Irongiant97 Posted November 4, 2019 Share Posted November 4, 2019 Thought i'd ask about an area I revisited to see if it seems like a good spot to start looking for fossils. It's a mine dump, most of it seems to be shale I think (is it?) Means I don't I have to dig, but most of it is pretty shattered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irongiant97 Posted November 4, 2019 Author Share Posted November 4, 2019 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irongiant97 Posted November 4, 2019 Author Share Posted November 4, 2019 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellseeker Posted November 4, 2019 Share Posted November 4, 2019 There is a fantastic forum member with a tag @minnbuckeye. Hs name is Mike and he KNOWS where those pesky fossils are hiding in Minnesota!!!! Welcome to TFF The White Queen ".... in her youth she could believe "six impossible things before breakfast" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irongiant97 Posted November 4, 2019 Author Share Posted November 4, 2019 4 minutes ago, Shellseeker said: There is a fantastic forum member with a tag @minnbuckeye. Hs name is Mike and he KNOWS where those pesky fossils are hiding in Minnesota!!!! Welcome to TFF Thanks, actually he already messaged me about that, said he doesn't know much about northern Minnesota but told me of someone who might. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrangellian Posted November 5, 2019 Share Posted November 5, 2019 Where abouts in Northern Minn are you looking? Much of that area is Precambrian in age, which usually means "no fossils" but I would never say "don't look in Precambrian rocks", as there is always the possibility - however small - that you'll find something like stromatolites or Grypania or some other interesting thing. There is a good geological map (pdf) on Wikipedia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irongiant97 Posted November 6, 2019 Author Share Posted November 6, 2019 3 hours ago, Wrangellian said: Where abouts in Northern Minn are you looking? Much of that area is Precambrian in age, which usually means "no fossils" but I would never say "don't look in Precambrian rocks", as there is always the possibility - however small - that you'll find something like stromatolites or Grypania or some other interesting thing. There is a good geological map (pdf) on Wikipedia. Mesabi Iron range. I kinda knew up here didn't have the liveliest prehistory but wasn't sure (also I assumed shale=fossils 100%), though I've heard the Mississippi river even up here has a good "stock" of things like trilobites, which isn't far from here. And about the map, I don't know what any of it means or how to read it. (im really new at this) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrangellian Posted November 6, 2019 Share Posted November 6, 2019 About the map, all you need to know is to look for colors/letters that indicate Paleozoic or Mesozoic (see the top of the key in upper right) and check out those areas. No guarantee that you'll find anything in any exposures of such but if you're looking for normal invertebrate, vertebrate and plant fossils, those are the areas to try. I see there is some Cretaceous (K-) adjacent to the MIR, but I haven't heard of any fossils being found there so I wouldn't bet on that. I would definitely follow any leads like those you mention. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minnbuckeye Posted November 6, 2019 Share Posted November 6, 2019 14 hours ago, Irongiant97 said: I've heard the Mississippi river even up here has a good "stock" of things like trilobites, which isn't far from here. I doubt that this statement is true if you are referring to north of the Twin Cities. Try checking this out: Hill Annex Mine Fossil Gallery - Minnesota Cretaceous Fossils . It may help in your understanding of fossils in your area. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irongiant97 Posted November 6, 2019 Author Share Posted November 6, 2019 2 hours ago, minnbuckeye said: I doubt that this statement is true if you are referring to north of the Twin Cities. Try checking this out: Hill Annex Mine Fossil Gallery - Minnesota Cretaceous Fossils . It may help in your understanding of fossils in your area. Mike ok, I kinda thought that'd be the case, but was hoping I was wrong :/ But I know of hill annex, it's like 20 minutes from where I live, in calumet. I'll check that out, thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irongiant97 Posted November 6, 2019 Author Share Posted November 6, 2019 2 hours ago, minnbuckeye said: I doubt that this statement is true if you are referring to north of the Twin Cities. Try checking this out: Hill Annex Mine Fossil Gallery - Minnesota Cretaceous Fossils . It may help in your understanding of fossils in your area. Mike WAIT, those little snail shells are fossils?! I've just been leaving them, even smashing them thinking they were just dead modern snail shells... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrangellian Posted November 7, 2019 Share Posted November 7, 2019 Aha! The snails you smashed were empty, modern-looking ones? The ones I see on that website Mike mentions are sediment-filled, clearly fossils. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irongiant97 Posted November 7, 2019 Author Share Posted November 7, 2019 4 minutes ago, Wrangellian said: Aha! The snails you smashed were empty, modern-looking ones? The ones I see on that website Mike mentions are sediment-filled, clearly fossils. both, actually. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irongiant97 Posted November 17, 2019 Author Share Posted November 17, 2019 On 11/6/2019 at 8:06 AM, Wrangellian said: About the map, all you need to know is to look for colors/letters that indicate Paleozoic or Mesozoic (see the top of the key in upper right) and check out those areas. No guarantee that you'll find anything in any exposures of such but if you're looking for normal invertebrate, vertebrate and plant fossils, those are the areas to try. I see there is some Cretaceous (K-) adjacent to the MIR, but I haven't heard of any fossils being found there so I wouldn't bet on that. I would definitely follow any leads like those you mention. I know it's been nearly two weeks, but ill just say it, turns out that the Hill Annex fossil park is a part of that cretaceous area, and is the site where one of the only dino fossils was found in MN, a single theropod claw. I live just 10 minutes away (but im just outside the cretaceous bedrock area). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Russell Posted December 1, 2019 Share Posted December 1, 2019 I’ve been told sharks teeth can be found there. I’d like to stop sometime and give it a whirl. Finding my way through life; one fossil at a time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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