Quest 4 (group slides) - Finding Fossils

Fossil Lake Safari location

Near Kemmerer, Wyoming (Farm Field Rd)

• DON’T USE Google/Apple Maps

  • Closed road

• Last 8 mi = fairly well maintained dirt road

• No cell phone signal in quarry

Fossil Lake (WY) parking

Small lot, fills up quickly, & very exposed

Fossil Lake (WY) bathroom

• Porta potties

• Drinkable water

• Shade & sitting area

  • Internet access

Fossil Lake (WY) rules

Open: 7 days a week, May 24 - Sept. 30

• Pre-booking recommended (busy weekends)

• Keep fossils

  • Except ones worth over $100k

  • Scientifically valuable

• Dogs allowed w/ a leash

• No digging into quarry

• No camping/RV parking

Fossil Lake (WY) search strategies

Visual search & rock smashing

Fossil Lake (WY) items

Supplied:

• Shale-loaded fossils

• Hammers & tools

• Saws to trim fossils for transport

• Instruction & assistance

Bring:

• Food/water

• Protective sun stuff

• Bug spray

• Work gloves

• Storage/padding

Fossil Lake (WY) hazards

• Sunburn

• Insects

• Sharp rocks (flying = eye hazard)

• Impact from metal tools

• Loose ground

Fossil Lake (WY) fossils

• Knightia — state fossil

• Diplomystus

• Priscacara

Others:

• Crayfish

• Shrimp

• Lizard

Rare:

• Roller-like bird

• 3-toed “Dawn Horse”

• Otter-like mammal

Fossil Lake (WY) age/form

Early Eocene Epoch ~50-52 mya

• Green River Formation

  • Resulted in 3 massive freshwater lakes:

    1. Fossil Lake (covered parts of UT, WY, & ID)

    2. Lake Gosiute

    3. Lake Uinta

Fossil Lake (WY) geology

3 sedimentary Members:

1. Road Hollow Member (oldest)

2. Fossil Butte Member (middle & largest)

3. Angelo Member (youngest)

Fossil Lake (WY) climate history

Similar to the Gulf Coast of Mexico & U.S.

• Subtropical (high precipitation & warm temp.)

Fossil Lake (WY) fun facts

• Over 400 types of plants

• 3 generations of Tynsky family

  • 4 decades of excavation (showcased in Chicago’s Field Museum)

• Fossil Butte National Monument — world’s richest fossil deposits

Udig Fossils Quarry location

Utah

Udig Fossils Quarry (UT) parking

Small gravel lot

Udig Fossils Quarry (UT) bathroom

Regular bathroom & a gift shop

Udig Fossils Quarry (UT) rules

• Must sign a waiver upon payment

• No clear rules

• 16 & under cannot enter unless paid w/ an adult

State:

• Collect a reasonable amount

• No commercial uses unless permit

Udig Fossils Quarry (UT) hours

• Closed in winter

• Mon-Sat from 9am - 6pm

• Mar. 31 - Oct. 25

• There’s a pre-season & post-season

Udig Fossils Quarry (UT) items

Supplied:

• Hammers/other tools

• Buckets

• ID sheets

• Instructions & assistance

Bring:

• Chisel/flat crowbar (if you’d like)

• Safety glasses & work gloves

• Knee pads/long pants

• Sun protective stuff

• Water

Udig Fossils Quarry (UT) search strategies

Visual search & rock smashing

Udig Fossils Quarry (UT) hazards

Same as hazards for WY

Udig Fossils Quarry (UT) geo/form/age

Middle Cambrian ~500-510mya

• Wheeler Shale & Marjum Formation

Udig Fossils Quarry (UT) fossils

• Trilobites — UT used to be covered by an ocean

• Brachiopods

• Crinoids

• Corals

Udig Fossils Quarry (UT) fun facts

• Wheeler Shale gets its name from “Wheeler Amphitheater”

• Charles Walcott (paleontologist) named the shale & discovered the Burgess Shale

Pembina Gorge Fossil Dig location

North Dakota

• Picked up at Forestwood Inn and C Store in Walhalla County

  • Take a van to the dig site

Pembina Gorge (ND) bathroom

• Porta potties near site

  • Maybe use the Inn’s

• No water

Pembina Gorge (ND) rules

NO KEEPING FOSSILS: return to State Fossil Collection

• No personal vehicles on site

• Full day or Half day options (morning/afternoon)

If you find a fossil:

• DON’T TOUCH IT

• Ask staff

• Transport = wrapped in tissue paper OR coated in plaster

Pembina Gorge (ND) geo/form

• Niobrara Formation (older)

• Pierre Formation (younger)

  • Black Shale; ash layers

Pembina Gorge (ND) search strategies

• Very steep incline

• People must be in organized rows

• Benching — flat, step-like terraces

• Lines back/forth & Spiraling methods

Pembina Gorge (ND) history/geo/age

• Shallow, subtropical to warm temperate sea

• ND mostly all sedimentary rock

• Late Cretaceous ~80 mya

  • Mostly marine

Pembina Gorge (ND) hazards

• Sunburn (black rocks get hot)

• Stinging insects

• Slipping/falling

• Other people

Pembina Gorge (ND) items

Everything is supplied:

• Shovels & brushes

• Water

Bring:

• Sun protective stuff

• Camera

• Food

• Knee pads

Pembina Gorge (ND) fossils

• Mosasaur

• Pleisosaur

• Squid (ammonite & baculite)

• Sea turtle

• Ray & Crow shark teeth

Pembina Gorge (ND) days of operation

• Only Aug. 8-17

• First come, first served

• Sells out FAST

Pembina Gorge (ND) fun facts

• Some call it “Pembina Gorgeous”

• Walhalla Mosasaur

  • 3 years to fully dig

  • NEW genus

  • Named after Norse mythology sea serpent & location

Sharktooth Hill location

California — 3 separate areas:

1. Sharktooth Hill main area (no collecting)

2. Buena Vista Museum of Natural History

3. Ernst Quarries (most popular)

   • $40-70 a day & CASH ONLY

Sharktooth Hill (CA) parking

• Dirt/sand lots

• 4×4 & high clearance vehicles recommended for Ernst

• Safe bc private property

Sharktooth Hill (CA) bathroom

• Porta potty

• No water

• Picnic tables

Sharktooth Hill (CA) rules

• Sept. - Jun. due to heat

  • Ernst & Buena open year round

• Special permit on BLM land

• Designated collection areas

• No dogs

• Signed waiver

• No camping

Sharktooth Hill (CA) search strategies

Visual search & digging/sifting

• Some people throw out broken teeth near parking lot

• Dig out chunks of sand/sediment & sift

Sharktooth Hill (CA) hazards

• Sunburn — very exposed

• Valley Fever — lung infection caused by fungal spores in soil

• Possible quarry collapse in areas

• Impact from metal tools

Other environment-related:

• Muddy after it rains

• High winds

• Sharp teeth/rocks

• Snakes, possibly ticks & stinging insects

Sharktooth Hill (CA) items

Supplied:

• All tools

Bring:

• Sun protective stuff

• Long pants, knee pads, & work gloves

• Beach umbrellas &/or canopy

• Dust mask

• Storage/padding

Sharktooth Hill (CA) geo/form/age

Middle Miocene Epoch ~15-16 mya

• Tremblor Formation — exposure of Round Mt. Silt

• Kern River Canyon — fossils exposed

• Matrix = poorly consolidated sediment

Sharktooth Hill (CA) fossils

• Shark teeth (Meg, Goblin, Mako)

• Cetacean bone fragments

• Seal teeth

• Dolphin ear bones

• Sea cows, sea lions, & sea turtles

Sharktooth Hill (CA) preserving

• Brush w/ thin coat of glue (dissolved later to clean in lab)

• Coat w/ thick plaster

Bone Valley location

Florida

• Just off of US-17

• Google Maps DOESN’T lead to a specific location

• Similar to Olander — stuff brought to site to sift through

Bone Valley (FL) parking

2 areas:

1. Initial meet up spot

2. Actual site (no shade)

Bone Valley (FL) hours

• Everyday from 8am - 2:30pm

• Digging days: Fri, Sat, & Sun

Bone Valley (FL) rules

• $220 per adult & CASH ONLY

• Reserve in advance (6 hrs max)

• No trespassing on construction site

Bone Valley (FL) items

Supplied:

• Water hoses (wash away mud)

Bring:

• Sun protective stuff

• Bug spray

• Food/water

• Storage/padding

• Sifters & shovels

• Maybe mud proof gear

Bone Valley (FL) search strategies

• Look for fossil matrix material

  • Mud/phosphate rich sediment

Bone Valley (FL) geo/form

Miocene to Early Pleistocene

• Fossils brought from 12-15 ft underground

• VERY CLOSE to Peace River

Bone Valley (FL) fossils

• Shark teeth (Meg, Hammerhead, Lemon)

• Cetacean bone fragments

• Dugong, Guitarfish, & Stingray teeth

Bone Valley (FL) hazards

• Alligators

• Snakes

• Bears

• Insects

• Poison ivy

• Spiders

• Muddy/uneven ground