Hi Chris,

I still haven't joined the Fossil Club.

I want to but I am awful with filling in forms and snail-mailing anything.   If you, or my secretary, would do that part for me I'll hand over the cold cash.

As for Gosford I have never been to it yet myself but am told that it is very close to the railway station and that the fossil bed was near the base of the quarry ...  I suppose just a bit above the level of the railway line.

Who owns the quarry now and what the exposure there is like I have no idea of.

The quickest way of determining these things would be just to hop on a train and go and have a look I think.

I've written to Gosford Council about it but they are unaware of anybody at all being intereted in it.

There, however, is at least one local man, Peter Adderley at Gosford who is very interested in geology - AND there is also a gem and mineral and fossil seller/displayer in the area (sorry I do not know the name) AND somebody else told me there is a woman locally who is interested in the question of whether any more fish may remain unbattered and pristine there at rest in their shaley bed ... but again am sorry to say I do not have here name either.

The Mines Department (now merged with Forests and Fish and Ag as Primary Industries) has a service called "Ask Bill the Geo" ---- ask any geological question to the service (it's on their webpage) and the wheels may grind and a satisfactory answer perhaps be forthcoming.

And regaring all your "so much more that i couldnt even explain to you!" sites ... if you email any views I'd be interested to maybe add them to the geo-sites directory.

I think I'll be adding some more  'forms of ferruginisation' pics and ideas ..... sure they aren't fossils, but interesting to speculate on how they formed anyway.

I'm interested in all the weird and wonderful ideas the public has on how geological features form.

There is one man (known as Buzz) who maintains that the polygonal weathering found along the plateau top on Hawkesbury Sandstone is the actual preserved/fossilised skin of the Rainbow Serpent.  

Cheers,


John




On Fri Jan 18 11:50 , 'cows_300' sent:

Nice Info John,

Great site and Pictures, really interesting. I have seen so many
different structures in the Hawkesbury Sandstone, its such an
amazing formation...so much cross bedding, iron stains, concretions,
spherical iron stained bedding plains and so much more that i
couldnt even explain to you!

Thanks for the info and a great read!

When are you going to the fish quarry? i would love to get in there
and have a look aswell, is it a part of the fossil Club? when are
you planning on going?

Regards Chris

--- In fossilclubgroup@..., John
wrote:
>
>
>
> Hello,
>
>
> An excurion took place recently to see the fossil trees
photographed in an
> article by creationist geologist Tasman Walker.
>
> The site is Box Hill, Bouddi Peninsula.
>
> The existence of the Box Head "fossil trees" structures was first
published
> on in 2003, including a photo of them taken by Andrew Taylor.
>
> The cyclindrical objects photographed certainly look like
> sideritised/haematitic trunks.
>
> However, many other vertical ferruginous cylindrical structures
were found
> to be present in the sandstone there and from the range of
features it is
> seen that they are definitely vertical concretionary structures,
not trees.
>
> Photos may be see under "GOSFORD" at
> http://www.lachlanhunter.deadsetfreestuff.com/JB/geo-sitesG-I.htm
>
> Still to be visited is Coal and Candle Creek on the other side of
the
> Hawkesbury where a fossil stump was discovered by a member of the
Fossil
> Club many years ago.
>
> The Coal and Candle Creek position (near the tidewater limit) is
likely at
> the same or very similar stratigraphic level near the top of the
Narrabeen
> Group and first guess would now be that it is another
occurrence/exposure
> of these vertical ferruginous cylinders.
>
> I do not know of any other occurrences of similar things in other
parts of
> the world .. does anybody else?
>
> Also planned for 2008 is a revisiting of the famous fossil fish
beds at
> Gosford. I've never been to that quarry myself yet. It is known
as Blunts
> Quarry.
>
>
> Regards,
>
>
>
>
> John Byrnes
>
> (LachlanHunter Associates, Sydney)