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Showing results for tags 'amateur'.
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Hello, my name is Lance. I stumbled across this forum today because earlier, I found a shell fossil and I just had to know what it was. Haven't gotten my answer just yet, considering my post is fairly new, but I can't wait to find out what it is (I think it might be a mold fossil of something)
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American paleontology hobbyist here, seeking wisdom from those of you outside the USA regarding amateur paleontology culture elsewhere. Call me crazy. I'm seeking your stories to use in a planned talk in a session advocating for amateur/hobbyist contributions to paleontology, at the North American Paleontological Convention in June. Which stories? Well, the ones that offer better ways that amateur/hobbyist paleontology can interface with professionals, academics, corporations, and governments. I want to hear about the ways in which differences in cultural or historical or legal framework in different countries have led to different/better relationships with amateur/hobbyist paleontology than we have in the USA. For example: How do municipalities, corporations, and universities regard their role in actively or passively facilitating access/opportunity/education for amateurs/hobbyists? How do states and universities regard hobbyist societies as knowledgeable partners in which to invest trust when it comes to approving outcrop access, amateur grants, etc.? What is the funding mechanism for efforts to keep fossil exposures fresh at designated fossil parks? Is there an amateur paleontology stewardship certification offered by the state, by the municipality, by the national society, by the local museum or university, or by individual quarries that lends meaningful weight when it comes to approving outcrop access, amateur grants, etc.? If you have some interesting answers—especially anecdotal answers—to these and related questions, I'd love to catch up with you for 20 minutes to discuss. Your responses are what will open up possibilities for fossil collectors here in the USA and elsewhere. Let's talk. To start the conversation, send me a DM. Or if you prefer to just leave your thoughts below, that's fine too. Thanks. -
Hi everyone. I enjoy all things outdoors and am fairly new to fossil identification. My son and I enjoy going to Penn Dixie Fossil Park in our neck of the woods and are slowly expanding our knowledge. I figured this would be a great way to do that as well. Happy to be here!
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The Rio Puerco Valley was my introduction to fossils. For many years now, I have scoured its Late Cretaceous shales and sandstones in search of ammonites. Somewhere along the way, my fascination with the ornament grew into an investigation of its environment. Last week at the New Mexico Geologic Society's Spring meeting, I made my first venture into the world of paleontological science. With the help of Dr. Spencer Lucas of the New Mexico Museum of Natural History, I presented a poster/abstract (Foley & Lucas 2017.pdf) exhibiting my ideas. I received some criticism for incorporating ammonite ornament and caught some grief for including a labeled map...otherwise, this was an amazing learning experience and I am ready to move forward. Back to the rocks!...I have a paper to write. Blue Hill Shale: Spathites puercoensis: Prionocyclys hyatti: Coilopoceras springeri:
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Scientifically "Wanted!"
Spongy Joe posted a topic in Partners in Paleontology - Member Contributions to Science
It's great to see that this board is so active, and that there's such a good, positive atmosphere here for amateur-professional interaction. So, in that spirit, it seems that there's scope for a new permanent topic. There is a wealth of extraordinary fossils in the collections here, and we've seen the rewards that a good collaboration can bring in the gallery... and there are probably also a lot of palaeontologists, around the world, who would love something specific to work on that is a bit inaccessible for them. There may also be people working on monographs of particulalr groups from particular areas. Why not give them a place to advertise their needs? There's also the issue of collectors/amateurs who have found something they feel ought to be described, but can't find anyone who wants to do it. A parallel thread showcasing available new fossils might also be a really good avenue to go down. At the moment, the site probably isn't on the radar of most palaeontological researchers (including some of the amateur ones), but there are places like the Palaeonet listserver where this board could be brought to their attention. It could really start building some hefty bridges, if the idea takes off. I've certainly got a 'want' or two that I could throw in to begin with! Is this a route the forum would like to go down, at least to try it? I'm happy to announce it on Palaeonet, if so!- 27 replies
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Hello, My name is Nicholas, I have been a fan of all things Biology and recently started gaining interest in rocks, specially petrified wood and other things not rock'ish like amber. I reside in Guatemala, land of many interesting geological features and places to find interesting things. Hoping to learn a few new things and start diving deeper into rocks and fossils.
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Hello! Fossil hunting has been one of my hobbies for over a decade (since I was little). I live in southeast Texas and sometimes find the time to head up north to hunt, though unfortunately those times are few and far between. I love learning about fossils and I’m so excited to be a part of the Fossil Forum! I look forward to interacting with y’all.
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Hi everyone, Hunting for fossils is a new (about a year) hobby for me. I recently learned that I am more intrigued and interested in my new hobby then I thought so here I am. Ready to gain more knowledge and insight on hunting and identifying fossils
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Hello! My fiancé and I are located in Missouri. We have never found anything like this before and think it might be amber? We did several “at home” tests on it. It passed the acetone and the high percent isopropyl alcohol test. It did not get sticky or tacky. It is very light and we believed it to be a chunk of plastic at first. This is what it looks like under UV light. I can’t tell if it’s glowing or not? Any input is appreciated! Thank you!
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Amateur Fossil Collectors are Essential to Paleontology Kerste Milik “Someone needs to get the fossils out of the ground or off the beach. There are far too many fossils out there for professional paleontologists to salvage and they are continuously being exposed,” said Boessenecker. This exposure leads to fossils being eroded and lost to science, unless amateurs continue to collect. “If we don't collect the fossils, and we're rude or dismissive or simply not proactive about our amateur otreach efforts - then donation streams have a very real danger of drying up,” he said. Link to article
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Not as clean looking as a skeleton only, but still pretty good I thought.
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HiHello everyone, My name is Sean. I’m 39 years old and I’m a carpenter/contractor living in Milford NJ, USA. This is my story about how I went to work, found some strange rocks, became obsessed and ultimately, ended up here. I was working for a client, building and installing her custom “dream office”. The location was on a private property in Stockton, NJ and was previously part of a large farm. Half way through the install, tragedy struck and a storm caused a flood on her property and in her new office. It was only 6cm of water for a short period of time but thats all it takes. Fast forward a bit and I’m installing a drainage system to prevent the incident from recurring. I’m familiar with digging in NJ and it is never an easy task but this was ridiculous. It was more picking up than digging. After installing the drain, I offered to take the displaced soil and rock and it wasn't until unloading that I noticed how unusual they looked (images below). This was the spark that set off my curiosity and led to a binge of research and skill development, trying to determine what these were. I didn't want to know, i needed to know. I began with a web search for stone tools for image comparisons, then over to fossils and the local laws that accompany them. I contacted the curator of natural history at our state museum, worried that I might have carelessly disrupted something of historic value but also excited, like a child on Christmas. So worried/excited that i didn’t consider how difficult it would be for a professional to identify fossils that were still covered in matrix and dirt. He generously offered to take a look in person, which I intend to have him do. I’m sure the experience will be knowledgeable and help expand my network. That brings us pretty much up to date. Im developing my preparation skills, collection of books/tools, storage, and work area. Reading when I can and experiencing the high and low emotions that occur during preparation. “Thats the head! No, it’s the tail! Oh, it’s a sponge.” Often, it’s crystalized manganese oxides or concretions but I think some of them are beautiful and just as fascinating as fossils. I hope to become a valuable asset to this community. Until then, I’ll probably be asking for a lot of answers and advice. So, thank you in advance! Best Regards, Sean The rocks and trench that started it all. I’ll have a universal ruler and higher quality photos in the future.
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Hi everyone, I'm new to this forum >> My welcome This is my "fossils collection", some may be just stones some definitely fossils. I collected these during a low tide in the rock pools on Margate sands beach (Kent, England). I picked these up with my hands, no hammering or digging. Over time they presented a white patina on them, maybe calcium? I didn't clean them as it might help to recognize them (maybe a chemical reaction? not an expert so I preferred not to alter them) This is just part 1 of my collection, I will upload more in days to come. The photos are front and back of the fossils. I'd like to know more about what they are; teeth, Belemnites and more? I'll upload here the compressed pictures, for you to identify them, if possible. I'd like to learn how to clean them but I think it requires lots of experience and expensive materials... If you need any pic brighter and crispier, just let me know and I can upload it separately, I'm a Photoshop wizard Omono 1. Tooth? Front 2. Tooth? Back 3. Big belemnite? Looks like a little shark head - FRONT 4. Big belemnite? Looks like a little shark head - BACK 5. 6. 8. 9. 10. 11. Bone? 11. 12. Tooth? n.2 13. Tooth n.2 Detail 14. Tooth n.2 BACK 15. 16. 17. 18. Big belemnite? Looks like a little shark head - DETAIL
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First post. New to the forum. Just checking in.
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Hello fellow fossil peeps, I am finally adding myself on here as I was told to do by Asa Kaplan almost a year ago. I love finding fossils and making new discoveries or new to me discoveries. I love to learn and I am joining here to learn more and possibly spread some of the things I have learned as well. I live in Missouri south of St. Louis in Jefferson County. This is primarily where I collect in various groups and formations including the decorah group, plattin group, kimmswick fm, warsaw fm, fern glen fm, and St. Louis fm. Favorite fossils right now are cyclocystoids. I have found the one in my profile pic and several hundred more individual submarginal ossicles and 2 more partially articulated rings (one that is also nearly complete). 2nd favorite thing to hunt for is either cephalopods or trilobites and it depends on my mood and location I am searching. Locally we can find a lot of straight cephalopods such as endoceras, actinoceras, cameroceras but coiled nautiloids and ammonites are rare to non-existent in these formations. In Missouri full or even close to full trilobites are also rare finds although I have been lucky to find a few over the past 2 years they are still very rare. Bryozoans and the wild diversity are also a favorite and very diverse in my area. Archimedes, Evactinopora radiata, diplotrypa, and others are prevalent locally. Thank you,
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All of these were found on gravel bars on Elm Creek in north-eastern Kansas, as we kayak on it a lot.
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Hello, I am not that good with introductions, but well, here it is: My name is Zsolt and I am from Hungary, working for a company trading with minerals and gemstones primarily. We had been the operator of the shop in the Natural History Museum for more than 20 years, but got our contract cancelled due to an organizational restructuring (the shop remains barely functional now). Now we have some fossils that we would like to sell online, but as my former boss, who died just two days after moving everything out of the shop, was an expert with minerals, not with fossils, we are walking in unknown territories. So, I would love to get some help, and pick up some knowledge from the community.
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I’m an exotic animal veterinarian with a strong background on anatomy/pathology/physiology/zoology. I’m a taxonomy nerd (though somewhat rusty). My interests are in... well everything I guess. I’ve collected from Cambrian through Eocene, and stromatolites through synapsids. Permian reptilian radiation fascinated me, and I’d really like to learn how to key out forams, and Permian fossil insect wings.
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Hello all, I am very excited to join the wider community. I have always had an overwhelming interest and fascination with history, anything old and I can get into it. I have always loved dinosaurs and Earths far distant history, but I grew up with reenactors and living history parents. My knowledge base is far deeper when it comes to the periods surrounding humanities inner conflicts. Ancient Rome, the Viking period, the Golden Age of Piracy, and the Napoleonic Wars through World War II all fill my shelves. My family has always had a few fossils here and there they got from gift shops and road sides, but nothing of any substantial consequence, until my sibling moved to New York and began regularly collecting fossils from the Penn Dixie area. I never travelled much past the video game Ark: Survival Evolved. Some may gasp that I would mention such a work of fiction, it stirred to me begin reading about the real life counter parts that roamed the planet so many millions of years ago. Due to my ADHD my interests come around in a predictable cycle of patterns, and while deep diving on genealogy and the Golden Age of Piracy I felt a sudden urge just last week to clear a path through the prickly bushes in the woods behind my house to the creek that borders the property. After several hours of a comedic back and forth with thorny bushes and vexing tree branches slapping me about I had made it down the slope to the creek. I call it that but its actually a drainage easement that was dug out in the 70's between two of the ridges. I started looking at the wide assortment of rocks before deciding on a small oval shaped rock that appeared to be missing its back half. In the shade of the bare trees by the shallow waterway I began inspecting it, unsure of what I was looking for. And there on top, right at the edge of where part of the stone had broken off sometime in the past, two black circles no bigger than the head of nail with faintly visible ridges. I took it back to the house and began researching how to clean it, rinsing it with water and a gentle brush and using on my hobby knives to try lightly expose the mysterious disc below. After a few days of correspondence on Facebook and further reading I had learned that this was my first fossil I discovered, the cross section of an ancient coral species. Now I am absorbing all I can on fossil prep, identification, preservation, and how to locate them. My initial setup is nothing fantastic, an electric Dremel Engraver and a Dremel Rotary tool, several old paint brushes of varying stiffness (I also happen to collect and build models for tabletop games), a wax carver set with exactly one tool that can kind of work as a pick, a new Estwing 22 oz Geological hammer and flat shank cold chisel, and coming in the mail a set of Zoic Palaeotech fossil preperation styli. I hope to be able to find more amazing finds in my backyard and surrounding area and eventually get a better setup with airscribes and compressors. Jumping into this hobby has also guided me to learning more about the geology of the land itself, as such a US geological survey map has been pulled up on my computers other monitor pretty much always, and a click away is a full breakdown of the stratigraphy. I still have to go to google when identifying rocks, but at least I can sort sandstone from limestone now. I look forward to the adventures ahead and learning from those who have journeyed before.
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Hello everyone! I have been a long-time lurker on this website, enjoying the beautiful preparations and wishing I had "the eye" for finding fossils out in the wild. I have always been interested in fossils but have always been intimidated by the idea of going out and scouting my own spots to hunt for them, not to mention just flat not knowing what to look for. I lived in Baytown, TX for a short while, and turned up a few things that look like fossils, but I've seen how rampant pareidolia can be, especially for fossils. I plan on posting a few of them to be ID'ed eventually, just to see what I've been hauling around all this time. I'm now in Montana, prime fossil country, and can't let the opportunity to actually do some proper hunting pass me by! I am trying to learn all I can about finding promising sites and have bought a few books to help me along, like "Rockhounding Montana," the National Audubon Society's "Field Guide to Fossils," and "Roadside Geology of Montana." I know that simply reading is not going to find fossils for me, so I tried out one of the sites in "Rockhounding Montana." I found a few things that looked promising, including a slab of shale that was stuffed full of small, broken, and very fragile shells (I think it's called coquina?), but still feel like I don't know much of what I should be looking for. I'm going out to a new site tomorrow, and I can't wait to see what I turn up! It's great to be a new part of a community that is so helpful and supportive! I hope to learn as much as I can! I found these two in the Lewis and Clark Caverns state park here in Montana, the two that have started my newfound hobby of fossil hunting! The tour guide said that the top one is horn coral and the bottom is a brachiopod. I haven't done any more research into them, but they're very cool to me!
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Just today I was reminded of an idea by a friend about trying to do an SVP meeting for Amateur Palaeontologist. Amateur Palaeontologist could join and share their research while getting suggestions by others as well as getting to know other people in the Paleo community. I’m wondering what everyone would think of something like this and if they would join if it is to happen.
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Hello all! My name is Nate, and I am excited beyond words to be here! I've had an interest in fossils since early childhood, and it's never faded. I primarily focus on the native fossils of my region, being mostly brachiopods and serpulids (so far). Although I am a Critical Care Paramedic by trade, I try to use whatever time I can to be out exploring and collecting in my native South-West Iowa. I will freely admit to being quite inexperienced with geology and taxonomy, and as such I'm sure I'll provide a lot of fodder for the Identification section. I look forward to participating here, and thank you for having me!
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Hello my name is Jackie from Dubois County in Southern Indiana. I moved in my house in the country about 10 years ago and after living here for a few years, explored the woods and field in my backyard. I found geodes in a creek bed for the first time in my life and early spring or late fall (no thornbushes, snakes, or planted cornfield) I would explore more. I started researching my finds and this year I have devoted more time trying to find out why I find the geodes, fossils, and mound builder tools so abundantly here. I feel like I've stumbled on something of importance and the things I find are pretty amazing to not only me but to others who have seen them. I am here to share photos of my finds with others who are passionate about fossils and have more to contribute than "cool rock" when I get excited about a piece I found. My knowledge is minimal so hopefully there are people to help me understand more about my finds. I look forward to learning all I can! I'm trying to figure out how I can upload photos to my profile.... Still trying. Meanwhile here are some Geodized Crinoid Calyx (I think) that I have found this spring. Thanks, Jackie
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Hi from Australia
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