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9th trip to Chatsworth: A last hurrah


MeargleSchmeargl

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As my life in college is imminent (I head to Milledgeville Thursday), I wanted to fit in one last pre-college trip to my favorite bug spot (An idea that was really given life when I heard about a Schwimmer paper that got into PALAIOS about what may be the oldest nesting behavior ever discovered (https://www.georgiasfossils.com/new-2b-a-trilobite-nest-in-georgia.html)).

 

I can say with confidence that yesterday scored in the upper tier of my trip list to the site.

 

I arrived later in the day than I usually would (got there around 6:00 or something), and the river was once again quite low. As a matter of fact, I think it was as low today as I've ever seen it:

 

IMG_20190812_175607846_HDR.thumb.jpg.b9941edf5a9980c952ce3265effcffc3.jpg

IMG_20190812_175634593_HDR.thumb.jpg.c2dc19054618c5829a42e543f3da1e49.jpg

 

I went to work right away splitting some slabs from one of the lower layers that seems to give me the best results, and before long, I was getting quality split after quality split. By the end of my relatively brief 1 hour stay, I had quite a few nice pieces to take with me:

 

IMG_20190812_191821558.thumb.jpg.7be0e0ae91364f5fabb2d3b8af4c36f7.jpg

 

Cont.

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Every single fossil you see is a miracle set in stone, and should be treated as such.

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I have heard they have a really nice geology/paleontology museum in Milledgeville.  I have never been down there to see it, though it's only about 2 hours from Athens.  It's on my to-do list.  Also they have some active paleo profs there.  Melanie Devore works on fossil plants, and Dennis Parmley has published on Eocene snakes and shark teeth from the area.  Unfortunately the best local site for Eocene vertebrate material, the Hardy Mine, has been completely reclaimed, and the property owners have built a shooting range (mostly for skeet) on the former site.  

 

Don

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Found some real goodies this time around, with probably the most quality pieces I've found in one trip. Starting with this peculiar pair:

 

IMG_20190813_023453234.thumb.jpg.1646d71e8df8209654606d86e25d97e0.jpg

IMG_20190813_022934861.thumb.jpg.db7f506bd9cbf5cb5679bc487b403014.jpg

IMG_20190813_023318803.thumb.jpg.4a3df977076708cc38c57973649f50d7.jpg

 

The unfortunate thing that happened is that the exoskeleton split and went to both the positive and negative sides, roughly separating it at the headshield. Other than that, it's a perfect piece.

 

But wait, there's more! The positive slab is more than meets the eye:

 

IMG_20190813_023543866.thumb.jpg.32366acb1e503ba7329285458dbf1dcb.jpg

IMG_20190813_023726685.thumb.jpg.111e1b03c93328bfb3dd4d36381144c9.jpg

IMG_20190813_024334864.thumb.jpg.783301b7aab08d53f6b8aa721bfd663e.jpg

 

Yep, the positive is dual-sided. The long-lost cousins of our original splitee are in quite good shape, too!

 

Our next pair of bugs are also quite well preserved:

 

IMG_20190813_015822652.thumb.jpg.33062ba7bd811e1aa9d2e04c92368715.jpgIMG_20190813_020141678.thumb.jpg.36ec6cdd280b8d86bd69a2e08af0bdeb.jpgIMG_20190813_020520827.thumb.jpg.de14b770031041a207fa6979f1ee7514.jpg

 

Close to flawless, but shale split to where the very leftmost portion of the headshield got clipped. It's companion also has its headshield still covered. Not going to bother exposing them though, as there is simply no way I can without damaging one or both of them and subsequently regretting my life choices leading to my making that decision.

 

Cont.

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Every single fossil you see is a miracle set in stone, and should be treated as such.

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Next up, a diamond in the hash:

 

IMG_20190813_022504274.thumb.jpg.688bb9436515c7e15cbe9f47b74aef74.jpg

IMG_20190813_021429202.thumb.jpg.9787f8d84071f718db3c633bd46aafa3.jpg

IMG_20190813_021552542.thumb.jpg.86493fc4d33eca55d00f70943ff46f82.jpg

 

 

The odd one out of the hash:

 

IMG_20190813_025403807.thumb.jpg.83add956241bba7fc452769427830109.jpgIMG_20190813_025539456.thumb.jpg.1c6c3a0c253cf1b449da26303dca5dc2.jpg

IMG_20190813_025750517.thumb.jpg.6fb5546b2576cc79229c99e64388cbe9.jpg

 

Cont.

Every single fossil you see is a miracle set in stone, and should be treated as such.

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A teeny bug with a positive that is also dual-sided:

 

IMG_20190813_024814626.thumb.jpg.b8e987d174f26391834809b32f8eb0f4.jpgIMG_20190813_024931749.thumb.jpg.9185153c719e4b8d19dffe535431014f.jpgIMG_20190813_025026563.thumb.jpg.429ac6f7b56ac211919169e333b20b79.jpgIMG_20190813_025220249.thumb.jpg.5fcc5cceae81a08759a4cb00afe21899.jpg

 

And last but not least, a random hash plate:

 

IMG_20190813_025855556.thumb.jpg.23163cfe421ed239c296bd8b3ec05b7d.jpg

 

 

Until we meet again, Chatsworth.

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Every single fossil you see is a miracle set in stone, and should be treated as such.

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Really nice specimens.  For one last hurrah it was a good one! :dinothumb:

 

Good luck with college. Hopefully you are able to keep in touch from time to time. :) 

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The good thing about science is that it's true whether or not you believe in it.  -Neil deGrasse Tyson

 

Everyone you will ever meet knows something you don't. -Bill Nye (The Science Guy)

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The site is one of my favorites....there is also a site on the western side of I-75 in a degrading hillside that I try to cover when I am at the  Conasauga site. One of my very best display fossils ( one of the few on a stand) comes from that site. And it is such an interesting place to think about the thousands, perhaps millions of trilobites in that bank...all being covered by layer after layer of silty clay . the mudstone itself is a marvel...splitting so smoothly and creating such interesting layers....I have heard the deposit runs under the riverbed to the other side as well, and have often wanted to look on the opposite side of the river, but it always seemed too high when I was there. Low enough to collect, but too high to wade across...lol. 

       And like others, I'll say, enjoy College Life. I hope it turns out to be even better than you expect. 

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4 minutes ago, dalmayshun said:

The site is one of my favorites....there is also a site on the western side of I-75 in a degrading hillside that I try to cover when I am at the  Conasauga site. One of my very best display fossils ( one of the few on a stand) comes from that site. And it is such an interesting place to think about the thousands, perhaps millions of trilobites in that bank...all being covered by layer after layer of silty clay . the mudstone itself is a marvel...splitting so smoothly and creating such interesting layers....I have heard the deposit runs under the riverbed to the other side as well, and have often wanted to look on the opposite side of the river, but it always seemed too high when I was there. Low enough to collect, but too high to wade across...lol. 

       And like others, I'll say, enjoy College Life. I hope it turns out to be even better than you expect. 

Is that I-75 spot also Conasauga? What have you found there? Also, where would it be (pm)?

Every single fossil you see is a miracle set in stone, and should be treated as such.

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no, it is a hillside. I found it after doing some searching on the forum. It is a follow my nose site. Dug Gap Mountain Road, near Dalton....search for "A little lower Silurian Collecting" on this forum, and you will find Nimravis info and posting. That is the one I used, I also found shell imprints etc. similar to his. I'd link his connection, but unfortunately I don't know how to do that other than giving you the title of the post under "Trips" section. 

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1 hour ago, dalmayshun said:

no, it is a hillside. I found it after doing some searching on the forum. It is a follow my nose site. Dug Gap Mountain Road, near Dalton....search for "A little lower Silurian Collecting" on this forum, and you will find Nimravis info and posting. That is the one I used, I also found shell imprints etc. similar to his. I'd link his connection, but unfortunately I don't know how to do that other than giving you the title of the post under "Trips" section. 

I've actually been to Dug Gap twice, and the Silurian brachs there are quite good. Also evidence of crinoids there, so a chance (though not a very good one) of articulated crinoids.

Every single fossil you see is a miracle set in stone, and should be treated as such.

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thanks for the update. My next challenge is in the Perry Ga area. There are a couple of places to collect there I have heard. Only begun research on it. 

 

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Just now, dalmayshun said:

thanks for the update. My next challenge is in the Perry Ga area. There are a couple of places to collect there I have heard. Only begun research on it. 

 

Yeah, Perry is really nice if you're a fan of bivalves and sand dollars late Eocene in age. I went there in June, and there is plenty there to see.

Every single fossil you see is a miracle set in stone, and should be treated as such.

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how bout a few clues as to location...would love a few eocene sand dollars...lol. (pm) if you are concerned. and thanks for the update. I usually only have a couple hours as I am passing through onmy way to Michigan. We usually stay overnight in Forsyth....Thanks for any info you could provide. 

 

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