Rockin' Ric Posted November 27, 2018 Share Posted November 27, 2018 Hey Y'all! Due to some technical issues with pictures on the first posting... I'm trying again.... It had been awhile since I got to go on a fossil hunt with the local Alabama Paleontological Society group. On 11/20/18, I got to go to a active surface coal mine not far from my home on a gorgeous, cold day considering we had rain all week. We checked in around 9:30 am and was guided to our destination through a lot of mud to a site away from the major activity of mine operations. We had the run of spoil piles that were created into berms that contained all sorts of plant fossils! My goal for the day was to find as many fern fossils that could fit into two 5.5 gallon buckets and those berms didn't disappoint. Most of what I found was disarticlulated Neuropteris fern fronds and lots of fern hash plates. The leaflets had a reddish tint of iron that had oxidized when exposed to the weather as the sample shows. I collected a number of hash plates that I found very interesting. I found numerous fern fronds ... ... and even several pieces of Sigillaria bark impressions that I don't have in my collection. (I think this one is the interior impression of the Sigillaria) I shot a picture of a young Mimosa, a modern day tree fern leaves and shadow cast upon a hash plate slab with the Neuropteris leaflets. After about and hour or two on that berm I think I tapped it out so another location was found and we all moved there where I found many more fern fossils including the find of the day, this fern frond! By the time we got ready to leave both of my buckets were full and of course we all wanted to stay longer but felt we didn't want to over stay our welcome. There were several slabs that I didn't have time to break down so I left them as well as the bigger ones that couldn't be taken out, so only a picture had to do! The last picture is that of a Stigmaria with visible rootlets! What an awesome day, I declare this site as one of my favorites and look forward to coming back again! 12 WELCOME TO ALL THE NEW MEMBERS! If history repeats itself, I'm SO getting a dinosaur. ~unknown www.rockinric81.wixsite.com/fossils Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carl Posted November 27, 2018 Share Posted November 27, 2018 Gorgeous fossils and exemplary photos! Thanks for sharing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilDAWG Posted November 27, 2018 Share Posted November 27, 2018 Nice report. You've convinced me that I need to join the Alabama Paleontological Society. Don 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Innocentx Posted November 27, 2018 Share Posted November 27, 2018 What a fine opportunity and you spent the time quite well. These are most lovely and your find of the day impressive. What is this interesting slab? "Journey through a universe ablaze with changes" Phil Ochs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeepTimeIsotopes Posted November 27, 2018 Share Posted November 27, 2018 Those are nice. Looks like a fun time! Each dot is 50,000,000 years: Hadean............Archean..............................Proterozoic.......................................Phanerozoic........... Paleo......Meso....Ceno.. Ꞓ.OSD.C.P.Tr.J.K..Pg.NgQ< You are here Doesn't time just fly by? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockin' Ric Posted November 27, 2018 Author Share Posted November 27, 2018 2 hours ago, Innocentx said: What a fine opportunity and you spent the time quite well. These are most lovely and your find of the day impressive. What is this interesting slab? Innocent, it is slab of ripple marks...a portion of that area was an ancient mudflat because one of the members of our group found some really cool trace fossils. 2 WELCOME TO ALL THE NEW MEMBERS! If history repeats itself, I'm SO getting a dinosaur. ~unknown www.rockinric81.wixsite.com/fossils Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica Posted November 28, 2018 Share Posted November 28, 2018 Wow - great finds!!! I really like the piece below - are my eyes working properly when I see a rhizome with fronds attached?! If so, amazing!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carl Posted November 28, 2018 Share Posted November 28, 2018 6 hours ago, Monica said: Wow - great finds!!! I really like the piece below - are my eyes working properly when I see a rhizome with fronds attached?! If so, amazing!!! Nope, not attached. The thing on the left looks like a branch from a lycopod tree and the leaves look like a seed fern. Nice stuff, however! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrangellian Posted November 30, 2018 Share Posted November 30, 2018 On 11/28/2018 at 8:14 AM, Carl said: Nope, not attached. The thing on the left looks like a branch from a lycopod tree and the leaves look like a seed fern. Nice stuff, however! That's what I thought. It's too bad that piece couldn't be recovered! Great stuff. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plantguy Posted December 1, 2018 Share Posted December 1, 2018 Hey Ric, very nice finds particularly the larger frond! I am envious. Did they take a big group or are they limited due to safety/insurance restrictions--do you know how it works at that site? Regards, Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwestbrook Posted January 25, 2019 Share Posted January 25, 2019 Beautiful! I've got to plan a trip to one of these types of sites. I have very few fossil flora specimens. Would love to branch out a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dalmayshun Posted January 26, 2019 Share Posted January 26, 2019 I have to stop reading Fossil Forum...I'm getting too many bucket list items...I'll need another 20 years, and by that time I'll be in my mid 90's...any collectors out there who are in their 90 and still collecting. Guess I have to keep exercising, so I'll be able to do the 30 foot "hike" into a site. My children have promised me if I end up in a wheel chair, they will go out and bring buckets back for me to break, sort and shift....of course, my youngest daughter said, she would gladly push my wheelchair out into the sand at low tide, and come back for me later at high tide.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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