Im not a fossil hunter by no means But I found these while I was out Metal Detecting.. What are they exactly..I Found them at the bottom of this cliff in the side of it..Thanks
Thanks for the info yall I dont really know anything about what I have here...Like I said I do a lot of metal detecting and happen to come across this spot here its at the very bottom of a bluff wall along the Tenn-Tom River there is about a 8 inch thick layer of this stuff.. There is a small water runoff beside this spot and thats where I picked the teeth up at there is quit a few of them there.. The other I guess is chunks of compressed shells and teeth I dug a chunk of it out of the bank but there seems to be a lot of it there still...I didnt know if I should break up the chunks or not so I havnt yet...Are these pretty common fossils would it be worth the time to gather all of this up like I said I normally dont look for this type of stuff..
They are obviously interesting, but common. You should collect them. Keep on the lookout for other weird fossils. In the formation you're digging in, there could be mosasaur or plesiosaur remains.
That's up to you but I break up chunks of matrix all the time... I definitely would.
I might try to keep that one nicely visible tooth in a section of matrix undisturbed because its a nice display the way it is... As for the rest I'd split it up.
If you don't have anything like a sifting screen handy.. Bring something like a spaghetti strainer with you.. And scoop material from the water bottom and the edge of the bank into it and use the water to flush out the dirt ans sand.