Devonian Fossil Hunting Trip

[amberlini95]

Hi all! 

 

So I am a new member here, but I've been a lurker for about 3 months or so, trying to take in as much information as I can! My sister and I are looking to go on a fossil hunting trip in northwestern VA/WV and I was wondering what we'd need? We're at hunting outside of Lost River Park in WV(known as The Needmore Formation, Roadside quarry is the part we're looking into going). I've heard it's a pretty popular area, and that most people leave with at least something. Anyway, I figure for that area, I'd be bringing a stone hammer, chisel, screwdriver, and maybe a brush for basic tools. Is there anything else you'd recommend us to bring?  

 

Also, I've seen a lot of general tips for fossil hunting, but is there any tips/advice you'd be willing to offer us as first time fossil hunters? I've always been into geology and dinosaurs, but this is the first time I've ever done anything like this, so we're super excited! 

 

Any secret spots you'd be willing to share would be awesome too

 

Thanks!

Amber

[Brett Breakin' Rocks]

A pair of comfortable Safety goggles/glasses  ... stone hammer and chisel can send tiny needle-like shards of rock at quite the speed and distance.

 

Cheers,

B

[ynot]

Welcome to TFF!

Can not help with Your query, but GOOD LUCK!

Tony

[amberlini95]

Thanks for the advice, Brett! Didn't even think of that! 

Thanks for the welcome, Tony! I'm sure you'll see me around here more often.  

[Fossildude19]

Amber,

 

Gloves and kneepads are good additions. A backpack or 5 gallon bucket to carry your finds home in. 

Some people pack aluminum foil, or paper towels to pack up any really fragile stuff. 

Also, don't forget the sunscreen, sturdy hiking boots, bug repellent, first aid kit, and plenty of water/snacks.

 

Be careful when turning rocks over - these areas are where the spiders, hornets, and snakes like to hang out.  

 

A good strategy when visiting a new site is to look at the rubble other people have left behind, and whatever loose material is on the ground. 

I like to walk around a bit, and see what's what. More of a grazer than a digger. I'd rather look through what has already fallen, than dig new material out, ... at least at first. 

Best of luck to you and your sister.  

Regards,

[Dsailor]

Good luck, remember to have fun (embrace the little adventure you get to have) and think of how cool it is that when you uncover something you are probably the first creature to ever see it after millions of years

 

Dom

[EMP]

Glue. Needmore Formation fossils tend to be very fragile, and often fragmentary. I'm afraid that's the condition of most things in this area.

 

You might want to look into Corridor H, which is a new road they built out in WV. Last time I went on it (two years ago, but still) it wasn't very used at all because it's basically in the middle of nowhere, but it has really good, large exposures of practically every formation from the Tonoloway Formation all the way to the Pottsville and Alleghany.

[amberlini95]

Thank you fossil dude! Fantastic post  I wouldn't have thought of knee pads, but that makes great sense! Funny you should mention snakes. Another hobby of mine is what we in the hobby call herping; going out into nature and actually trying to search for snakes.  I'll have to look into what species are in the area so I'm prepared! 

 

Dom, thanks for the welcome! That is the main reason why I got into fossil hunting. It blows my mind that I could potentially hold rocks/fossils that are millions of years old! 

 

EMP, thank you so much for the tip! It looks like parts of Corridor H are still under construction, so the parts that are open I imagine will be relatively unpicked! I'll be sure to google earth it and try to figure out some places to stop. Awesome recommendation, thank you! 

 

Gotta say, y'all are awesome! What a nice welcome I've received! 

[EMP]

7 hours ago, amberlini95 said:

EMP, thank you so much for the tip! It looks like parts of Corridor H are still under construction, so the parts that are open I imagine will be relatively unpicked! I'll be sure to google earth it and try to figure out some places to stop. Awesome recommendation, thank you!

 

It should be all mostly open now, seeing as though it was drivable even back in 2015 from it's start all the way to near Davis. Now there were parts that were less finished then others, but a lot of it was fine. Just remember that most of the traffic that is on it, especially out in the western parts, is mining vehicles. If my memory is correct then the shoulder should be pretty wide in most places, though.

[snakebite6769]

Welcome to the forum Amber, Gloves are good to have too, and I use the free local newspapers to wrap my fossils in, paper towels and foil are thin, just what I've discovered. Good luck and happy hunting. If you stop at Walmart, buy a $3 bead box too and you can store lots of little items in their cubbys. 

[minnbuckeye]

Take a camera. It is something I frequently forget and WISH I had it for special shots or specimens too large to drag out. Plus that way you can involve us at TFF with your hunt. We love seeing different parts of the country!!

 

Mike

[amberlini95]

Thanks for the advice EMP! It looks like it's mostly open, so I shouldn't have a problem. I'll keep aware of the mining traffic! 

 

Thanks snakebite! I actually have one of those for my engineering class to store my parts. May have to empty it for the trip lol.

 

Thanks Mike! I'll be sure to take pictures! I'm sure I'll need your guys' help identifying fossils anyway.  

 

[EMP]

9 hours ago, amberlini95 said:

 

Thanks for the advice EMP! It looks like it's mostly open, so I shouldn't have a problem. I'll keep aware of the mining traffic! 

 

Thanks snakebite! I actually have one of those for my engineering class to store my parts. May have to empty it for the trip lol.

 

Thanks Mike! I'll be sure to take pictures! I'm sure I'll need your guys' help identifying fossils anyway.  

 

 

Oh I completely forgot, but you definitely will need a geologic map of the area to tell what formations to look for and where to go. This isn't Kansas where the formations line up in neat rows across the state.

 

If you're hunting in the Devonian rocks then I'd suggest looking mostly in just a few formations, the Needmore Shale, Mahantango Formation, and the Foreknobs (Chemung or Woodmont on older reports) Formation. The rest of the formations tend to be unfossiliferous and pretty tough to crack open. Even the Mahantango in this neck of the woods is usually pretty barren shale, so concentrate your efforts in the upper siltstone layers (you can tell by the buff/tan colored weathering of the rocks and their sandier look and feel) as well as the calcareous shales of the Needmore Formation below it's contact with the Marcellus Formation (they tend to be a lighter almost cream or beige color, sometimes light gray and have a look and feel of limestone almost). 

 

Typical fossils you'll find are going to be Tentaculites, brachiopods, pelycopods, and more rarely gastropods, trilobites, corals, and cephalopods. I have found one little spot of shale where I've found quite a few Goniatites so be on the look out for those too! Some occur in profusion, others not so much. If you go looking in the Foreknobs Formation then there's the possibility of plant material as well as yellow iron hydroxide covering of the fossils, which makes them look a lot nicer. 

 

 

[FossilDAWG]

Lots of great advice in the above replies.  

 

I now-a-days prefer aluminium foil to wrap, as it forms to the fossil better than newspaper, and can help hold a fragile specimen together.  However it is thin, as was pointed out, and if you have a bunch of things rubbing together in a bucket or backpack it can be torn.  For really precious finds, wrapping in foil first, then newspaper, and (for really special finds) another foil layer to hold the newspaper in place will maximize chances of things arriving home in decent shape.

 

Don't forget good footwear with ankle support.  Easy to turn an ankle while clambering over loose rocks.  Also, don't forget to pack some common sense.  No fossil is worth a trip to the hospital.  Well, some may be, but I haven't found them yet.

 

New roadcuts may be great if they have not been hunted much, but more often they are disappointing because they need to weather for a while for fossils to be loosened or to stand out from the rock.  Fresh rock, especially a vertical surface such as a cut through lots of layers, may not appear to be very productive, especially if the rock is hard limestone or sandstone.  Shale may be a different story.

 

Good luck!

 

Don