DoyouthinkhesaurusRex Posted January 21, 2018 Share Posted January 21, 2018 A break in the bitter winter cold gave me a bit of spring fever this week. Thursday I had to venture to Newport for an errand and the weather was a balmy 30-ish and sunny, I decided to go check out this location. Tides were favorable for hitting the beach this week and I took advantage. With the major storm that came through recently, I figured there might be some new rock eroded down to search through. Armed with only my brick hammer, goggles and gloves, I scoured through pieces for about an hour. The rocks here were pretty well saturated, and those that did not outright disintegrate trying to split them, only revealed mud and ice between the layers. I tried placing them in sunlight to dry a bit, but finding anything in the field was futile. I grabbed some small slabs that for whatever reason seemed promising and brought them home to split. While carefully splitting at the kitchen table, my 4 year-old took up brush-cleaning duties. It was a fun little project for lil man and I. The haul yielded some potential finds, and a thirst for a return adventure with the kids. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caldigger Posted January 21, 2018 Share Posted January 21, 2018 No pics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoyouthinkhesaurusRex Posted January 21, 2018 Author Share Posted January 21, 2018 13 minutes ago, caldigger said: No pics. Sorry, the original files would not attach, edited with pics Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoyouthinkhesaurusRex Posted January 21, 2018 Author Share Posted January 21, 2018 Though a later tide today, the weather was far better. I figured it would be a great day to get the kids outside and split some shale. I returned to the site, but better prepared with tools, and tips from other members here. Two hours of work was bringing much of the same frustration experienced Thursday: saturated rock, mud between the layers, nothing readily noticeable in the field, crumbling rock. I tried both north and south of the access this time, digging out pieces where the ground was soft enough, and even pulling some iPad-sized slabs from the face... nothing. The kids were having fun picking shells and rocks, so no biggie if it were a swing-and-miss day. I decided to take one last canvas of where I dug Thursday, and after 10 minutes I began to pack the wagon. That is when we were approached by a woman who stated she was a local science teacher who routinely rock-hunts the area. She suggested a very specific spot, stating you can often see fossils right in the rock face. After a 15 minute trudge over, I did not see much of a rock face, and only a fraction of the shale that littered the area we had just left. I searched for a dark grey, reasonably thick piece, high up on the beach and not noticeably waterlogged. In a couple of minutes I had a candidate in hand and split it with my thin chisel and brick hammer... Jackpot! No question we had something here. It split to reveal plants on either side. The three of us were elated. The kids started to frantically bring any rock that was either the same shape, size, or color they laid eyes on. Most weren't even shale, and I split about a half dozen rocks with no other result. But man, what a way to end the day! I carefully wrapped out prize in a towel and blankets, and we trekked back to the car. Transferring our treasure, I noticed a layer had vibrated apart in transit. It showed just the tip of what looked to be a bigger, clearer, specimen. The rest is in there somewhere, but I don't dare try to split our find more. My fear is greed will result in ruin from lack of experience/skill. Now, I just have to preserve the pieces, and buy holders, so the kids can each have one for their room. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted January 21, 2018 Share Posted January 21, 2018 Well done! Some of your items are plant "hash". (unidentifiable bits and pieces of plant matter.) Others are ferns/seed ferns, but unidentifiable for the pictures. Some just don't have enough detail to say anything further. I cropped and resized some of your photos with my thoughts on them. This post has some helpful information in it. Tim - VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER VFOTM - APRIL - 2015 __________________________________________________ "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~ ><))))( *> About Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoyouthinkhesaurusRex Posted January 21, 2018 Author Share Posted January 21, 2018 Thanks for the feedback and the link @Fossildude19. Knowing this info, my first day was filled with "hash", and I likely left much more on the beach over the two trips. The second pic is a close-up on a corner of the first. The unidentifiable fern went unnoticed the first day, not sure if some drying time helped to bring it out, or just my eye became better at spotting after seeing Saturday's pieces. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pagurus Posted January 21, 2018 Share Posted January 21, 2018 I'm glad you and the kids had a successful adventure! I'll bet you find even more next time! Start the day with a smile and get it over with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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