Results from first fossil hunt!

[Echostatic]

I live in Dallas, Tx and everything is sedimentary around here. While I was disappointed to learn that I would not be finding crystals, gems and whatnot, we do seem to have fossils available. I remember a creek as a kid where the walls were made of crumbly rock, and finding seashells and stuff. On Thursday, after work, I had to go back and take a look to see what I could find.

I believe the rock is slate, as it breaks easily along one direction into thin slabs. I found a ton of shell fragments, too, in less than an hour of poking around. These pictures are lousy, but it's the best I got. They're fossils, believe me!

I will have to try to get a clearer picture of this one, as it is the most interesting. No idea what it is, it looks kind of like a "hoof", though that would not be possible.

I'm going to try to go back tomorrow and see what else I can find. Finding these is ridiculously easy, getting them out of the rock without breaking them is hard. I have to wonder if there is some special technique to removing shells from slate.

 

[Harry Pristis]

Slate is metamorphic, not sedimentary rock. All the sedimentary rock around Dallas (AFAIK) are Cretaceous marine sediments. You should be able to find shark teeth.

 

[Echostatic]

Huh, so it is. Further reading leads me to believe that it is, indeed, shale. There are thin, large layers of a very fragile crystal in among it too. I'll definitely keep an eye out for shark teeth, that'd be an awesome find!

 

[Echostatic]

I went back today, found more shells, some petrified wood, a strange rock with flecks of shiny material on it and a cool good sized shell imprint!

http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/today-s-finds/407755-fossil-hunting-dallas-tx.html