone.  In my experience the fossils will be concentrated in thin horizons within the limestone, and they are often silicified so they stick out from the rock as they weather.  Much of the limestone is poorly fossiliferous, and the rock tends to break through rather than around the fossils, so there is no point in "bashing away".  You will only mar the landscape, wear yourself out, and break fossils.  I had some success in looking at the exposure carefully to locate those thin beds, then trying to pry out chunks with obvious fossils.  I had more success in carefully looking through the talus and loose eroded chunks to find some with fossils showing.  In some cases I could soak those chunks in dilute (5-10% acetic or hydrochloric acid) to release the fossils from the limestone.

 

In general, if people tell you a certain spot is good for fossils it means many people know about the location, and it will be heavily collected.  Southern Arizona has many thousands of acres of wonderfully exposed rock.  I had my best success while exploring the Whetstone and Mustang Mountains, and there is a coral reef exposed on the north side of the Catalinas.  There are Cretaceous limestones (Mural Limestone) around Bisbee, and down around Douglas Siding the Mural contains many corals and rudist clams.  Get off the beaten track!  Just remember, lots and lots of water and (if possible) don't go by yourself.  Also I will caution that despite the vast geology on display, southern Arizona is generally stingy with her fossils compared to other states, such as New Mexico.

 

Don

[Cluros]

I would echo Fossil Dude 19's suggestion to join a gem and mineral club.

[Ptychodus04]

I would also add to slow down your search. Fossil collecting is like bass fishing. If you move to fast, you miss the fish. Look slowly, look a second time, and if possible backtrack your path as lighting changes can bring out details missed when moving the original direction.