Planning a Fossil Expedition

Michael Maslankowski

Planning a Fossil Expedition

Major Considerations:

(A) The region and location where you would do your fossil hunting

According to Dr. Marcelo Carvalho and his essay, “Introduction to Fossils and the Fossil Record of Elasmobranchs,” fossils are formed after an organism has died. As part of the fossilization process, fossils are then compacted into the sediments around it and then harden. Dr. Carvalho then noted, these sediments are then compacted into layers of sedimentary rock, and then are exposed to erosion, which is when the sedimentary layers and the sediments containing fossils are exposed to natural weathering conditions, and become exposed for excavation. This is an important consideration when determining a location for your expedition because you want to ensure you are choosing a region and location that are exposed to water or have been potentially exposed to bodies of water in the past because sharks and rays are obviously sea creatures and without water there will or the presence of water in the past, would make hunting for fossils inevitable. Without having sediments to contribute to the compacting process for fossilization could effect the location you are choosing for your expedition. According to the Washington Post article, “Collect Fossils at One of the World’s Richest Sites,” Alan Cutler recommended when choosing an expedition site is to choose a site such as a beach to avoid a dangerous location. Cutler pointed out that erosion can cause cliffs to become destabilized, meaning, it could cause harm by crumbling or falling apart if too much pressure or weight is applied to it. Therefore, a beach becomes a safe site to search for fossils, or places where items such as cliffs have already fallen and are made available on the ground. Therefore, this is another consideration to keep in mind when selecting an expedition site. Additionally, Cutler also recommended finding out if you need a permit if the land you are choosing for your expedition is a private site or a public site. This was specific to a site in Maryland, but the same principles can be applied to any potential expedition site. For my expedition, I would plan a visit to a brook in New Jersey called Big Brook, which is in Freehold, New Jersey. According to her article, “10 States with Fossil-Hunting Sites for the Public,” Virginia Claire McGuire cited that fossils at Big Brook, “date to the late Cretaceous period, so they’re between 66 and 75 million years old,” and the Cretaceous period is referred to as the “last portion of the ‘Age of Dinosaurs’.” According to Dr. Carvalho, the Cretaceous period was an “important time in the evolution of sharks and rays,” and could make Big Brook a great site to locate shark and ray fossils. (This is also a 45 minute drive from Staten Island, which is where I live). According to this Staten Island Advance article entitled, “Getting Out and Enjoying Nature: Fossil Shark Teeth in Big Brook,” Todd Simmons, elaborated that at Big Brook, “You can see on the far bank that the stream has cut through a layer that is darker than the brown soil above it. This is the layer that was once the ocean's floor,” and because of this kind of erosion, we are better able to locate shark teeth by sifting through this environment. The last consideration to use when considering a location for the expedition would be to consult a fossil collecting guide or a geologic map to see where you may be able to locate the most fossils.

(B) When you would go out into the field

According to Dr. Carvalho’s video, “Paleontology and Taxonomy,” he recommended to not conduct an expedition in the winter. He recommended not doing an expedition in the winter because of rigid temperatures, it makes the ground much harder to dig up and the gravel has the potential to even be frozen. Therefore, I would plan my expedition to occur in the Spring/Summer, mainly because the temperatures are more temperate, but we also see rain occur more often during these seasons. According to the article, “Fossil Hunting Is Best After Big Storms,” Marissa Fessenden cited that marine biologist, Giancarlo Thomae, argued that heavy rains and winds help to uncover fossils. According to Thomae, heavy rain and wind help to “erode mountain gullies, creek beds, and coastal bluffs,” and flooding can help bring fossils down creeks into oceans. Furthermore, heavy winds, which can cause tides to be high, can help deposit more fossils onto the beach. Although it is hard to pre-plan an expedition to occur right after a storm, it is important consideration to try and consider the weather and season of the expedition. Lastly, I would conduct my expedition either early in the morning or afternoon. The reason I would consider this is because fossils can be very small fragments, which can be difficult to see and find with minimal lighting, which is why I would not conduct my expedition at night. I would recommend the early morning because it is the highest probability that the expedition site has not been disturbed yet by other people, giving you a better chance at finding fossils than later in the day.

(C) Equipment you would take with you

One of the benefits of planning an expedition for shark and ray fossils is that it does not require a lot of heavy duty equipment to be successful. According to njfossils.net, some of considerations for equipment include: screening box, trowel or shovel, containers, attire, and safety. I will explain each of these considerations. The screening box is described as a screen used to catch fossils. One way to use a screening box is to create a large screen or small screen, and according to njfossils.net, a small screen allows you to catch more. Since we are working with small fossils, it would make most sense to consider using a small screen since it is finer, we can pick-up more materials. According to Dr. Carvalho, when he collected fossils, he used a screen that was one-eighth in mesh in the video, “Fossil Collection Method,” and recommended using this size as it is the best size to use for the size fossil we are locating. Another piece of equipment to consider is a trowel or shovel. A trowel or shovel is useful in helping to dig through sand, gravel, or any other surface that you may need to do to excavate or search for fossils. In addition, it would be important to bring containers to store the fossils that you do locate, and container can be anything from small pill bottles, zip lock bags, plastic containers, etc. One important detail njfossils.net notes is not bring a glass container because if you are to drop it, this could easily shattered and could even cause the fossil to possible break or fragment. Another important piece of equipment to consider is attire. According to njfossils.net, they recommend wearing jeans. The reason for this is items such as shorts do not protect the legs from injury because your skin is expose, and they also recommended jeans because it does not soak up as much water. In the videos produced by Dr. Carvalho, wearing some type of rubber boot may also be something to consider as you will most likely have your feet sitting in water, maybe for some expanded amount of time, or be bent over on your knees searching the ground for fossils. Lastly, a first aid kit is always recommended because you never know what you might encounter on your expedition. Njfossils.net mentions that when searching for fossils, you may encounter shards of glass, which can cause injury. In addition, you may slip or fall on site, so having aid is encouraged and is an important consideration.