A Trip Back To Carolina's Deep River Mine

[LoneRanger]

Around 1990, a friend took me to the abandoned Deep River mine dumps in central North Carolina. This is a Cumnock Formation site, and is part of the Newark Supergroup Triassic basin. In the shale piles, there were phytosaur teeth from Rutiodon carolinensis. Back then, you could just drive onto the property, go to piles of shale, and spend the day splitting it.

But when I drove by the property a year ago, the dirt entry road was gated and No Trespassing signs were everywhere. So I recently tracked down the property owners, got their permission to enter, and then had to get permission from the hunting club that leases the land -- it's an active hunting area.

When I finally got to the mine site, I was taken back by how completely overgrown the mine area is. It now looks like a forest, not a fossil collecting spot. The only trace is the mounds all around the filled in mine shaft, where dirt and weeds cover the old shale piles. Luckily I brought a shovel and pick with me.

Instead of splitting shale, I spent most of my time digging through dirt trying to find shale. All the work produced one phytosaur tooth. Part of it broke away and was lost, but what remains is 1.25 inches long. Despite this find, I think this classic Triassic site is nearly impossible to collect any more. It's now too grown over and has been taken back by the forest.

[MarcoSr]

So many sites have been lost over the years. It doesn't take nature long to reclaim a site. You did find a really nice specimen. You just didn't bring the correct tools, shovel/pick versus backhoe/bulldozer.

Marco Sr.

[AeroMike]

I feel your pain, I had two different sites that was killer less thne 6 years ago but one is completely over grown and the other is almost there. It is a shame too since one site produced quite a few Native American artifacts and the other site produced a lot of fossil teeth and even a section of barracuda jaw with teeth in it.

Also, most my fossil hunting is in diving and in the rivers we have areas that can be great one year and then covered by sand for the next couple of years. going through the sand is not an option when there is a current and your dive spike cannot gain any purchase in the marl to help you.

Oh well, we just have to enjoy it when Mother Nature allows us too.

[sixgill pete]

Nice specimen. Too bad it is so overgrown there now. A friend and I were just talking about this place a few days ago and was wondering about trying to gain access there.

[Plax]

I was there about the same time as you Lone Ranger. It may have been mid 80s at the earliest. I have some slabs with partial phytosaur teeth also. The rock seemed burnt to me as though there had been a coal fire. They also had an active coal mine nearby that they covered every season after mining. Do you know what happened to it?

[mrieder79]

I feel your pain too. So many quality places in my area are off limits or developed. Lots of good locations just not accessible.

[LoneRanger]

Plax -- There's a lot of variation to the shale. Some of it is hard and almost like slate, while other pieces are soft and rich in organics, and sort of in between shale and coal. These mixed coal-shale pieces do look black and almost burned. This mine and another one nearby were abandoned years ago and the mine shafts are covered.

[Plax]

the mine I'm referring to that was seasonally mined was an open pit. It had mudstone with clam shrimp (I forget the proper name). I was there with TB from NCFC.

Makes sense what you say about the Cumnock mine but am thinking it was actually ashy in places. Time can play tricks on the mind!

[Auspex]

In my experience, the shales associated with a coal seam burn are usually turned red by the heat.

[Plax]

yes Auspex, I recall seeing fire reddened rock even around camp fires, but this seemed more like the coal ash I had to shake out and haul from of our coal / hotwater furnace in the basement when I was a kid, could also be a poorly reconstructed memory..........

should probably look in my locality assemblage box from the site to see if any of it looks the way I remember

[Jeffrey P]

Sorry to hear the site has deteriorated quite a bit. Still, a Rutiodon tooth is quite a find. Anyone willing to endure the hardships of collecting the Newark Supergroup deserves special notice. Congratulations. Hope this one trip doesn't discourage you from further explorations in this formation. Good luck and hope to hear about more finds in your area.