FollowingTrail17 Posted July 4, 2018 Share Posted July 4, 2018 Hello all, I am a newer fossil hunter in the Buffalo, New York area. I am doing some personal research of the eurypterid in New York. Obviously with the eurypterid being the fossil of New York it does have high density in New York, more so upstate, but I am looking for some in the direct Buffalo area. I've read a few studies done by local paleontologists and geologists of it being found in the Lang's fossil quarry, Pittsford, as close as Holland, and just over the border in Fort Erie. With that said I think it's easy to then assume it's here in Buffalo, but don't know where to search. Has anyone had any luck in Buffalo? Or heard of places within the surrouding areas to have them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted July 4, 2018 Share Posted July 4, 2018 I believe you would have to research the Bertie Waterlime, and the Fiddlers' Green Formations, and where they might outcrop in the area. Good luck. Regards, 1 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...
FollowingTrail17 Posted July 4, 2018 Author Share Posted July 4, 2018 I have to an extent and haven't really found much even in terms for the city area of Buffalo I don't know if I can't find any studies or they just haven't really been published publicly. I know it's been found in dolostone and limestones and occaisionally shale. So I guess my search would just have to start that broad and narrow as I search if that's the course I decide to take. Thanks though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DevonianDigger Posted July 4, 2018 Share Posted July 4, 2018 Right under my house in Williamsville is what was called the Buffalo pool. There are supposedly Eurypterids there, but good luck finding anywhere this populated to hit the layer! 1 Jay A. Wollin Lead Fossil Educator - Penn Dixie Fossil Park and Nature Reserve Hamburg, New York, USA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilcrazy Posted July 4, 2018 Share Posted July 4, 2018 The old Bennett Quarry was a good producer. It is now a storm sewer overflow reservoir. It is dry in the winter but off limits. I found my first Eurypterid there. You can see the collectors in the back portion of the basin. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilcrazy Posted July 4, 2018 Share Posted July 4, 2018 The Bennett Qy. could be flooded like in this Aerial shot. GPS coordinates are shown. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FollowingTrail17 Posted July 4, 2018 Author Share Posted July 4, 2018 Is this site ever open to the public? Or have the same formations exposed outside of the property? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miocene_Mason Posted July 4, 2018 Share Posted July 4, 2018 Good luck! Those sea scorpions are notoriously hard to find in the US, the Lang’s pretty much have a monopoly on them. Though with some work I by there is an untouched outcrop out there. Remember, geologic maps and google maps are your friend. It may take some effort in scouting to find an outcrop. I like the Australopithecus afarensis skull reconstruction as the avatar. That ones from the San Diego Museum Of Man, I don’t know which skull they based it off of. 1 “...whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been and are being evolved.” ~ Charles Darwin Happy hunting, Mason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolmt Posted July 4, 2018 Share Posted July 4, 2018 My theory has always been that eurypterids are not a particularly rare fossil unfortunately the exposures they are found in are rarely found at the surface. In its prime Ridgemount quarry in Fort Erie Canada produced a decent eurypterid at about the same frequency that a day of hunting for a good ceraurus would take. Unfortunately that is no longer the case. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilcrazy Posted July 4, 2018 Share Posted July 4, 2018 Some other outcrops of Bertie are known and I have researched their locations. I have not pursued them because the places I hunt, are productive without going to the unknowns. If someone wanted to go on a joint venture, I would be willing to try some new hunting grounds. There are places that have produced in the past, but the collecting door is now closed forever. Bennett Quarry was a field trip, the Buffalo Geological Society conducted once a year. The trip leaders were able to secure permission from the Buffalo Sewer authority when the reservoir was dry. It has been many years (2005?) policies may have changed, contacts may have retired. It would take some ground work to develop the site for visitation. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FollowingTrail17 Posted July 4, 2018 Author Share Posted July 4, 2018 I have an idea to go directly west from the Bennett Quarry location until I hit the Niagara river and possibly there may be some Bertie exposures along the coast, but once again just an idea. Possibly if a group was gathered and made efforts to reach out to the local sewer authority they would open it up again. Obviously just one or two people probably wouldn't do it. I will do research further, possibly contact a few officials to see if the site can be drained so a small dig can be done. I just think the idea of "urban fossil hunting" has an appeal to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kane Posted July 4, 2018 Share Posted July 4, 2018 1 minute ago, FollowingTrail17 said: I have an idea to go directly west from the Bennett Quarry location until I hit the Niagara river and possibly there may be some Bertie exposures along the coast, but once again just an idea. Possibly if a group was gathered and made efforts to reach out to the local sewer authority they would open it up again. Obviously just one or two people probably wouldn't do it. I will do research further, possibly contact a few officials to see if the site can be drained so a small dig can be done. I just think the idea of "urban fossil hunting" has an appeal to it. It might be more effective if the group doing the outreach belonged to a recognized rock/fossil club, or was affiliated with a university. I'm not sure how amenable the local sewer authority would be in bearing the costs of labour time and equipment in draining the area, and there may also be liability issues to consider. 1 ...How to Philosophize with a Hammer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sacha Posted July 4, 2018 Share Posted July 4, 2018 11 hours ago, DevonianDigger said: Right under my house in Williamsville is what was called the Buffalo pool. There are supposedly Eurypterids there, but good luck finding anywhere this populated to hit the layer! As kids (I grew up in Snyder) we would fish and mess around down near the old Glen Falls Park after it closed down. I never thought of collecting around there (we collected where they were constructing exit 50 from the throughway), but would that be the layer he's looking for? The falls has a pretty good exposure. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FollowingTrail17 Posted July 4, 2018 Author Share Posted July 4, 2018 3 minutes ago, Kane said: It might be more effective if the group doing the outreach belonged to a recognized rock/fossil club, or was affiliated with a university. I'm not sure how amenable the local sewer authority would be in bearing the costs of labour time and equipment in draining the area, and there may also be liability issues to consider. I know certain times of the year the area is drained, but I don't know exactly when. Probably the best bet of them letting ANYONE in there would probably be then, but you're probably right, a club or university probably has a better shot. Maybe I can reach out to the local paleontology/geology groups to see what they think or if there had been plans already to do so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missourian Posted July 4, 2018 Share Posted July 4, 2018 This general denial of access that seems to be increasing over time is one reason why I've mostly given up on searching for 'big game' fossils. Lately, I've concentrated my efforts on common and obscure things like sponges and micros. Context is critical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilcrazy Posted July 4, 2018 Share Posted July 4, 2018 There are places the strata for Eurypterids show. The trouble is you simply can't dig were ever you feel. Creeks in Forest Lawn or Delaware Park or the I190N have the right layer, see how far you would get trying your luck in so called public places. I think Bennett Quarry could still be viable with an insured club official doing the contact. The quarry is accessible by drying out and not actions taken by the Sewer Authority. It would be an "iffy" short window and small group outing. As a side note the local area is a high crime surrounding. the last time we had personnel "guarding" our vehicles because the parking area is out of view while inside the quarry. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Tahan Posted November 16, 2018 Share Posted November 16, 2018 On 7/4/2018 at 8:37 AM, fossilcrazy said: Some other outcrops of Bertie are known and I have researched their locations. I have not pursued them because the places I hunt, are productive without going to the unknowns. If someone wanted to go on a joint venture, I would be willing to try some new hunting grounds. There are places that have produced in the past, but the collecting door is now closed forever. Bennett Quarry was a field trip, the Buffalo Geological Society conducted once a year. The trip leaders were able to secure permission from the Buffalo Sewer authority when the reservoir was dry. It has been many years (2005?) policies may have changed, contacts may have retired. It would take some ground work to develop the site for visitation. I just saw this discussion. I’ve been researching areas near the Litchfield rock exposure...doesn’t look promising. I did however locate the formation along a railroad cut on main st in buffalo. I found 2 nice heads. I didn’t dig or really make a mess cause the wall was vertical and I had a feeling like I wasn’t supposed to be there. I really want to try and buy some farm hills near Lang’s quarry and go to town Hah. If you are interested we can do some investigating in 2019! Al Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilcrazy Posted November 17, 2018 Share Posted November 17, 2018 I haven't gone collecting in 2018 because of health issues. Maybe 2019 will work out better. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OssifiedConscript Posted December 14, 2021 Share Posted December 14, 2021 Hey if anyone in this forum still wants to head out to some of these buffalo outcroppings and do some hunting, I’m more than willing to help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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