Fossiling In Louisiana

[Shellseeker]

I have a daughter, who lives in New Orleans. I have been fossiling at a construction pit and finding shells, urchins, mammoth bones and teeth, tapir, camel/llama, horse, giant sloth bones and sometimes teeth.

My daughter is interested but says "there are no accessible fossils to hunt in Louisiana". So, 1) does anyone know a good fossil club or paleontology group in southern La. What are the best fossil opportunities say within a 2 hour drive?

Thanks in advance. I have confidence in this forum.

Edited September 20, 2009 by Shellseeker

[tracer]

well, i've read some about the eocene cane river formation being exposed in the area of nachitoches, and my son's found a few shark teeth and other things along the beach in sw louisiana, but generally speaking, i haven't heard of too much fossiling going on over there, especially in the south. western louisiana up kinda parallel with toledo bend has some great "opalized" petrified wood and some good palm. i'd probably look for shark teeth at the beach if i were in new orleans. or come visit you in florida.

[Shellseeker]

Tracer,

Thanks for the quick response. I did find some google hits on Natchitoches. I think that the key is going to be the 2 hour, approx 100 mile distance. I travel at least 100 miles to my favorite spot on the Peace River. After all, this is a scientific excursion

I am thinking Hattiesburg, Mississippi or Beaumont Texas or maybe even northern Louisiana. I saw an article about fossils and loess, http://www.intersurf.com/~chalcedony/gravel1.html

I think this is the start of my education on fossils close to Louisiana

[amyboone]

I am from the Toledo bend area and I am just itching to get over there and look for some petrified wood now! I have heard you guys talk about it so much, and know exactly where to go

[tracer]

i could tell you where not to go over there. i still have scars from the fall. no, i'm not saying there's any hazard associated with trying to climb down into or out of or hang out in a riverbed below a dam that makes the nsr seem tame. but it is nice to be kinda confident which state you hurt yourself in, and some places are nebulous. i mean, do you scream "ouch-amundo!" in english or french, cher?

[amyboone]

i could tell you where not to go over there. i still have scars from the fall. no, i'm not saying there's any hazard associated with trying to climb down into or out of or hang out in a riverbed below a dam that makes the nsr seem tame. but it is nice to be kinda confident which state you hurt yourself in, and some places are nebulous. i mean, do you scream "ouch-amundo!" in english or french, cher?

I think people in that area would look at you pretty crazy if you yelled out in French lol

I grew up playing around that dam. Back then it was arrowheads we looked for, if only I had saved them

[tracer]

I think people in that area would look at you pretty crazy if you yelled out in French lol

I grew up playing around that dam. Back then it was arrowheads we looked for, if only I had saved them

so you're saying you wish you could still play with your dam arrowheads...

[amyboone]

so you're saying you wish you could still play with your dam arrowheads...

I guess so

Too bad you cant find fossils in all the iron ore pits around that area.....