Digging with the Experts at Penn Dixie!

[ynot]

Hey Monica,

Looks like You and Viola are well on Your way to amassing a great collection!

Thanks for sharing the wonderful report.

[njfossilhunter]

31 minutes ago, Monica said:

That's exactly how it started for me!  Viola learned about dinosaurs in senior kindergarten, and so she came home talking about and asking questions about fossils.  I showed her the few fossils I had collected when I was in university, and she immediately wanted to go out to find her own.  So, I did a little online research which led me to TFF, including posts explaining that rivers/creeks in the Toronto area have fossils, and so our new hobby was started!  Viola also gets distracted sometimes and chooses to play with worms and frogs rather than look for fossils, but she's immensely proud of herself when she finds a fossil, so she keeps wanting to go out with me.  It's a great way to spend an afternoon together - we both love it - so I hope that your grandkids get hooked on fossil-hunting, too!

 

What you are saying about how Viola gets distracted and goes do other things like chase frogs and worms is what I'm going to expect from Luis because for a 4 year old he's very smart and I have trouble sometimes keeping him focus on what he is doing at the time when something else more interesting comes along...Like frogs and worms..He's always playing in my garden looking for worms or any other creepy crawlers he can find.....LOL ...So it might take a bit of work keeping him near me...He likes to show me what he has found from day to day....Sometimes his mother get a little mad at me when he gets dirty.... ..and I tell her he's a boy.....That's what they do...

I will be sure to post some photos of us fossil hunting next month when the weather get a little warmer.

[Ptychodus04]

4 hours ago, FossilDAWG said:

Penn-Dixie is a fantastic resource for everybody!  Monica, I'm glad you and Viola had a great time.

 

A minor point of clarification: Alberta does not allow the removal of any fossils from the province, either vertebrate or invertebrate, without a permit that may be (but probably won't be) issued through the Royal Tyrell Museum.  Export of vertebrate fossils from Canada is regulated through the Heritage Act.  There should be no legal issues involved in bringing invertebrate fossils from Ontario into the US, as long as they are not worth more than $500.

 

Don

 

That's good to know. It's not fun having armed customs agents giving you the stink eye!

[doushantuo]

Good report,even better fossil haul!!

 

[Bguild]

Ah very cool! Penn Dixie is on my list of places to visit. I've just got to suffer through the 8+ hour drive . Glad you managed to find some cool stuff!

[Fossil-Hound]

@Monica excellent report. The central E rana and one center left look decent. The middle almost appears to be a multiplayer but there are some molts there. Your orthocone appears to be a Spyroceras due to the evenly placed chambers. Excellent finds.

[Kane]

@Monica- I wouldn't worry about breaking a few trilos in the process. They are virtually inexhaustible at PD (heck, the group of us found hundreds back in April over 3-4 days ). If you have a full one that breaks, super glue to the rescue  . For the ones you suspect are full and tucked in the matrix, even letting them weather out in a few rains will help things along. Freezing/thawing can expedite that as the expansion and contraction of the matrix will generally pull away from the sturdier trilobite. And, actually, I learned the virtue of having super glue in the field as it really helps in stabilizing the more fragile pieces until you can get them home. The glue dissolves with the application of nail polish remover (acetone). 

[Fossildude19]

1 hour ago, Bguild said:

Ah very cool! Penn Dixie is on my list of places to visit. I've just got to suffer through the 8+ hour drive . Glad you managed to find some cool stuff!

 

 

May I recommend splitting the trip up?  Maybe going out as far as Morrisville/Earlville/Sangerfield area -  and spend a day at Deep Springs Road collecting. 
Then, head on over to Penn Dixie in Hamburg. Best of both worlds.  

Then you'd only have a 5 hour trip on day 1, day 3 would only be a 4 hour drive.  

[Monica]

14 hours ago, ynot said:

Hey Monica,

Looks like You and Viola are well on Your way to amassing a great collection!

Thanks for sharing the wonderful report.

Hi Tony!

Yes, we are indeed amassing a great collection - now we need to move into a bigger house so we can display all of our pieces!!! 

 

13 hours ago, doushantuo said:

Good report,even better fossil haul!!

 

Thanks!  It really was a lot of fun - it's so exciting not knowing what you're going to find, and then finding a few cool, new things to add to your collection!

 

13 hours ago, Bguild said:

Ah very cool! Penn Dixie is on my list of places to visit. I've just got to suffer through the 8+ hour drive . Glad you managed to find some cool stuff!

Thanks - we're very happy with our haul!  If you ever head out to Penn Dixie, make sure you bring some cold water - there are covered areas there, but they aren't near the collecting sites, so you'll probably get hot pretty quickly.  (FYI - the people running the "Dig with the Experts" event brought a cooler filled with ice-cold water bottles down to the collecting pit so we were well-taken care of )

 

13 hours ago, Fossil-Hound said:

@Monica excellent report. The central E rana and one center left look decent. The middle almost appears to be a multiplayer but there are some molts there. Your orthocone appears to be a Spyroceras due to the evenly placed chambers. Excellent finds.

Thanks for chiming in!  Once I start posting individual pictures in the "Fossil ID" section of the forum, hopefully you'll be able to help me identify the rest of my finds 

[Fossil Claw]

On ‎5‎/‎29‎/‎2017 at 11:27 PM, Malcolmt said:

Glad you were able to have a great day collecting. Looks like you had the weather cooperate. I am going to Penn on Friday June 2 to have a go at your left overs. 

 

I will be there next week also picking up Monica's leftovers!

 

I will also be joining you for the hunt on 6/10.

Dom

[Fossil-Hound]

15 hours ago, Kane said:

@Monica- I wouldn't worry about breaking a few trilos in the process. They are virtually inexhaustible at PD (heck, the group of us found hundreds back in April over 3-4 days ). If you have a full one that breaks, super glue to the rescue  . For the ones you suspect are full and tucked in the matrix, even letting them weather out in a few rains will help things along. Freezing/thawing can expedite that as the expansion and contraction of the matrix will generally pull away from the sturdier trilobite. And, actually, I learned the virtue of having super glue in the field as it really helps in stabilizing the more fragile pieces until you can get them home. The glue dissolves with the application of nail polish remover (acetone). 

 

@Kane those where the glory days. We certainly came away with a large haul. I've been trying your freeze and thaw method and have already recovered two ranas one prone the other enrolled. Really good tip.

[Kane]

1 minute ago, Fossil-Hound said:

 

@Kane those where the glory days. We certainly came away with a large haul. I've been trying your freeze and thaw method and have already recovered two ranas one prone the other enrolled. Really good tip.

It's great when you continue finding treasures long after the trip is done.  

I term the freeze/thaw method PMP: "poor man's prep." During my October trip to PD, I brought back about 300 or so pounds of matrix, and whatever I couldn't restrain myself from splitting was left out on the back patio for winter to do the rest.  

[Fossil-Hound]

7 minutes ago, Kane said:

It's great when you continue finding treasures long after the trip is done.  

I term the freeze/thaw method PMP: "poor man's prep." During my October trip to PD, I brought back about 300 or so pounds of matrix, and whatever I couldn't restrain myself from splitting was left out on the back patio for winter to do the rest.  

 

I bet you found some good stuff in that. 

[Fossildude19]

1 hour ago, Fossil-Hound said:

I've been trying your freeze and thaw method and have already recovered two ranas one prone the other enrolled. Really good tip.

 

Pics in a new post, or it didn't happen.  

[Fossil-Hound]

1 minute ago, Fossildude19 said:

 

Pics in a new post, or it didn't happen.  

 

But I already dug them out! Alright I have three in the freezer that the missus doesn't know about and will document the @Kane (i.e. Poor mans method) with some before and after shots. Hopefully they will be keepers. 

[Kane]

I'll take it up on Jason's behalf. This is what can happen when you subtract matrix  : 

Or this (and this is a one inch deep dish of ranapalooza):  . That's not all of them - a few more buckets lying around here I've just been too lazy to photograph  

[doushantuo]

***FREAKS OUT***

Where I hail from,that would be the result if 398 people had hunted for trilobites since 1649

Edit: non-stop,without stopping to eat or sleep

[Fossildude19]

I'm not sure you have enough there, Kane. 

Better go back for some more.  

[Monica]

On 5/31/2017 at 9:43 AM, Kane said:

I'll take it up on Jason's behalf. This is what can happen when you subtract matrix  : 

Or this (and this is a one inch deep dish of ranapalooza):  . That's not all of them - a few more buckets lying around here I've just been too lazy to photograph  

WOW!!!  Did all of these pop out of the Penn Dixie matrix just by freezing/thawing?!?!?!  Okay, I'm convinced that I should do it, too!!!  Should I wait until winter, or should I take up some space in my freezer now?  And do you have a specific pattern of freeze-thaw that you use  (i.e. certain number of days in the freezer, certain number of days out, repeat)?

[Kane]

Well, to be fair, some of them were trimmed in the field, while others took some gentle prying. The ones that were obvious multi-plates (more than three) I left alone. When it comes to freeze/thaw, I don't have a "formula" per se: I fill a container of water, add a few chunks, let them soak a few hours, throw it in the chest freezer. Once they are frozen, I take them out into the sun on a warm day. It can sometimes take a few sessions between freezing and thawing. Otherwise, I find it can be just as good to leave them outside for a few rains. Doesn't always work, of course, as it depends on the density of the matrix - there is stuff that will crumble easily in your hands after a few sessions or rains, and other stuff that is just like concrete!

[jewelonly]

@Kane Oh. My. Stars! Unbelievable!!!!! What @doushantuo wrote!!!! 

 

 

On 5/31/2017 at 9:43 AM, Kane said:

I'll take it up on Jason's behalf. This is what can happen when you subtract matrix  : 

Or this (and this is a one inch deep dish of ranapalooza):  . That's not all of them - a few more buckets lying around here I've just been too lazy to photograph  

 

[JohnBrewer]

What do you do with them all @Kane hint hint  

[Wrangellian]

Great report, Monica. I think everything has already been said...

Did you reject that larger piece because you didn't have room for it in the backpack, car, or house? If you can manage at all to wrangle them, larger chunks can make good display pieces - that is if they have enough things on them to make it worth keeping the piece large instead of trimming or breaking it apart... They serve to show an assemblage of things, and how densely populated the sea floor was in that place and time - or not densely populated, as the case may be! I'd leave generous amounts of matrix on all my fossils if I could, even lone fossils, but of course there are space limitations so I have trimmed many (but not all).

[Monica]

On 6/6/2017 at 7:55 AM, Wrangellian said:

Great report, Monica. I think everything has already been said...

Did you reject that larger piece because you didn't have room for it in the backpack, car, or house? If you can manage at all to wrangle them, larger chunks can make good display pieces - that is if they have enough things on them to make it worth keeping the piece large instead of trimming or breaking it apart... They serve to show an assemblage of things, and how densely populated the sea floor was in that place and time - or not densely populated, as the case may be! I'd leave generous amounts of matrix on all my fossils if I could, even lone fossils, but of course there are space limitations so I have trimmed many (but not all).

Hi Eric!

I also like seeing specimens together on a piece of rock, but the one that Viola was holding up in the picture had nothing but that one lone rugose coral in it, so we decided to leave it behind.  Space is currently the problem (i.e. a lack of it!) - we're hoping to move into something bigger than a townhouse in the near-ish future, and when that happens, we'll be able to have more storage and display space for our fossils - yeah!

Monica

[Monica]

Hello all!

 

I almost forgot to show you what Viola decided to keep when we dug with the experts at Penn Dixie - oops!  Here are a couple of fossil group shots:

 

Picture A: These are Viola's non-trilobite fossils (notice the shell fragments...I told you that she loves shells, even tiny pieces of shells!):

 

Picture B: These are Viola's trilobite fossils:

 

Picture C: We're not sure what this is - any thoughts?  A gastropod perhaps?

 

Thanks for looking!

 

Monica