Fossil hunting

[bcody]

Does anyone know anywhere in the Fort Worth area to find some fossils? My 8 year old son really loves looking for fossils.

Thanks.

[CAPT782]

The Benbrook Lake spillway off of Winscott Rd has always been a good spot. Always see people back there hunting.

[bcody]

Thanks, if it dries up enough this weekend we are going to check it out!

[johnastovall]

You might want to contact the Dallas Paleontological Society and look at their website.

[JPalmer]

I almost went all kinds of nerd on you with words like Cretaceous period, Fort Worth & Duck Creek formations, and Schloenbachia leonensis (commonly found ammonite).

I'll spare you all the nerdy details and try to get it as simply explained as possible. Again, I'll readily admit that I'm a huge geology nerd.

I found this at Benbrook Lake at Longhorn Park (just off of the dam on Dirks Road)



It wasn't the biggest example I found that day, but the water was low and lots of limestone exposed. You could see several areas that were chipped away from people removing them from the rock. I have several myself, but they were loose samples (the tops of them).

Honestly, you can find dozens if not hundreds of fossils in the limestone hills around the lake and in the White Stone area (golf course and homes). Any of the creeks feeding into Benbrook Lake from Hwy. 377 and FM 1187 are loaded with them.

Again... huge nerd.

[Imagebuffet]

FWIW, we have lots of ancient fossil sea life out here in the Garland area, too. The Austin chalk formation is made up of fossils (that's what chalk is), so it is common to find fossils in riverbeds.

[bcody]

WOW, my son is going to be thrilled! Thanks for all the help. Where in Garland? I think I have only been through there once and know nothing about it.

[Imagebuffet]

Originally Posted by bcody

WOW, my son is going to be thrilled! Thanks for all the help. Where in Garland? I think I have only been through there once and know nothing about it.

Just about any creek or stream would be a potential site, but I have witnessed people finding fossils at the Garland Nature Preserve/Forest. This photo is of two fossils that one woman on our hike found in the few minutes that we spent resting:



I'm associated with the Friends of the Garland Nature Preserve and a hiking group that often meets there. They went hunting for bison teeth, recently, too. I have photos of a tooth that a group leader showed me at an earlier meeting:



The Nature Preserve runs along Spring Creek, bordering the Southern side of GWB Expressway. It runs across Shiloh, Holford and North Garland Rd.

Imagebuffet added 2 Minutes and 49 Seconds later...Double Post Merged Below

Oh, I thought you also might enjoy this news article, if you haven't seen it, already:

DMN: Plano high school class finds rare-dinosaur bones

[bcody]

Thanks, I have to say Texas is a lot more fun then Boston was!

[Imagebuffet]

Originally Posted by bcody

Thanks, I have to say Texas is a lot more fun then Boston was!

No problem!

Out of curiousity, are you familiar with Dinosaur State Park down in Glen Rose?

[JPalmer]

Thank you Cretaceous ocean life! :-)

[bcody]

I have not been to Dinosaur State Park, yet. My Mom is coming out to visit in June and we are going to go there and to Fossil Rim Wildlife park also.

[Imagebuffet]

Originally Posted by bcody

I have not been to Dinosaur State Park, yet. My Mom is coming out to visit in June and we are going to go there and to Fossil Rim Wildlife park also.

I'm certain you will enjoy it! Dinosaur State Park is just like a typical state park, have woods and trails, but also has the impressions in the stream that are supposed to be dinosaur footprints. They age rapidly when exposed to the elements, virtually disappearing within a decade or so of being unearthed. Fossil Rim is a great place, more fun, IMO, than the Park. If you go on top of the hill at Fossil Rim, you can see the nearby nuclear power plant.

[bcody]

My husband and I brought the two kids to Benbrook Lake this morning. Everyone had a blast, and we saw lots of interesting things. My son, who is 8, won the prize for his fossil. He was so proud of it he would not even let anyone else carry it. We will be going back again, thank you for pointing us in the right direction. We are going to go out to Garland soon also, next two weekends are crazy around here though so it will be a little while.


[/IMG]

[Imagebuffet]

Originally Posted by bcody

My husband and I brought the two kids to Benbrook Lake this morning. Everyone had a blast, and we saw lots of interesting things. My son, who is 8, won the prize for his fossil. He was so proud of it he would not even let anyone else carry it. We will be going back again, thank you for pointing us in the right direction. We are going to go out to Garland soon also, next two weekends are crazy around here though so it will be a little while.

How wonderful! Nice catch by your son. Don't expect to find anything like that here in Garland, but you can pick up some small fragments easily. I just picked up 2 fragments of a giant clam shell fossil about an hour ago during my hike in the nature preserve. I'll upload photos when I get a chance.