About DMS Field Trips
The DMS sponsors and/or participates in
several field trips per month. In the past, members of the club have
visited mineral and/or fossil collecting sites in Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland,
and North Carolina.
For photos of the localities that we visited, the participants and the
specimens that were collected, please see the field trip pages on the
DMS web site.
If you are interested in
participating in a field trip, there are several ways to sign up.
They are as follows: 1) sign up at a DMS club
meeting, 2) call me or 3) send an email
to Tom Pankratz at
tjpankratz@verizon.net, or phone at (302) 239-0140. Please do so at least 72-hours before each
trip. Directions to each fieldtrip will be emailed and/or
discussed over the phone with those who sign up to attend.
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All field trips are weather
dependent.
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Several of the trips are physically
demanding! All trips require at least an average level
of physical fitness!
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Most quarry trips require members
to be at least 18 years old, and to have a
hardhat, safety glasses/goggles, and steel-toed boots.
However, there are a few quarries where younger members are allowed
to collect as long as they are supervised by a parent.
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Collecting equipment should
include: rock hammers, chisels, pry-bars,
boxes, packing material for specimens such as newspaper, etc.,
screens for sifting, etc.
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Bring water, drinks and snacks for the
day.
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Wear appropriate clothing and footwear.
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Carry sunscreen and insect
repellent.
Please check back here periodically or
send me an email expressing your interest in collecting either fossils
and/or minerals and I will add you to my email list.
Over the past few years, the DMS has sponsored
field trips to collect fossils and minerals at localities in
North Carolina, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and
Delaware. For photos of the localities
that we have visited, the participants and the specimens that were
collected, please see the field trip pages on the DMS web site.
[Tom Pankratz, Vice-President of Fieldtrips]
Past Field Trips 2004-2013
Native Gold display at the Smithsonian,
Washington, D.C., bus trip, 3-18-2012
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March
Show 2012 Field Trip Display Case
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Tom Pankratz, Fieldtrip Case Coordinator |
2013 DMS UPCOMING FIELD TRIPS
March 16, 2013 (Saturday): Petrified Wood Collecting,
Odessa, DE
We have special permission to visit private property to collect
Delaware Petrified Wood. Check your e-mails, as the meeting
place has changed. Limited farm lane parking, so carpool, if you
can, please. Bring rain boots and gear, just in case. It could
get a little muddy. It's going to be fun!
April 20, 2013 (Saturday): 8 AM - 12 PM: Kurtz Quarry, Denver, PA
May 11, 2013 (Saturday): Corundum Hill Geology Tour, Newlin Twp., PA
POSTPONED, due to severe storms forecasted. We will reschedule.
THIS IS AN EDUCATIONAL TRIP (NOT A COLLECTING TRIP).
Corundum Hill which is now part of the Natural Lands Trust
and collecting is not allowed.
This is a combined geology, mineral and biology trip to a
serpentine barrens in nearby Pa. This area was extensively
mined for corundum and feldspar for about 100 years and for
a time was a leading supplier of corundum for abrasive use.
After the mining ceased the area grew back as a woodlot but
several isolated stands of serpentine barrens plants
survived. The Natural Lands Trust is now converting the
area back to a serpentine barrens and most of the trees have
been cut down exposing some of the geological terrain and
old mines.
Roger Latham is conducting this conservation effort and has
agreed to lead a field trip sharing with us the geology,
mineralogy and biology of this unique area.
This area is now called
Cheslawn Preserve and more information may be found on the
Natural Lands Trust website.
I'll compile more information
and send it later.
IMPORTANT IMPORTANT IMPORTANT: I don't think we've had
this type of Field Trip before and I'm not sure how much
interest there is for this type of event. Roger and I
agreed that we'll hold the event if at least 5 people are
interested. So please let me know your interest so we
can plan appropriately.
May 18, 2013 (Saturday): Chesapeake Bay Calvert Cliffs
Fossil Collecting
The site will be reached by boat. Capacity is limited to 6 on
the first boat, 4 on the second boat. Second boat usage is
weather-dependent. Tom will make a list. First signup, first to
go on this fieldtrip.
Eric Hottenstein will be leading this nautical fossil adventure.
Calvert Cliffs/Potomac River, MD, Fossil Collecting
Weekend, May 18th and 19th
On Saturday we will meet in the vicinity of Chesapeake
Beach, MD, and collect, via boat, the Miocene deposits (22
to 8 million years ago) of the Calvert Cliffs. These sites
are known to produce an abundance of small sharks’ teeth,
some reptile and porpoise fossils, as well as an occasional
Megalodon tooth. Participation in this day of collecting
will be limited so please register early if interested.
Sunday will find us along the Potomac River at Purse State
Park in Charles County, Maryland. From the parking area it
is a short hike (less than ½ mile) to beaches that expose
Paleocene (65 to 56 million years ago) material. Many small
shark’s teeth, the occasional large Otodus tooth (some have
been up to 3”), crocodile teeth, ray fragments and the rare Paleocarcharodon
sp. shark tooth may be found here. In addition, there are
many Turritella shells present both in matrix and loose on
the shore. Conditions permitting, we’ll have a boat
available to help ease the traversing of the lengthy beaches
at this site.
We are in the planning stages for more of our upcoming Spring 2013
fieldtrip season. Usually, mid-March is when we venture after
the winter snow, to visit area sites, observe geology, and
collect minerals and fossils. Become a club Member, and join us!
If you have any requests or ideas for fieldtrip locales, please
contact:
Tom Pankratz (302) 239-0140,
tjpankratz@verizon.net
[Tom Pankratz, Vice-President of Fieldtrips]
Society of Natural History of Delaware
All events are free and
open to the public. Fieldtrips normally take 2-4 hours.
For questions and/or reservations for any trip call
Al Matlack at (302) 239-5383.
New Jersey State Museum Fieldtrips
Dinosaur Hunting with the State Museum!
Virginia Museum of Natural History Field Trips
VMNH FIELD TRIPS
Join the Virginia Museum of Natural
History staff and learn about the fascinating geological history of
the Middle Atlantic States.
These trips cover a wide variety of ages and environments
representative of the last 450 million years.
Field trip fees are used to support VMNH
research. To learn about upcoming field trips or to make a
reservation, please e-mail
fieldtrips@vmnh.virginia.gov or call the museum at (276)
634-4171. This information is also available on the VMNH website at
http://www.vmnh.net under the Research and Collections and
VMNH Expeditions links. Please note that space is limited.
(Scientifically significant specimens may be retained by curators
for the VMNH collection.)
Details of these trips can be found at: http://www.vmnh.net/index.cfm?pg=285
Janet Roetken
Administrative Assistant
Research and Collections
Virginia
Museum of Natural History
21 Starling Avenue
Martinsville, VA
24112
276.634.4171
276.634.4199 (Fax)
janet.roetken@vmnh.virginia.gov
Collecting Adventure Stories:
"Sunny Brook Crick
Goethite" by Joe Dunleavy |
