Finding fossil sea shells in Florida
While I was in Florida in early January, I was able to participate in a fossil dig conducted by Dr. Gary Schmelz who has written several books on Florida seashells.
He has also been the director of education for The Conservancy of Southwest Florida, taught environmental science at Edison College, and been past president of the Bailey-Matthews national Shell Museum on Sanibel Island.
The dig took place at a large quarry operation located in southwest Florida. Where we were digging was 130 feet below sea level at one time.
Since most of the south Florida peninsula was under water for millions of years, the vast majority of the fossils we found belonged to marine animals.
Most are fossil seashells, along with a few sea biscuits, sand dollars, crab fragments, fish bones and the remains of sharks and whales.
A few of our findings are extinct now.
After signing liability waivers and a safety briefing, we were permitted to mine the quarry piles for our treasures and oh what treasures we found.
A bucket and a trowel are all the tools you need as the quarry piles easily release their hold on the old shells. Participants constantly would be asking Gary 鈥渨hat蘑菇视频 this shell?鈥� 鈥淗ow old was it?鈥�
He knew all the answers because he has been doing this for more than 40 years.
The day passed quickly, and when we were finished, my wife. Diane, and I had at least a bucket and a half of fossil shells.
The real work begins when you get home as the shells must be cleaned and the sand dug out of each one.
As they are cleaned, the real beauty comes forth in the newly found treasures.
Identification is made easy thanks to Dr. Schmelz and his book 鈥淔abulous Florida Fossil Shells,鈥� although he is a stickler for the scientific name rather than the common name that most of us use.
There are around 10,000 fossil species in the state of Florida and scientists have described many of them.
Gary seems to know them all and has been responsible for describing 32 new species from the Chopola Formation.
Last year, I found a Cowrie, entered it in the shell show and won a ribbon.
This sure beats winter in the mountains.
Speaking of the mountains, Nemacolin Woodlands has a fantastic sea shell exhibit just as you get off the elevator by The Tavern Restaurant and the largest circular fish tank I have ever seen.
Some of these shells are also millions of years old and come from all over the world.