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Aurora, NC Fossil Trip


Please note, the Mine is CLOSED to collecting - This is an old trip report from 2005. Please don't call the mine or museum asking to fossil hunt in the mine. You can still fossil hunt at the mine tailings in front of the museum. Go to the Aurora page for more information.




Spring Fossil Hunting Trip from March of 2005



Fossil guides discussing the area.

Fossil guides discussing the area.


March 5th was our date for our spring season trip into the mine. The forecast called for Thunderstorms in the afternoon. Luckily none occurred. The sky occasionally looked ominous, but it didn't even rain while in the mine and the Sun came out for quite a bit.

Anyhow, this 2005 season, we were collecting at the other side of the pit that we collected in last season.

This spot is mostly filled with the James City Formation. Shark tooth collectors know this is very bad, since most teeth are found in the other formations, the Pungo River and Yorktown Formations. At any rate, we had a good time collecting, Yorktown was very difficult to find, so we spent most of the time in the Pungo River, occasionally wandering into James City. Since there was very little shark producing formations, we found fewer teeth than we anticipated, both in size and in quantity.

However, we didn't let this dampen our spirits. We decided this would be a good opportunity to increase the size of our "bone garden" surrounding our house. So we had fun digging up various whalebone fragments and vertebra; always hoping that a megalodon would pop out in the process of digging up vertebra.

Thank you PCS for allowing us to collect!





Below are the fossil found adn additional images from the 2005 mine in Aurora, NC


This season, we are on the other side of the mine. This picture shows the
 collecting area from last year. The foreground is part of the collecting
 area for this season.

This season, we are on the other side of the mine. This picture shows the collecting area from last year. The foreground is part of the collecting area for this season.


Megalodons are probably dancing through her mind as she stands at the edge.  She ended
up finding a small 1 7/8 inch Carcharocles chubutensis.

Megalodons are probably dancing through her mind as she stands at the edge. She ended up finding a small 1 7/8 inch Carcharocles chubutensis.


James City Indicators

James City Indicators
TONS of coral fragments, bleached white shells, and barnacles indicate the James City. If you find yourself here and want to collect shark teeth, I would suggest looking for another spot. Shark teeth are difficult to come by in the James City Formation. However, Great Whites are found in this formation. They are fragile, and therefore are often found with their roots broken.


Here is our catch of the day.  Nothing big. A small C. chubutensis was probably the highlight
of the trip.  Also notable was the large amount of modern tiger teeth I found, I usually find
half the amount per trip.

Here is our catch of the day. Nothing big. A small C. chubutensis was probably the highlight of the trip. Also notable was the large amount of modern tiger teeth I found, I usually find half the amount per trip.


I also lugged home about 70 pounds of whale bone.

Bones for the fossil garden
I also lugged home about 70 pounds of whale bone.


A view of the small megatooth shark tooth found.

A view of the small megatooth shark tooth found.


A couple Great White fossil shark teeth that ware found.

A couple Great White fossil shark teeth that ware found.




Recommended Books for North Carolina Fossil Collecting:



** PLEASE DESCRIBE THIS IMAGE **
Shark Tooth Hunting on the Carolina Coast

by Ashley Oliphant, 2015

This is a great field guide for locating and identifying fossil shark teeth on the beaches of North and South Carolina. It is filled with clear photographs and easy to read descriptions.
There's not too many books about North Carolina Sharks teeth. This one is pretty good!




** PLEASE DESCRIBE THIS IMAGE **
Fossil Shark Teeth of the World

A great book for identifying all those teeth. This book is laid out "as simple as possible." It's ease of use and small size makes it great to carry during collecting trips. This book shows teeth from around the globe, but all the North Carolina teeth can be found in it.




Seal/Dolphin ~ Phoca/Stenella: A Skeletal Comparison of Two Marine Mammals

by John R. Timmerman, 1997

This is a very good book if you want to attempt to identify the numerous bone fragments encountered at this site.
This book can be purchased through the North Carolina Fossil Club - When at their website, click on the publications tab.




Recommended Link

ELASMO.COM

The best site on the web for fossil shark teeth! It's dedicated to Aurora and many other sites!


Get Your Very Own Megalodon Tooth:

These are Authentic Megalodon teeth sold by Fossil Era , a reputable fossil dealer (that I personally know) who turned his fossil passion into a business. His Megalodon teeth come in all sizes and prices, from small and inexpensive to large muesum quality teeth. Each tooth has a detailed descriptions and images that include its collecting location and formation. If you are looking for a megalodon tooth, browse through these selections!



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