A H C ROL RT IN O A N The Newsletter of the North Carolina Fossil Club www.ncfossilclub.org F
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S U anus SIL CL J 2014 Number 4
2015 Spring Calendar John Everette (1932 - 2014) January John Everette died at home from complications of a pulmonary 18 NCFC Meeting - NCMNS, 11 West Jones Street, Raleigh. disease the night before the Fossil Fair in November, 2014. All 1:30 pm, Level A conference room. Speaker: Alison of us who knew John join Sallie, his wife, and children Ty and Moyer, “Looking for Fossil Feathers” & “Dreadnoughtus Valerie and their mates in grieving his loss. The fullness in which schrani” (see below right for more on Alison). he lived his life enriched the lives of so many others. John is February remembered as: Everyone’s good buddy…family man…mentor…architect… 28 Schiele Museum Fossil Fair - 1500 East Garrison Blvd., bridge player…ski instructor…church worker…knowledgeable… Gastonia, NC 28054. 9 am to 4 pm. Contact: Tony Pasour, outdoorsman…gardener…bar-b-cue specialist…chat room [email protected] participant…founding member of the North Carolina Fossil Club March and author of its original By-Laws and Rules of Procedure… 15 NCFC Meeting - NCMNS, 11 West Jones Street, Raleigh. competitor…rock hound…geode cutter…squirrely…Indian 1:30 pm, Level A conference room. Speaker TBA. artifact collector…first out of the chute at Lee Creek…Rocky April Point and Castle Hayne trip leader…Riker box salesman… 25 Norwood Arbor Day and Fossil Fair 10:00 - 4:00 jokester and self-proclaimed “mean, lean, sex machine”. (tentative) Contact: Ruffin Tucker at 704-784-1672 or Joy Herrington [email protected]. John and I hunted Rocky Point (a lot) back in the good old Ediacaran Fossil Field Trip, Jacobs Creek Quarry, days. In fact, I originally introduced John to the quarry. Before 2081 West Slate Mine Road, Denton, NC 28239. Dates to the rock-on-the-rental-car incident, we could enter at 7:30 and be assigned according to weather and mine conditions in leave at 4:30, Monday - Friday. Coming from Raleigh, this meant February and/or March, 2015. When dates are advertised then that we could actually spend more time hunting than driving, contact: Ruffin Tucker, email: [email protected]. certainly not the case now. Of course, in those days we could also actually endure the physical demands of hunting 9 hours and driving 4, certainly not the case of late. John found the first Hexanchus agassizi tooth ever collected in North Carolina on one of those trips. It is now in the NC Museum of Natural Sciences collection. He also located a spot in the quarry where the Comfort Member of the Castle Hayne Limestone was exposed and was able to collect several exceptional examples of the very rare Galeocerdo eaglesomei and Serratolamna koerti teeth. Many of you got your introduction to Rocky Point and Castle Hayne under his tutelage; he generously shared his extensive knowledge as trip leader to those quarries for many years. The Club will continue and with it, so will John, simply because he shaped so much of what we are. Richard Chandler Rita O. McDaniel (1942 - 2014) Rita was an off-again, on-again member of the Club for many years. Older members will remember her as a guide and extremely dedicated collector at PCS. She lived in Murrells Inlet, SC.
Alison Moyer (January Speaker) Originally from Langhorne, PA, Alison got her B.S. at Drexel University (Philadelphia) in 2008 and moved to Raleigh in August 2010 to start her Ph.D. with Mary Schweitzer. She expects to finish August, 2015. She was lured into paleontology (from medicine) by Dr. Kenneth Lacovara who invited her to join his group in Patagonia, digging up Dreadnoughtus. She met Dr. Schweitzer at a seminar at Drexel. President’s Note Hanson Quarry 9/25/2014 Another year has come and gone. 2014 brought us many Seven crazy NC Fossil Club members showed up to hunt changes, challenges and accomplishments. After a decade and Hanson Quarry after it rained several inches the day before. The a half in the works, we proudly rolled out Volume I, “Fossil road in was a slippery, sloggy mess. We had to ditch all the cars Invertebrates & Plants” in March, and Volume II, “Fossil at the entrance to the collecting area and only take up the trucks Mollusks”, in September – two of our four part Fossil Volume and 4 wheel drive vehicles and even then, our leader, quarry series (thanks to Richard Chandler and the CD-ROM board’s manager John Warlick, nearly got his truck stuck on the way up tireless efforts). We then started up an on-line store on our web to the parking spot! We trudged to the collecting area and got to page and began accepting PayPal orders (thanks to Mike Bruff work. Todd Power found an awesome whale bulla; Terri Thomas and his computer expertise), and now receive orders from around a nice white shark tooth and an interesting crab claw; George the world (yes, we did get one from Europe…). Marrier cleaned up with a nearly intact large whale vert, several We met many new friends and bid fond farewells to a few as white shark teeth and really nice Chesapecten. I can’t remember well. New faces joined the ranks of the established Field Trip who found the seal bone and nice crab claw, but they were really Leaders, with Libby Smalley taking on Onslow and Belgrade, cool. The collecting turned out to be better than I thought it Gustavo Pierangelini for GMR, James Bain stepping in for would be, but we all ended up looking like mud puppies by the the November cook-out and Deborah Young for a last minute time we left. Still – it was better than staying home and cleaning November ad-hoc trip to Onslow. Eric Sadorf not only handled house!! the May Aurora Fossil Festival, but covered the November Fossil Hanson Quarry 10/29/2014 Fair at the Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh as well. Thirteen plucky NC Fossil Club members turned out for a We made a number of changes to the by-laws and Rules of perfect fall day of collecting the Yorktown Formation at Hanson Procedure in 2014, mostly to bring us into the 21st century, and Quarry in Rocky Mount. We have only been coming to this were aided in this endeavor by Joy Herrington, Diane Willis locality since April, but it is fast becoming a favorite. Though and Trish Kohler tirelessly going over the wording to make there is less to be picked up each time we go (the collecting area sure it was just right – and this was on top of their other club is small), wonderful things still keep popping up. responsibilities, which are NOT small. At least a couple nice white shark teeth are found each trip, as Joanne outdid herself at both book roll-out parties, with well as loads of fish vertebra and whale bone fragments. Toss in a awesome food and drink, going over and above her usual duties couple crab claw sections, some really big Chesapectens, oysters, as Secretary and “meeting snack provider”. Emmons’ Fish Teeth (which are not teeth at all), fish skull parts, Rick Bennett plied his talents as an artist to provide us with the occasional bird bone, sturgeon scute, whale bulla, whale vert, fabulous cover art for our two new Fossil Volumes (despite a and/or seal bone and this site never ceases to amaze. It is small nasty bump on the head). enough that the rest of the collectors are usually within earshot of Our club continues its tradition of outstanding outreach each other, so the camaraderie is excellent too. with members like Ruffin Tucker, Jonathan & Kathy Fain, Joy The site probably needs some time to weather after this trip, we Herrington, Trish & Louis Kohler, Joanne Dubrock, Diane Willis, picked it pretty clean. Looking forward to hunting there again in James Bain, Mary Boulton, Richard Chandler, Charlie & Pam 2015. Linda McCall Causey and Roxada Story being joined by Don Clements, Don Rideout, Todd & Heather Power, Terry Denny, Viktor Krynicki, Rufus Johnson, Tracey Hale, Dominick & Cathy Bettini, Ramona Givens, (and I am sure I didn’t remember everyone) displaying at places like: the Scheile Museum (Gastonia – February), Science Olympiad (March – Joanne), Norwood Arbor Day & Fossil Fair (Norwood – April), Dino Egg Hunt (Durham – April), Aurora Fossil Festival (Aurora – May), Mini Fossil Fair (Rankin – September), Discovery Place (October – Charlotte), NC Museum of Natural History Fossil Fair (Raleigh – Nov). Toss in our extra events like the two Aurora Picnics, the COA Convention in August and the NAPC Convention in February and it’s been a busy year. Then of course there were the field-trips to all the usual places and to a few Out-of-State places as well: The Smithsonian (Linda – April), Utah (James – June), Alabama (Jim – October), Oklahoma (Linda – October)and there was more than enough collecting going on. What all this is intended to say is that a Club is a reflection of its members – their strengths and weaknesses, their hopes, dreams and aspirations, and OUR Club is great, because its members go above and beyond to make it so. It is an honor and a privilege to be your president and I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for allowing me to represent you. Fantastic sturgeon scute, Linda McCall’s hand Have a wonderful Holiday Season and see you all next year! Linda Oklahoma Trip Castle Hayne Trips Just a few hardy souls made the trek from North Carolina to During the fall, two collecting trips were scheduled to Martin Oklahoma in October for the 4 day hunt (Linda McCall, Lynn Marietta’s Castle Hayne quarry. The first was October 3rd and Moore, Diane Willis, Carl Willis and Earl Guertin making up the the second one was on took place on November 7th. Between the collecting party). two trips, forty-one members participated. We lucked out on both The weather was wonderful, and we started the trip off by trips with great weather. Unfortunately we had to halt hunting on hunting a Silurian road-cut, Henryhouse Formation, with exotic each trip so the quarry could do a “shot”. We were fortunate that corals (Amsdenoides acutiannulatus & Striatapora huronensis), they could still accommodate our trips even when blasting at the tiny crinoid cups (Pisocrinus parvus) and interesting bryozoan quarry. As usual some great and rare specimens were found. As and brachiopods. Just as we were leaving the site, Carl picked up in the past, we hunted the back left corner of the quarry which the biggest complete trilobite I had ever seen come from there – offered a nice mix of Eocene and Cretaceous Peedee. and I have been there a lot! Way to go, Carl! After years of effort, Diane Willis finally found her prized and We left that spot and went in search of a new local in the town beautiful C. auriculatus. This specimen was absolutely perfect of Ada we had found in a publication. Thought we had found said with both cusplets, a perfect tip and all serrations in place. (See spot in an open field, and were picking up a number of fossils image) Congratulations Diane! I found a very large “rick” when someone showed up and let us know that the field wasn’t that was missing the right root and both cusplets (nothing like open to the public – so much for THAT site – we apologized and Diane’s) At least four other C. ariculatus were found. headed back to the hotel and dinner at the Rib Crib. It was “all Some notable crab material was also found. Don Clements you can eat” rib night; we really did do them justice. found several carapaces from the Cretaceous crab (Avitelmessus The next day was spent at Yellow Bluff, (Silurian – grapsoides). Libby Smalley found a beautiful Eocarpilius blowi Henryhouse Formation) a lovely drive in through the fields, carapace – the best specimen I have seen (See field and cleaned where everyone found trilobites, little crinoid cups and more up image, back cover). Libby also found two beautiful specimens brachiopods than you could shake a stick at. The biggest problem of what appears to be a new variation to the Hardouinia mortonis was deciding how much you wanted to carry back out to your car (Echinoid) This specimen looks like a very domed version of H. – which was a LONG ways off, through fields, and up and down mortonis. (See image) the banks of a creek. Lucky for us – the creek was dry! Trish Kohler found a really nice cretaceous croc tooth and I The next morning we made a brief stop at a road-cut for found my best mosasaur tooth. Al Klatt and Bob Willis found Ordovician, Bromide Formation paracrinoids where everyone large Squalicorax pristodontus while Karen Marrier found a managed to score at least one Oklahomacystis tribrachiatus, as beautiful nautiloid (Eutrephoceras carolinensis). Linda McCall well as some interesting bryozoan and bracs. Then we were off found a nice Coleopleurus carolinenesis (echinoid) in matrix. The again on a wild drive through cow pastures, over rocks, through usual echinoids, brachiopods, small sharks teeth and sand dollars gates, dodging herds of cows, and fording a running creek until were found by all. we reached our destination – White Mound, a famous trilobite Participants for the first trip were rewarded by Ramona locality, Early Devonian – Haragan Formation, where we stocked Krailler. She handed out free Mazon Creek concretions. I still up on trilobites, trilo-bits and brachiopods. And, where I left my haven’t gotten around to splitting mine to see if I have a prize. backpack… Special thanks go out to David Wood and Martin Marietta for Diane and Carl had to leave us at this point so, so Earl and the opportunity to hunt this quarry. David Sanderson Lynn and I went by ourselves to Geological Enterprises, a wholesale fossil dealer shop, run by Donna Russell, where we drooled over her wonderful array of fossils from all over the world – and even managed to find a few in our budget to bring back home with us. The trip was “officially” over at this point, but we had one more potential site to try and find – a Permian locality we had directions for that none of us had ever been to. We managed to find the site, and it was more fun than a barrel of monkeys! Nearly all the specimens were crushed and/or broken – but we did manage to find an occasional intact toe bone or vertebra from long extinct reptiles and amphibians, as well as gobs of broken fresh water shark teeth. And some of them were BLUE! It was awesome. It was a wonderful end to a wonderful trip. I can’t wait to go Diane Willis’s exceptional Carcharocles auriculatus tooth back. Linda McCall
Libby Smalley’s rare Hardouinia mortonis emmonsi echinoids Paleozoic Invertebrates of Millard Co. Utah, 05/28-31. NCFC Vice President, “JB” Bain, led a trip that included Brian and Brigid Kram and three of their young children (Kolbe, Aidan, and Agnes); Pam and Charlie Causey; Shelda, Richard, and Laura Aultman; and Dana Goodnight. On the first day, we collected diverse brachiopods and other inverts in the rich thanatocoenosis of Pseudozaphrentoides horn corals in the Pennsylvanian portion of the Ely Limestone in the northern portion of the Foote Range (Janus 2007, number 3; JB calls this site “the mythic graveyard, where horn corals went to die!”). After lunch, we collected crinoids, pelecypods, gastropods, tabulate and horn corals, bryozoans, and fragments of cephalopods and trilobites (“tri-low-bits-and-pieces”, mostly pygidia or “tri-low-butts”) in the Mississippian Chainman Shale at Conger Spring, near Conger Mountain (Janus 2006#2, and Janus 2007#3). Spoor of wild ponies was abundant at both sites. That night, we camped at Crystal Peak Pass (CPP), immediately north of Crystal Peak, in the elfin forest (Pinyon-Juniper woodland). On day two, we explored the Ordovician Pogonip Group, notably the Kanosh Shale, at CPP, where we found a variety of invertebrate species, many preserved in plates of carbonate hardground (Janus 2010#4). Cowboys and shepherds have camped at CPP since the Nineteenth Century, as evidenced by lavender glass shards and soldered cans left in their trash. The following two nights, we camped in Wheeler Amphitheater, House Range, and collected in the Middle Cambrian Wheeler Shale on public lands and at the U-Dig pay quarry. Pioneer geologist, Charles Walcott, camped here at the beginning of the Twentieth Century while doing ground-breaking work on the Cambrian of North America. On the night of May 29th, as JB was driving into the town of Delta to get cell-phone reception, he encountered a group of eight wild mustangs at the stand-pipe fed by Antelope Spring—this herd included two colts (Equus caballus). Non-fossil loot included calcite plates and dendrites. Most trilobites we found were the small- to medium-sized Utah state fossil, Elrathia kingii (below), and the similar Bolaspidella. Small, eyeless trilobites, Itagnostus (née Peronopsis) interstricutus, were locally abundant, as were primitive, univalve brachiopods superficially resembling fish scales (Acrothele subsida). We found a few big-honker trilobites, Asaphiscus wheeleri, a favorite species of the local diggers, including a museum-quality specimen found by one of the Kram children. James Bain NC Fossil Club Picnic, November 1, 2014. The Aurora Fossil Museum kindly hosted our annual picnic, attended by 19 NCFC members plus two AFM staff. AFM’s Museum Educator, George Oliver, Jr., M.D., and NCFC’s Vice President, “JB” Bain, Ph.D., made brief presentations about recent developments in the non-profit AFM and NCFC organizations, after which the gang dined on subs and pizzas, drew lots for door prizes, and fossicked around in Miocene Pungo River Formation mine waste (“reject”). NCFC volunteers loaded a thousand pounds of Pungo reject into JB’s Subaru for later distribution to the public in North Carolina’s Piedmont and beyond. James Bain
Photos from the Aurora Picnic Elrathia kingii ‒ Photo: Micha L. Rieser, Wikimedia Commons Little Did I Know Then! 5 cases in all, three of the cases are 4 foot by 4 foot and we put George W. Powell, Jr. them side by side on one wall, and the other two cases are 6 foot long by 4 foot high by 3 foot wide and we put them against the This adventure all started back in July of 1995 when I was opposite wall. asked by Principal Bob Snee to make a fossil display for George Mason Middle Jr/Sr High School (My old High School) in Little did I know then that one day 18 years later the cases Falls Church, Virginia. Principal Snee told me that this is to would be removed from the now Potash Corp Aurora and given be a permanent display in the Media Center of the School. I to the Aurora Fossil Museum in the spring of this year. I am very began a plan over the next few weeks after work each day at the happy that they did not trash them like so many things are done school during the summer break designing the display, layout, today. About a week ago I was talking with George Oliver at and putting it all together. My friend David Wells helped me by the museum and he said that Cindy Crane would like to put the making all of the fossil labels for me. The display is made up of 5 display cases in the hallway between the two learning center three cases mounted side by side for a total of 10 feet wide and buildings. I asked Cindy if that’s what she wanted to do and if I 4 feet high 8 inches deep and has approximately 100 fossils in could help with the work of cleaning and putting the cases up, it. I also gave the school 400 other fossils for hands-on study and she told me that that would be great. purposes in the classroom. Another friend, Fred Plumb, and I On Saturday December 13th I spent the day at the museum wrote a story about this display and the work I did and called helping to clean the cases and with the help of Cindy and Tim it “Fossils: A Labor of Love”. This story has been published in Weeks we put the three 4 foot by 4 foot cases up on the two more than 14 Newsletters and Rock & Gem Magazine to date. walls. We put one case on one wall and the other two on the opposite wall. We had to cut a little off of each of the 8 legs on the two table top cases so that they would fit against the wall under the wall mounted cases. On Monday December 15th I returned to the museum to finish the work we started on Saturday but ran out of time to finish. So on Monday I started by cleaning the inside of the Plexiglas and again with the help of Cindy and Tim we put the Plexiglas in the cases and then put the frames on them. I cleaned the outside of the Plexiglas and stepped back and said WOW they look great there. I think they have now found a home to stay. I have always heard that what goes around comes around-but little did I know then. After all is said and done its time for everyone to come and take a look at the Old - New Fossil displays. Now I want to THANK all the Friends Board members for giving me the Honorary Lifetime Membership in the Friends Some quality assembly time Group. This is indeed an honor.
Moving forward to 1996 I received a phone call from Jack Moore, the Public Relations Officer for the then PCS Mining Co. and he asked me if I could make a new fossil display to replace the one that was at their White House (Headquarters) at the mine. He said he had heard that I had made a display for my old high school and he would send someone up to look at it take some photos. After reviewing the photos, he liked what he saw and then he asked me to do this new display the same way I had for my school. Again I set out to make something new and better than before. I spent 8 days doing the designing, the display layout, and putting it all together. All of the display cases were made by and at the PCS for me. I worked about 9 hours a day to get it all made and then with the help of two of the PCS employees we placed the cases in the front lobby entrance of the White House. There were The Display September 20th, 1995, George Mason Middle Jr/Sr High School The display in the White House at PCS November 29th, 1996
The Display now at home in the Aurora Fossil Museum Learning Center North Carolina Fossil Club, Inc. (Founded 1977) President Linda McCall (512) 422-2322 Colfax, NC Vice President James Bain (919) 479-2320 Bahama, NC Immediate Past President Rick Bennett (919) 609-9205 Raleigh, NC Immediate Past President Jonathan Fain (919) 518-1591 Raleigh, NC Treasurer Trish Kohler (919) 383-6328 Durham, NC Secretary Joanne Panek-Dubrock (919) 362-6392 Raleigh, NC Membership Chairperson Mike Bruff (919) 553-6925 Clayton, NC Editor, Janus Richard Chandler (919) 851-2153 Raleigh, NC Board Mary Boulton (2016) (704) 541-9397 Charlotte, NC Charlie Causey (2016) (336) 685-4118 Liberty, NC Joy Pierce Herrington (2015) (919) 929-2661 Chapel Hill, NC Gustavo Pierangelini (2015) (919) 886-1259 Raleigh, NC David Sanderson (2016) (919) 469-2812 Cary, NC Libby Smalley (2016) (910) 520-3677 Wilmington, NC Ruffin Tucker (2015) (704) 784-1672 Concord, NC Diane Willis (2015) (919) 967-1008 Chapel Hill, NC – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – 2015 Membership Application - North Carolina Fossil Club
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Select One Type of Membership individual (new) $20.00 (Enclose check or money order individual (renewal) $15.00 for the indicated amount.) household (new) $25.00 household (renewal) $20.00 Children of NCFC members who are dependent minors and living at home may accompany parents on any trip EXCEPT PCS–Lee Creek or where otherwise noted. Memberships are effective from January through December of the year (or portion of the year) of the date of application. For example, persons joining in August will need to renew their membership 5 months later in January. The Fossil Club’s newsletter, JANUS, is mailed out four times a year and is available online for members. Please let us know how you’d like to continue receiving JANUS. If you choose to download it from the website, you will receive an email when a new one is published. I will download Janus from website (www.NCFossilClub.org) please continue to send a paper copy via US Mail NCFC Liability Statement The Undersigned hereby acknowledges his/her understanding that fossil collecting is an inherently dangerous activity which can result in serious bodily injury or death, and/or property damage and hereby confirms his/her voluntary assumption of the risk of such injury, death or damage. The Undersigned, in return for the privilege of attending field trips Related to the collection of and/or study of fossils, or any other event or activity conducted or hosted by the North Carolina Fossil Club (NCFC), hereinafter collectively and individually referred to as “NCFC Events”, hereby releases the NCFC, NCFC Board members and officers, NCFC Event leaders or organizers and hosts, landowners and mine or quarry operators from any and all liability claims resulting from injury to or death of the undersigned or his/her minor children or damage to his/her property resulting from any cause whatsoever related to participation in NCFC Events. The Undersigned agrees to comply with any and all rules and restrictions which may be communicated to the undersigned by the NCFC Event leader and/or landowner and mine or quarry operator and acknowledges that failure to comply will result in immediate expulsion from the premises. The Undersigned acknowledges that this release covers all NCFC Events and will remain in effect at all times unless or until it is revoked by written notice to the current President of the NCFC and receipt of such revocation is acknowledged. The Undersigned further attests to his/her intent to be legally bound by affixing his /her signature to this release. Name Signature Date
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Mail To: North Carolina Fossil Club, P.O. Box 25276, Raleigh, NC 27611-5276 North Carolina Fossil Club P.O. Box 25276 Raleigh, NC 27611-5276 Libby Smalley’s See Castle Hayne Trip Reports, inside, page 3. Eocarpilius blowi crab carapace (before and after cleaning)