fossils in OK and TX in March

[jpc]

Hello all-

I am in the early stages of planning a fossiling outing to TX and OK in March.  Would any of you folks be willing to either point me or take me to sites out there?  There are a lot of different fossil in these states and I have been in touch with a few forum members already, but I would appreciate any help any one can offer.  I have Waurika and the Wilson Clay Pit o the list already.  I imagine I can do NSR solo, but anyone who would be willing to show me around there would be a hero.  I don't plan to go as far as Houston but Austin maybe for Whiskey Bridge....  

 

A crab would be a real prize... or a TX trilobite.  

 

Many Thanks.  Answer here or PM me.  

[facehugger]

Lake Texoma. NSR. Whiskey Bridge. Waco Research pit. These are the sites that have info readily found online. Haven't been to the Wilson Clay Pit yet, gotta check that out. Not many fossils to be found in Houston area, just a big mud puddle, really. 

 

Happy to show you NSR, always looking for an excuse to go, but there are more experienced members here, such as @JarrodB and @KimTexan. I have been scouting new areas in Texas that aren't posted online, but have yet to find any new sites yet, much less producing sites to share. 

 

Have a vacation coming up in the Big Bend area in February, literature suggests good stuff to be found out that way. Will post if I find anything good. 

 

Good luck!

[Wolf89]

@Uncle Siphuncle is VERY knowledgeable about the area. You should definitely message him.

[jpc]

25 minutes ago, facehugger said:

Lake Texoma. NSR. Whiskey Bridge. Waco Research pit. These are the sites that have info readily found online. Haven't been to the Wilson Clay Pit yet, gotta check that out. Not many fossils to be found in Houston area, just a big mud puddle, really. 

 

Happy to show you NSR, always looking for an excuse to go, but there are most experienced members here, such as @JarrodB and @KimTexan. I have been scouting new areas in Texas that aren't posted online, but have yet to find any new sites yet, much less producing sites to share. 

 

Have a vacation coming up in the Big Bend area in February, literature suggests good stuff to be found out that way. Will post if I find anything good. 

 

Good luck!

Thanks for this info.  What are the legalities of collecting at Lake Texoma?  I thought I saw somewhere that it was banned.  

 

Thanks for the NSR offer.  I will put that  in the files for now.  

[jpc]

14 minutes ago, Wolf89 said:

@Uncle Siphuncle is VERY knowledgeable about the area. You should definitely message him.

yup, he's one of the ones I have been in touch with.  

[facehugger]

24 minutes ago, jpc said:

Thanks for this info.  What are the legalities of collecting at Lake Texoma?  I thought I saw somewhere that it was banned.  

 

Thanks for the NSR offer.  I will put that  in the files for now.  

Not aware of any banning, and when I have gone, the areas I have found feel pretty remote. Wouldn't bring a backhoe or anything, but I always bring my pick hammer, no complaints yet. Highly recommend a cold chisel as well. 

 

Also - will be better to go when the water level has dropped a bit, is still kinda high from all the rain the last few months. 

[erose]

For Texas trilobites the Mineral Wells Fossil Park may be your best bet. Or the Lake Bridgeport area. But Oklahoma will be better for bugs. 

 

Wilson is a bit remote so you may want to find someone who can help you there. 

 

I’m in Austin so send me a pm when or if you get this way. 

 

Lake Texoma is huge and some of it is a state park where collecting would be frowned on. Make sure you get directions to the right spots.

[Al Tahan]

Well if your going to oaklahoma be sure to go see Leon Theison  you won’t be disappointed. Gotta love them trilos 

[facehugger]

8 hours ago, erose said:

For Texas trilobites the Mineral Wells Fossil Park may be your best bet. Or the Lake Bridgeport area. But Oklahoma will be better for bugs. 

 

 

I would have never guessed trilos could be found at Mineral Wells. Great info, will have to pay a visit. Heard they could be found in the Marble Falls region.

[JarrodB]

If I'm home from offshore when you make it to my area of Texas I would be glad to take you to NSR. 

[Jeffrey P]

I spent 2 weeks in Texas and Oklahoma back in September and documented it in a Trips report. I didn't make it to NSR, Mineral Wells, or Lake Texoma, but I did visit 16 sites- all of them productive, most of them with the help and guidance of Forum members. I recommend a lot of research on your own: Whiskey Bridge, Mineral Wells, Waco Pit, Waurika, Jacksboro, and NSR are localities in the public domain, but contact with active Forum members will likely turn you on to a lot of other great sites. People I met were very friendly, helpful, and generous. I'm currently in the process of IDing and organizing my finds from that trip. Good  luck and have a lot of fun.

[gwestbrook]

One of my favorite spots is the Upper Pennsylvanian Finis Shale exposure at the Lost Creek Reservoir borrow pit near Jacksboro, Texas.  There's always something nice to be found there. 

https://www.westernpaleo.org/pdf_files/fossil identification-1.pdf

The forum has a study group page with links to some color and black and white PDF's detailing the site and what can be found there. 

Bob Will is a good person to contact on the subject. He knows the site very well. 

[erose]

5 hours ago, facehugger said:

I would have never guessed trilos could be found at Mineral Wells. Great info, will have to pay a visit. Heard they could be found in the Marble Falls region.

Trilobites would be a possibility in any of the Pennsylvanian marine deposits. But some are going to be a better bet than others.  The best ones I have seen are from the Lake Bridgeport area but I am not familiar with those sites.  I have found trilobites at Wilson's Clay Pit, Lake Jacksboro, Lake Sealy, the Mineral Wells Fossil Park and a few other sites.  Mineral Wells has produced complete enrolled bugs more than any of the others. I was at Wilson last week and I did find a handful of trilobutts but whole ones are scarce there. My daughter found two on single rock a number of years ago and those are the best from there I know of.  Lake Sealy, near Santa Anna, TX is also really good but I have no idea how to easily get permission.  

 

I would love to know more about sites closer to home like the Marble Falls area. 

 

 

[gwestbrook]

Here is a link to the Jacksboro Finis Shale study group site through the Dallas Palaeontological Society. A lot of good information here and also to some very nice fossil ID PDF files. 

https://www.dallaspaleo.org/Jacksboro-Study-Group

And, here is a link to the DPS site as well. It would be very beneficial to join if you plan on future Texas and Oklahoma fossil collecting trips. They have planned group trips throughout the year for members. 

https://www.dallaspaleo.org/

Hope that helps! 

[facehugger]

31 minutes ago, erose said:

Trilobites would be a possibility in any of the Pennsylvanian marine deposits. But some are going to be a better bet than others.  The best ones I have seen are from the Lake Bridgeport area but I am not familiar with those sites.  I have found trilobites at Wilson's Clay Pit, Lake Jacksboro, Lake Sealy, the Mineral Wells Fossil Park and a few other sites.  Mineral Wells has produced complete enrolled bugs more than any of the others. I was at Wilson last week and I did find a handful of trilobutts but whole ones are scarce there. My daughter found two on single rock a number of years ago and those are the best from there I know of.  Lake Sealy, near Santa Anna, TX is also really good but I have no idea how to easily get permission.  

 

I would love to know more about sites closer to home like the Marble Falls area. 

 

 

A book i have shows some trilos from the Marble Falls formation, just assumed that formation was near the town or quarry. Havent checked a map to confirm actual location. 

 

We just gotta keep looking, but is a bit of a drive for me lol

[Jeffrey P]

21 hours ago, gwestbrook said:

One of my favorite spots is the Upper Pennsylvanian Finis Shale exposure at the Lost Creek Reservoir borrow pit near Jacksboro, Texas.  There's always something nice to be found there. 

https://www.westernpaleo.org/pdf_files/fossil identification-1.pdf

The forum has a study group page with links to some color and black and white PDF's detailing the site and what can be found there. 

Bob Will is a good person to contact on the subject. He knows the site very well. 

I agree. If you like marine Pennsylvanian inverts, this is the site. In terms of variety, abundance, and excellent preservation, this site is awesome and Bob Will is extremely knowledgeable and friendly. Everything there, by the way, is surface collected. No digging required.  

[Ramo]

Years ago my wife and I made a similar trip.  We stopped at a place called white mound in Oklahoma and found a few enrolled trilobites and tons of brachiopods.   I had to do some research, but found who to contact to get in there.

[smt126]

When we visited 2 years ago my daughter and I hiked around lake texoma for a couple hours. It’s definitely a fun hike, but difficult to collect, and as you said questionable legality of collecting. It sounds like technically you’re not supposed to, but no one cares. It’s going to be quite the strain on your back carrying anything back to your car.

 

I would contact @BobWill about going collecting. His wife doesn’t let him go collecting alone so I’m sure he’d love the company of someone with your experience. We had a great time with him and his wife collecting large ammonites  and then went to Jacksboro and collected smaller material. To me that was the best day of my trip.

 

I also went to post oak creek, which was fun. I didn’t realize how small the shark teeth were until someone else came down and we got to talking. Unfortunately by then it was getting close to time to go. I grabbed a few bags of material, unaudited though that I have yet to go through. I’m hoping there might be a couple teeth in there when I get the time to look.

 

We went to NSR but the kids got stuck in the mud within a half hour of being there and lost boots that I had to dig out. I’m sure you’ve ready plenty in that site here though so know what to expect.

 

Also the Perot museum is worth a trip on a rainy day.

 

hope this helps a little.

[jpc]

Thanks for all this info, folks.  Looks like my trip is postponed til April.  

 

[BobWill]

2 hours ago, jpc said:

Thanks for all this info, folks.  Looks like my trip is postponed til April.  

 

April will be much better for Texas collecting. Message me when your coming and I can help you with Jacksboro which is my main focus now. I can also give you directions to some of the others but my ammonite sites are getting very depleted. I would not expect to find trilobites at any of the Texas Pennsylvanian sites since they are so rare.

[jpc]

Thanks, BobWill.  I suspected so much about trilobites, but hey ya never know.  I'll be in touch as I start linig up my chickens in a row.  

[jpc]

In case anyone is hoping for a trip report...

I have had to cancel.  The washer and stove died on the same night a few weeks ago and are slowly working to to replace them, so there goes the vacation budget.

 

Thanks again, y'all.  This trip may happen again another year.  

[ynot]

On 3/16/2019 at 1:10 PM, jpc said:

In case anyone is hoping for a trip report...

I have had to cancel.  The washer and stove died on the same night a few weeks ago and are slowly working to to replace them, so there goes the vacation budget.

 

Thanks again, y'all.  This trip may happen again another year.  

Sorry for Your bad fortune and missed trip.

Hope You can still do a trip soon.

[Uncle Siphuncle]

On 3/16/2019 at 3:10 PM, jpc said:

In case anyone is hoping for a trip report...

I have had to cancel.  The washer and stove died on the same night a few weeks ago and are slowly working to to replace them, so there goes the vacation budget.

 

Thanks again, y'all.  This trip may happen again another year.  

I’ll help you out amigo when the time comes.

[jpc]

Thanks... the snow will be melting someday.  Local outings.