Good collecting localities in the fossil desert that is Virginia

[Megalodoodle]

Virginia is my home state: which also happens to be the worst place to go collecting. Anybody have any good recommendations (there will be few I’m sure) for collecting near Charlottesville?

[Fossildude19]

I don't know if you have seen this website. 

It has very, very, very old  information that is more than likely no longer accurate, but it is a place to start your research from.   

Good luck.  

[grandpa]

How far is "near" Charlottesville in a Virginia sense?  I live in Texas and will travel 8 hrs to get to a site and still be in Texas.  Your best bet is to head to the coast.  Unless you are bound by state boundaries (a parole issue or such), DC, Maryland, NC, etc. along the east coast are all options, depending on what you want to find.  Here are a few suggestions for casual reading to get you started.

 

http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/forum/136-virginia/

 

https://www.dmme.virginia.gov/DGMR/fossils.shtml

 

http://fossilspot.com/STATES/VA.HTM

 

https://www.fossilguy.com/sites/index.htm

 

That should get you started.  There are more, but no sense in overwhelming you.

[PaleoNoel]

If you think you're in a fossil desert in Virginia, try living in New Hampshire.

[Shamalama]

You could also look for a copy of "Fossil Collecting in the Mid-Atlantic States" By Jasper Burns.  It's an older book so some sites are grown over, but I've used it and had luck finding nice fossils. It focuses mostly on Virginia and West Virginia with some Maryland and southern PA sites.

 

[jpc]

On 11/9/2019 at 5:24 PM, PaleoNoel said:

If you think you're in a fossil desert in Virginia, try living in New Hampshire.

Yes.  Virginia is not Wyoming, but it ain't no NH or HI either.  

 

I agree... jasper burns' book is a great start.

[Plax]

Virginia is loaded with fossils. The Valley and Ridge province has paleozoic fossil sites. From the inner coastal plain to almost Virginia Beach there are plenty of Tertiary sites. Google "Virginia Fossil sites". Also google "Virginia Geology Map". The Jasper Burns book is a must have for the region. There's also a 1985 pdf from the Geological Survey that will show up on your google search. I would also recommend Macfall's "Fossils for Amateurs".