Green Mill Run, NC Trip and Some Unidentified Fossils on 8/26/2018

[krobinson511]

Hello! This is my first time posting on the forum. My family and I got into fossil hunting about a year ago. My two sons (ages five and seven) love dinosaurs just like many kids their age, so while on vacation in Florida, we made a day trip to Venice Beach to look for shark teeth. We didn't even have sifters, but we found a handful of shark teeth and were hooked! We've enjoyed making day trips to Aurora Fossil Museum in NC to "dig the past." We decided to change things up a little and explore Green Mill Run in NC. We live in Chesapeake, VA (near Virginia Beach), so Greenville is about two hours and twenty minutes away. Aurora is about two hours and forty minutes away.

 

We brought a large shovel and a few screens. I have a couple of small hand sifters (intended for baking) that the boys can get a good handle on. We had a medium screen that we bought in Aurora and we zip-tied a pool noodle around it so it would float. This past April, we went fossil hunting in the Peace River in Florida, so hunting at Green Mill Run was similar. The water level was pretty low (a foot high or less) and there was plenty of shade so the boys could take a break from the sun. At first, I tried digging around a rock to see if any teeth were caught up in there. I would get about an average of three teeth per shovelful. It was great to be finding so many teeth like in Aurora while also keeping cool in the water! After about an hour, I decided to try moving around to different spots where I saw lots of rocks instead of sticking one place. This approach yielded even more teeth. We walked away with lots of shark teeth, squid pens (they're called pens, right?), and other fragments that seemed significant. We hunted for about two hours until the boys were ready to go and a bit hangry (I did pack a lunch...). I could have stayed all day, but they were a bit tired after the long car ride--and we still had to go back in the car to get home.

 

It was a great first trip there and I'd love to go back! My husband was a bit worried about the possibility of snakes, but we didn't see any at all. I would definitely recommend water shoes because there was A LOT of glass in the sand.

 

My seven-year-old son makes videos of our fossil hunting trips for his YouTube channel, which he calls Dino Study. If you want, you can watch it below. My five-year-old son doesn't like making as much of an appearance on camera, so there is a little less footage of him.

 

The best finds included a nice, large sand tiger tooth (found by my seven-year-old) and a large great white tooth (I believe) that I found from the surface.

 

Most of the teeth from the day.

 

I saw this and thought it could be a molar of some kind or perhaps just a conveniently-shaped rock. I have a photo of the top and bottom.

 

 

[krobinson511]

Here are a few more fossils I was not sure about if you don't mind taking a gander.

 

Perhaps a bone fragment?

 

My husband brought this one home in case it was "something." Here's the front and the back. The front seems to have some impressions or markings.

 

Here's two that I wasn't sure if they were some other kind of teeth, worn rocks, pieces of bone, or indescribable.

 

Thanks for reading!

 

[Auspex]

This looks like a chunk of whale vertebra.

Welcome to the Forum

[Steve D.]

Love the video!!! I can't wait to make something like that with my two little boys. haha

 

Thanks for sharing and welcome to the forum. 

[WhodamanHD]

Nice fossils! Your great white is probably better described as a white shark, Carcharodon hastalis, The predecessor of the Great white. It’s teeth have no serrations. I agree the bone chunk is a bone chunk, maybe whale. Don’t know about vertebra, would need more pictures.

[The Jersey Devil]

The tooth next to the Carcharodon hastalis is a Cretaceous Scapanorhynchus texanus. The bone chunk looks more like a peripheral turtle shell piece.

[Gobulldogs77]

This is awesome. And great video. I am wanting to take my son there as well. Where did you park and walk to for where you were at? That looks like a great spot. 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Nice finds. 

Hello, and a very warm welcome to TFF from Morocco. 

[Rowboater]

Nice hunting!  Always fun with the family!