Finding Fossils in the Garden

[astroron]

A little while back I posted some photo's of Fossils from the Nullarbor Plain, well these two people have really found some Fossil in the garden patch.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/05/26/2909511.htm
So it goes to show you never know where you may find fossils.
If you see an unusual rock take a look at it it may be a fossil.:thumbsup:

[renormalised]

I see fossils in gardens every day:):P

[astroron]

Please elaborate:question:;)

[jjjnettie]

Cheers Ron. A great story.

[Liz]

:lol::lol:
Lots of fossils up at the hospital too. :)

Amazing story, love real fossils, what a find in the garden. How much more is there lurking under the ground out Richmond way. :eyepop:

[wasyoungonce]

Even though it's an urban myth, the the Smithsonian fossil story (http://www.guy-sports.com/humor/stories/story_smithsonian.htm)(created by one Dr in the institute) about backyard finds is a good read.

been around since...well many years.

[astroron]

Good Story, I had a good chuckle:lol:
Thanks:thumbsup:

[cybereye]

Liz and any other NQ residents,

If you head out past Charter's Towers to Greenvale and then on to Broken River, you'll find some of the best invertebrate fossils I've seen. I did 2 weeks of field mapping there, mapping large chunks of limestone that were resting in mudstones. (These limestones had not formed in-situ but had broken off higher up on the continental shelf and slid down).

Anyway lots of brachiopods, crinoid stems and fish plates from the Ordivician to the Devonian in age visible in the rocks as well as just resting on the ground having weathered from their host rock. Closer to home here in Brisbane, it's possible to find impressions of leaves in some of the shale beds. Another good spot is Canowindra in NSW where they have the Age of Fishes museum. It's amazing what was dug up while making a road!

As you can tell I love fossils, enough that I did some post-graduate study in them.

Cheers,
Mario

[renormalised]

Know it very well...being a geo' and all, and having done work up there myself. Also, on the way upto Greenvale, stop off on the side of the road at the Clarke River. In the turbidite deposits there you'll find graptolites. They're not very common but you'll find the occasional few in amongst the fine grain mudstones in the deposits. Like brachs...go out to Scotsville (west of Bowen) out in the coal beds. In the mud and sandstones you'll find heaps of them. Actually they were that common they formed reef like deposits. About 60-80km from home, up at Fanning River, there's the best lot of lycopod and lepidodedron trunks I've ever seen sitting in fine grain sandstone. Found one about 8 foot long sitting in a chunk of rock. Tried to get to it, but it meant lifting a flat slab of rock that would've weighed about 10 ton!!!!

Not far from home...about 40km, there's stroms, crinoid stems and nautiloids in Siluro-Devonian greywackes and mudstones.

And down on the sand and mud flats just south of the mouth of the Ross River, there's fossilised crabs and prawns in the beach rock deposits:)

[cybereye]

Carl,

I did geology at UNSW, became a geophysicist who then did post-grad work in paeleo at Macquarie. I've just completed a University Certificate in Astronomy at the University of Central Lancashire and have signed up for the Advanced Certificate.

I think it's amazing how all that I've studied interact. The planet, its make up, its life, its position in the solar system - all these things interact with each other, each dependent on the other in some way. Fantastic!!

Cheers,
Mario

PS I didn't mention I did a Postgraduate Certificate in Management at USQ but then I don't want to put you to sleep!:D

[peterl]

Thanks for the smithsonian fossil story..
Very funny..
At least somebody at the institute has a good sense of humour. he.he.
:lol:

In our local recycling tip here in the manning valley there has been some good finds coming out of the ground over the years when they dig more big holes for waste. Finds like Fish scales and similar.
When we went to school here many years ago ,we would have excursions to this area and found a few fossils etc.
The only problem now is that nobody is allowed access to these areas.
O.H.S. Must have green card etc. etc. also they keep it very quiet what they find..

Anyway. Must go and dig my vegie garden.never know what I will find

[Liz]

Thanks Mario .... will keep in mind if I head out NW.



Very interesting Carl, thanks. Would be amazing to find something. :)

[renormalised]

Won't put me to sleep....I've done nearly as much as you have!!:):P

Did my degree (two complete majors, one in geology and the other in physical geography...Climatology and Remote Sensing). Then did a Post Graduate Diploma (sort of in between a honours and masters degree) in Economic Geology. Now I'm doing my Masters, in astronomy. All of them done at JCU:)

[cybereye]

Carl,

A girl I did my geology degree with at UNSW did a PhD at JCU - Kim Dowling. She's now lecturing in Ballarat....

Cheers,
Mario

[AstralTraveller]

I mentioned this yesterday here http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=61613 but it was buried in a amoungst Carl and I talking shop. Obviously everyone else fell asleep. :zzz2:

[AstralTraveller]

Who did you work with at Macquarie?? I know a few people up there.

[AstralTraveller]

I assume you know Bob Henderson then? I've done analyses for a few of his pgs and met him a couple of times when he has visited.

[cybereye]

John Talent and Ruth Mawson were the main people I dealt with at Macquarie. They ran most of the courses I did and also supervised the field mapping.:)

[astroron]

I did read the Thread but must admit I missed the attachment:ashamed:

[jjjnettie]

:lol: excellent read.

[renormalised]

Her name is familiar...when did she do her PhD at JCU...it would've been awhile back, now.

[renormalised]

"Uncle" Bob...all too well:):)

Great guy....very, very good lecturer. Great fun out in the field too:) He was the one who first found that lepidodendron fossil up at Fanning River, I mentioned earlier. You could hear him from half a mile away going "Oo, Oo!!!". One long train of oo's was all we could hear. Then there was an "Ah...Ah". He was most upset that we couldn't extract the fossil:):P So was I...it was perfectly preserved. You could see details in the leaf/branch scars on the trunk, it was amazing. No, he was one of my best lecturers.