New Members accipiter-addict Posted June 1, 2017 New Members Share Posted June 1, 2017 Hi I've always had a fascination with fossils and geology and various different paleontological things. I've recently taken up fossil hunting as a hobby and was wondering if anybody has tips and/or helpful sites for beginners and with identification. I live pretty close to Turner's Falls, MA where there's been an abundance of fish and plant fossils as well as dino tracks. There's tons of red and black shale in Turner's Falls but realized when I went hunting that I couldn't really tell whether certain color and texture differences I was seeing in the rock were abnormalities or just normal sedimentary formation. I haven't really been able to find any helpful sites online that can answer my questions about the subtleties in the rock and whether or not they indicate that I'm looking at something important. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gizmo Posted June 1, 2017 Share Posted June 1, 2017 Welcome aboard! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffrey P Posted June 1, 2017 Share Posted June 1, 2017 Welcome to the Fossil Forum from the Hudson Valley, NY. Collecting in the Newark Super Group can be notoriously challenging. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted June 1, 2017 Share Posted June 1, 2017 Welcome to the Forum from Connecticut. Try this PDF. and this one. Also, Google Mt. Toby Formation, Turners Falls Formation, Turners Falls Sandstone. Also, look for the nodules that may be present in the area, as they can have fish fossils in them. Feel free to shoot me a PM if you have any further questions. Welcome again, Regards, 2 Tim - VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER VFOTM --- APRIL - 2015 __________________________________________________ "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~ ><))))( *> About Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kane Posted June 1, 2017 Share Posted June 1, 2017 Welcome to the forum! It might be the case of trial and error at first. If it looks odd, then there is no harm in taking a closer look. As you increase your overall knowledge of geologic formations, that will certainly come in handy. Although this sounds downright unscientific, the more time you spend with a particular formation, the more you get a "feel" for it and thus are able to refine your collecting skills. I'd be surprised if the USGS didn't have a few papers kicking around describing the different stratigraphic units in your area, so certainly a resource to check out. Also, you may wish to share the passion of your new hobby with other collectors, and so perhaps there is a rock/fossil/gem club in your area where you can share knowledge and go on trips together. 1 ...How to Philosophize with a Hammer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miocene_Mason Posted June 1, 2017 Share Posted June 1, 2017 Welcome to the forum, I'm still looking for something good in the Newark supergroup down here in Maryland. “...whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been and are being evolved.” ~ Charles Darwin Happy hunting, Mason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PFOOLEY Posted June 1, 2017 Share Posted June 1, 2017 Welcome. "I am glad I shall never be young without wild country to be young in. Of what avail are forty freedoms without a blank spot on the map?" ~Aldo Leopold (1887-1948) New Mexico Museum of Natural History Bulletins Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darktooth Posted June 1, 2017 Share Posted June 1, 2017 Welcome to the forum from New York! I like Trilo-butts and I cannot lie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossil-Hound Posted June 1, 2017 Share Posted June 1, 2017 Welcome from Washington DC/Maryland! Do or do not. There is no try. - Yoda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abyssunder Posted June 1, 2017 Share Posted June 1, 2017 Welcome from Romania ! " We are not separate and independent entities, but like links in a chain, and we could not by any means be what we are without those who went before us and showed us the way. " Thomas Mann My Library Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pagurus Posted June 1, 2017 Share Posted June 1, 2017 Greetings from Central Mass. Unfortunately I haven't done any collecting in the Turner's Falls area, though I did a little in the Deerfield area with nothing to show for it, and I did make some nice finds near Holyoke in a very tiny outcrop. Access has been my biggest problem. There's no question the fossils are out there, it's just been a matter of legal access for me. The papers that fossildude19 referred to are excellent. I would like to follow some of those field trip suggestions soon, even if I can't do any collecting there. Maybe very soon. There is a mineral club in Springfield, and I've gone to a couple of their shows but not the meetings. I don't like driving at night anymore. They all seem real friendly and helpful though. Welcome to the forum! Mike Start the day with a smile and get it over with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jewelonly Posted June 1, 2017 Share Posted June 1, 2017 Welcome from north central Alabama! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
New Members accipiter-addict Posted June 1, 2017 Author New Members Share Posted June 1, 2017 Thanks for the warm welcome everybody Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bguild Posted June 2, 2017 Share Posted June 2, 2017 Welcome from a fellow Mass native! @Fossildude19 shared some good papers. If you're feeling some more light reading, there's a book out there called "Windows to the Jurassic World" that I'll recommend. The book covers the geology/paleontology of the Connecticut River Valley. I haven't done any hunting out in western Massachusetts yet, but it's on my list of things to do. It's on my bucket list to find some footprints. I'm sort of in the same boat as you. I don't really know where to get access to land and localities in western mass. As a result, I do my hunting in the Southern Mass/Rhode Island area. There are a couple of localities in these areas that allow public collecting. The sedimentary rock of southern MA/RI is Carboniferous in age so you won't be finding any dinosaur footprints, or fish. Instead you can find plenty of extinct plant fossils from the Carboniferous period (300 million years old). Shoot me a PM if you want so more info . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quriosity Posted June 2, 2017 Share Posted June 2, 2017 Hello from Boston! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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