Hawkeye Posted January 18, 2010 Share Posted January 18, 2010 (edited) Saturday I went on a trip with forum member FossilDAWG to Cherokee County, Alabama to collect from the Conasauga formation of the Cambrian. The trip was hosted by the Birmingham Paleontological Society and one of their rules for attending is that site information is not given out, so please do not ask. We knew it was going to be a cold and rainy day but we didnt let that dampen out spirits. This was going to be some new collecting for me so anything that I found would be a new addition to my collection. After about a three hour drive we met up with a group of about 12-15 people, all very nice. The first stop was a late Cambrian site, Dresdachian stage, (515 MYA) to hunt for Brooksella along a shoreline. Brooksella were initially thought to be cnidarians but are now thought to be a siliceous sponge. They are quite unimpressive to see but I thought it would be a neat thing to add to my collection. Alas, none were to be found at this first site. The second stop was also a shoreline but this time we were going to break shale in outcrops along the edge to look for Cambrian trilobites. The shale was waterlogged and brittle, breaking into pieces of about 2 square inches or smaller. The first book of shale that FossilDAWG broke open revealed a trilobite and very soon after I was finding them as well. Most of them were in the 2-5 mm range in size. Unfortunately most of the club members did not bring the appropriate tools for this kind of work so we only stayed at the site for about 20 minutes. I was quite disappointed because I was having great luck! Disarticulated parts, approximate size 5 mm One sitting on top of another, approximate size,3mm I had a few more like this but they did not make the trip intact This was my smallest one. Sory about the picture but it is only 1 mm in length and even my macro had a hard time with it The last stop for the group was in the Albertan stage approx 530MYA to look for trilobites wearing out of cobbles that had in turn worn ouf shale outcrops. The group had some luck finding bits and pieces but nothing spectacular was found. FossilDAWG and I again started breaking shale and were successful in finding may broken pieces of trilobites but very few whole ones because the shale was so crumbly. Most of what we found were just pieces. A couple cobbles Some of my better shale pieces. These are extremely crumbly and fragile so I opted not to work on them until I can get a magnifying light Size= 2.5 cm Size= 7cm Size shown= 3cm Size= 3cm Edited January 18, 2010 by Hawkeye If you believe everything you read, perhaps it's time for you to stop reading... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawkeye Posted January 18, 2010 Author Share Posted January 18, 2010 FossilDAWG and I were not yet ready to call it a day so we drove off to scout for a few more hunting spots. Driving down a side road we ran into a local driving a golf cart who warned us that there had been a few home invasions in the area and that we should be careful to not look suspicious. He pointed us to a public boat dock where we could park and gave us permission to walk along his beachfront. He said there was a creek where he and his son had picked up quite a few fossils. We were skeptical but heeded his advice and headed for the creek. He was not wrong! This turned out to be the best spot of the day for me. We were only able to explore a very tiny portion of the creek before it got dark but that just means there is another adventure ahead of us in the future. Thanks to the BPS for hosting this trip and providing me with the above information and thanks to FossilDAWG for inviting me. I had a fantastic time! The Creek What we were searching through FossilDAWG A few Brooksella My second best find Two shots of my find of the day, approximate size is 8 cm If you believe everything you read, perhaps it's time for you to stop reading... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted January 18, 2010 Share Posted January 18, 2010 Great report! The wrap-up at the private creek (with an assist by a local) makes the tale, and the day . Cool fossils too! "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shamalama Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 Very cool trip report and pics. Looks like a good day despite some setbacks! -Dave __________________________________________________ Geologists on the whole are inconsistent drivers. When a roadcut presents itself, they tend to lurch and weave. To them, the roadcut is a portal, a fragment of a regional story, a proscenium arch that leads their imaginations into the earth and through the surrounding terrain. - John McPheeIf I'm going to drive safely, I can't do geology. - John McPheeCheck out my Blog for more fossils I've found: http://viewsofthemahantango.blogspot.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Placoderms Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 Great report and even better fossils, I am so jealous! Still snow on the ground here... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sundancer73 Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 Great finds! ~Mike All your fossils are belong to us Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pleecan Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 Thanks for sharing those Cambrian critters... very nice finds! Wished that Ontario had accessible Cambrian outcrops. PL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Bob Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 Great Finds! Nice Pictures too. "It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it." Upton Sinclair Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 Don't see much Cambrian stuff. Very nice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darbi Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 Awesome finds! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phoenixflood Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 Very nice! I love the trilos Great story too The soul of a Fossil Hunter is one that is seeking, always. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
worthy 55 Posted January 21, 2010 Share Posted January 21, 2010 Very cool stuff guys. It's my bone!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommabetts Posted January 21, 2010 Share Posted January 21, 2010 Great trilos, thanks for sharing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilDAWG Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 Hey Hawkeye, I'm glad you had a good time. I enjoyed the company, we'll have to do it again. For the rest of you, it was getting dark when Hawkeye decided we should get a few pictures, so he took some then handed his camera to me and I took one of him at the creek site. As I handed his camera back to him, he looked down to take the camera, kind of choked out "Oh my God", and reached down to pick up his 8 cm monster complete trilobite from right beside my right boot. I was almost stepping on it. I couldn't believe I didn't see it, but he was so happy with his find I couldn't help but be happy for him too. Anyway I didn't go home empty handed by any means. From the first shale outcrop: A couple of ptychoparids with huge genal spines. I think these are Norwoodia, probably Norwoodia ponderosa. One is complete with the free cheeks, and the second is probably a molt as the free cheeks are missing. Both ~1 cm. And, a couple of complete agnostids. These are Baltagnostus centerensis. They are 2 and 3 mm long. These aren't the best photos, the ring light on the microscope doesn't allow any shadows and the contrast is low, so the specimens look less 3-D than they really are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phoenixflood Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 Very nice finds! The soul of a Fossil Hunter is one that is seeking, always. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilDAWG Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 And some more. The pygidium (4 cm wide!) is Olenoides curticei, and is from the site where we found bits and pieces, and the second shale outcrop where some of Hawkeyes big shale trilobites came from. Most of those trilobites (the ones with the large pygidium) are Asaphicus gregarius by the way. My best find (actually, my only find) from the creek is the headless double. The nodule also has an impression of the left side of what was a complete 7 cm trilobite that was lying parallel to the larger (6 cm) headless trilobite, and there is an impression of a head and partial thorax on the underside of the piece. So, long ago when this nodule was fresh out of the ground it had at least 4 large complete trilobites, but after it's bounced down the creek for a few years (or more) we're left with two partials and two partial impressions. And, thanks again to the BPS for hosting a fun trip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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