A planned field trip to coal mine spoil piles had been scheduled on a Sunday because the mine in general was active on Saturday. The field trip planners had to defer to Sunday. I couldn't go and was bummed because I had to work! I was unable to attend that particular day but another group I knew was going to the same site several weeks later. I didn't think I was going to make that one either because it too was planned on a Sunday, until I realized that I could work through lunch and get off earlier than 2:00 pm, and of course I took advantage of that and was able to go!
This particular group stays a lil' longer than the previous group so it enabled me to make this trip although my hunt time was shortened. The days are now shorter and getting cooler so it was be a perfect time to go. I arrived at the site around 1:45 pm and got to hunting immediately!
The first thirty minutes in I wasn't having my usual luck, then stumbled upon a slab of shale that I thought needed splitting to see what was inside. When I split the stone, a beautiful Sigillaria leaf saw its first daylight in 300 million years! I got both positive and negative prints but wound up destroying the positive print due the fact I wanted the excess rock taken off... it happens every. single. time!
Several feet from that spot I found what appeared to be a Calamite with Brachiopods scattered about on a slab of shale! I thought it was pretty cool, a fossil of terrestrial and marine species on one slab. A month later, I thought this was such a cool piece... I wanted to knock off excess stone this time using my Dremel diamond saw blade. I didn't want to cut all the way through it because it would give the fossil a smooth edge. I was thinking that if I knocked the rest off with a hammer than I would get that natural, and not a clean cut edge. I WAS WRONG... wouldn't you know it... I wound up destroying half of the stone image, and it couldn't be pieced back together! Chalk that up as, "you learned your lesson"? Have I really?
It was slim pickings that day but enjoyed the fact I got to go hunt fossils when I thought it wasn't possible. I left the site happy with what I found and look forward to going back there soon? At least I got a view of a pretty sunset and two fossils to add to my collection!
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