Mazon Creek

[John K]

The family and I took a trip down to Mazon Creek last Saturday. I had read about the site since I was little, and we did a bunch of web "research" before going last weekend, but we really didn't know what to expect until we got down there. Something about siterite nodules, shale and something about a "freeze-thaw" method ????.....

The IDNR person that I talked to was somewhat helpful, though, and gave us some general directions to an area that was apparently "rich" in fossils. We got to the site, but found what little exposure there was to be pretty picked over. We discovered, though, that exploring a bit into the trees to be productive. It was pretty tough going, crawling through the muddy shale and underbrush, but we managed to find about 120 lbs of nodules, and ended up having a great time.

Being little helped a lot. I had a much harder time fitting my 6' carcass through the Honeysuckle than my 4' son:





We found lots of these:



The days find:



While we picked up mostly intact nodules, my wife did find one overt, identifiable specimen. I'm pretty sure this is an impression of a calamites stem (didn't find the other half):



So now we've got a freezer full of rocks (get those pork chops out of the way for the important stuff...) I'll post more phots of our finds as they start cracking open.

On the way back, we stayed at a friends yurt an hour or so north of Madison. After a day of grubbing around in the mud, and a long, late night drive, it was a nice place to sleep in

Edited March 7, 2014 by John K

[sparkchaser]

Very nice. My back still has issues from the trip I took out there one Spring break and the backpack I filled with concretions.

[Terry Dactyll]

John K..... Thanks for the images of Mazon Creek Today..... I was loaned the book on the fossils from there, and was only looking through it yesterday for an ID.... I plan on returning it tomorrow..... Please post your finds when the nodules are finally opened....

[Auspex]

Great trip report! Sending the kids into the thickets made me think of the Japanese fishermen who use Cormorants to catch the fish, except that you (presumably) don't have to put a choke-collar on the kids.

[Ordovician]

Hey, that's not bad trip! In July! Watch out of tick, I hope that you and kids don't get any tick(s)! Lot of ticks in Mazon Creek and state park! I went there in late March and early November to avoid over weeds, ticks and I walk as far away as I can from parking a lot! Heavy fossil hunting pressure near parking a lot area!

Good job, Mazon creek fossils hunting!

[John K]

Great trip report! Sending the kids into the thickets made me think of the Japanese fishermen who use Cormorants to catch the fish, except that you (presumably) don't have to put a choke-collar on the kids.

nah, I just hand them a radio and let 'em go....


ticks - we found one tick, so that wasn't too bad, but man, the chiggers got me good....

we've got a few of the nodules to open after a couple days alternating between the freezer and boiling water (geez, them things are hard!) Looks mostly like we collected jellies, from what I can tell:




(I was thinking at first (hoping) this was a Lepidostrobus cone, but after comparing it to a bunch of others, I'm pretty sure it's a jelly fish - Essexella asherae (Foster 1979)

more Essexella asherae:







My son found this:



it sure looks like a Cephlapod to me, a lot like the Ednoceras we find around here (even has a siphuncle running down the middle), but I can't find any described from Mazon Creek. Anyone care to guess what it is?

We still got a pile of nodules in the freezer(s), so I'm hopeful that we came back with something other than jellies. But, even if we didn't, they are still pretty cool (being soft-bodied and all...) Edited March 7, 2014 by John K

[RCFossils]

Not bad for collecting this time of year. The chiggers and ticks can be brutal and some areas are almost impassable from the scrub brush (watch out for the thorns).

You are correct in that all of the concretions are the common Essexella. They will usually split open first as they take up most of the concretion. You have a chance at finding something rare so be patient and continue freeze thawing. There are cephalopodods found in the Mazon Creek deposit. They are very rare and i do not believe that your rock is an example.

You can check out my photo albums if you need help with identification. I have posted pictures of most of the animal types that can be found and will post more as time permits.

Good luck collecting!

Rob

[Ordovician]

Nice fossils! A piece looked like a seed from a tree but it Look like a piece of cephalopod to me!

I got several weird jelly ..... called blobs!

Let us know what you find from your left over rocks!

[John K]

Not bad for collecting this time of year. The chiggers and ticks can be brutal and some areas are almost impassable from the scrub brush (watch out for the thorns).

You are correct in that all of the concretions are the common Essexella. They will usually split open first as they take up most of the concretion. You have a chance at finding something rare so be patient and continue freeze thawing. There are cephalopodods found in the Mazon Creek deposit. They are very rare and i do not believe that your rock is an example.

You can check out my photo albums if you need help with identification. I have posted pictures of most of the animal types that can be found and will post more as time permits.

Good luck collecting!

Rob

Rob

I took a look at your gallery - what a great resource! I'll be looking at it again as these things continue to open up. Thanks!

[serge]

would anyone care to say where exactly in mazon creek all of this can be found?

[Kosmoceras]

Nice finds!

[Missourian]

I'm quite late to this thread, but it came up in a Google search on "Mazon Creek" and "honeysuckle".

I've heard that a large portion of the Mazon Creek spoil piles are now covered with vegetation. I've been wondering about the feasibility of removing the invasive portions of the flora -- with potentially exposing more concretions as a side benefit. Here in Kansas City, honeysuckle is quite pervasive and is often a threat to natural communities. In some natural areas, volunteers regularly go through and remove the honeysuckle in order to clear out the forest understory for native plants. I wonder if the same could be done at Mazon? Of course, any exposures would be temporary as the invasive stuff is eventually replaced with native species, but the effort may be worth it to fossil collectors at the very least.

On the other hand, I've never been to Mazon, so the area could be far larger than what I imagine in my mind's eye to make such an effort worthwhile.

[John K]

I'll differ to others more familiar with the area, but it seems like a fairly large area; it would be a big project.

[its.just.alec]

Does anyone know how easy to access the ten other pits are in the Mazon Creek area? From what I've found there are 11 pits that were dug, but Pit 11 is the only one discussed anymore. If Pit 11 is the only accessible pit left, where is the best spot to search? I've heard of the Tipple Area, but that's just about it. 

[Ray.jeffords318]

Cool fossils!

[TheRocksWillShoutHisGlory]

18 hours ago, its.just.alec said:

Does anyone know how easy to access the ten other pits are in the Mazon Creek area? From what I've found there are 11 pits that were dug, but Pit 11 is the only one discussed anymore. If Pit 11 is the only accessible pit left, where is the best spot to search? I've heard of the Tipple Area, but that's just about it. 

The other pits are largely inaccessible anymore.  Pit 1 is now mostly a golf course.  Pit 2 was accessible until a few years ago and had some good plant material but changed ownership.  Pit 4 is a subdivision.  There are some local sporting clubs with high yearly membership dues that have access to parts of the other pits.  The mazon river itself is probably the next best place, besides getting permission form local land owners or developers.