Greetings

I went into the lab location of the Hobart Museum to see how progress
was going on the recently excavated Jurassic tree stump... still in
pieces at this stage, though the discoverer reckons he has found a
bigger tree four feet in diameter. However with their permission I've
uploaded to the Miscellaneous photo album an image of an early
Triassic  fossil. It was found in 2006 by bushwalkers on the east
coast and consists of two skulls of labyrinthodont amphibians that may
have resembled modern salamanders. Perhaps their waterhole dried up
which sounds ominous for humans. Another one for the 'must find' list.

John in Tassie

hi all,
i am new to this web group. so to tell you all a bit
about my self, i am a palaeontological student at
macquarie university, going on to postgrad work in
2007 at univeristy of queensland.

what i am after is A Coccolepis fossil from talbragar
if any of you have one you would like to swap or sell
please let me know.

many thanks


rodney berrell

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam?  Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
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Greetings

I've uploaded to the Miscellaneous photo album a picture of an
excavator removing the stump of a Jurassic tree, species unknown but
perhaps a Wollemia ancestor. It will be araldited back together at
Hobart Museum; interestingly some lateral roots are transparent and
brown like smokey quartz. More on that when it happens.

This weekend I'm going to Zeehan Gem Show with some others to look for
mainly Cambrian trilobites associated with abandoned mines. If I don't
disappear that could be yet another story.

Regards
John in Tassie

Hi everyone,

The Royal Society Digital Journal Archive, dating back to 1665 and
containing more than 60,000 articles, is now available online at
www.journals.royalsoc.ac.uk and is FREE to access until the end of
November 2006.

You can access this from the URL below.

http://www.journals.royalsoc.ac.uk/
(zmzsm245p540sh45ejnzww45)/app/home/main.asp?referrer=default


e.g. If you type in the word trilobite* you will get all papers
dealing with trilobites.

Enjoy
Albert

--- In fossilclubgroup@..., "jillyonly1"
<jillyonly1@y...> wrote:
>
Hi Jill,
Here is what Ross Dearing comments about what John said in his reply
to you.

Albert, we visited the site some years back in conjunction with a
trip to Coonabarabran.  It is a reserve and one is not allowed to
collect from there.  Interesting that a trench is about to be dug
(depending on how current this information is), Ian Percival may be
able to tell us more on Thursday night.  The trips mentioned are
presumably Gondwana Dreaming which are expensive (I understand) and
you are not allowed to keep anything you find (we have picked up a
few members who joined after having been on a GD trip).  From
memory, NP&WS manages the site and will accompany visitors to it
(the site itself is on private property).

Albert Sequeira


> Hi everyone,
> I'm unable to go regularly to country digs with the Fossil Club,
which
> is disappointing, as I had a great long weekend at Yass last year
and
> a wonderful time at Mulbring with the Club. In Sydney the closest
site
> we have visited is North Avalon ...found some rock with fern
fronds.
> My question is: does anyone know of any sites within the greater
> Sydney suburban region (I live in Cremorne, not far from the Zoo)
> where you can still gain access legally, which of course excludes
> national parks. Someone told me that the brickworks site in Mobbs
Lane
> at Epping is still operable and permission may be given to enter
their
> site..I'll follow that up..Apparently so many sites have closed
down,
> but any information would be greatly appreciated.Thanks, and keep
> digging!! Jill Harrison
>

Hi Jill,

I suspect that the most prolific sites with lots of fossils in Sydney would
be garages of old geologists.

I think just systematically tracking down old geologists and asking them if
they had unwanted fossils would likely gather many.  Although they'd be
from all over the State of course, not just from Sydney.

I could possibly assist with what an old geologist looks like if any
assistance were needed for tracking those down.

Mobbs Lane ought to be Ashfield Shale and apart from the very rare finds in
the sideritic bands the Ashfield Shale is typically quite devoid of leaf
fossils or other remains (apart from some broken up carbonacous fragments
that are nothing in particular and rarely even resemble a leaf).

What about Wollongong, is that too far for you to get to?  The southern end
of North Wollongong Beach, immediately north of the point at Wollongong has
a cobble deposit which is more than half made up of silicified wood (or was
thus composed when a colleague of mine last visited it and informed me of
it .. and I imagine its still like that).  And not far inland from there
(and possibly as least partially the source of the coastal concentration),
on the flanks of Mt Keira, I do strongly suspect that there is a 'fossil
forest' horizon lurking somewhere.  For very large in situ stumps have been
reported to have been seen there, and lots of loose silicified wood too.
I've been trying to get the exact location of those stumps, to go there
myself.

In the greater Sydney region you'd probably have much greater likelihood of
finding plant fossils in the Bringelly Shale than the Ashfield Shale in my
opinion.  The Bringelly Shale even has very thin coal seams in places, just
centimetres thick (I've seen such in a quarry at Mulgoa).  You might get
some 'Thinfeldia/Dicroidium' bits in the Bringelly Shale, but again you'd
have to be lucky as I don't know any horizon where you'd say they were
commonplace.

There's a large brickworks, and I assume with quarry, right at Bringelly
itself and this looked like it was closing or had closed when I last passed
it by a couple of months ago (all the employee houses were up for sale).  I
don't think it would be rehabilitated or filled in yet, and neither would
it be working if the impression I got about it just driving past was right.
  So if its finiished but not yet being filled by rubbish that that might be
somewhere you could potter at will and not be in the way of any trucks or
anything.  That's all I know about it though, and I cannot think of any
other quarries in that condition/status around Sydney at the moment.  Most
of the Ashfield Shale brickpits were filled in years ago, apart from a
couple that were saved from infilling because the endangered Green and
Golden Bell Frog took up residence in them.  So if Mobbs Lane still has
fresh shale exposed its worth visiting anyway, even if you get no fossils
(99% likely) since there just aren't many other places you'll see the
formation freshly exposed (unless they put some tunnels through it ...
which will happen from time to time).

For people with sufficient passion and means for a long trip there's very
soon about to be another trench sunk across the famous fossil beds at
Talbragar to expose the stratigraphic section and take some samples etc.
Arrangements to visit that dig have to be booked in advance, and the
'greening Gondwana' people are organising that.  I presume the Fossil Club
knows about this .. otherwise I could probably find the details for anyone
interested.

Not too many good fossils very close to Sydney though .. sorry about that.


John Byrnes




At 02:01 PM 10/26/2006 -0000, you wrote:

>Hi everyone,

>I'm unable to go regularly to country digs with the Fossil Club, which
>is disappointing, as I had a great long weekend at Yass last year and
>a wonderful time at Mulbring with the Club. In Sydney the closest site
>we have visited is North Avalon ...found some rock with fern fronds.
>My question is: does anyone know of any sites within the greater
>Sydney suburban region (I live in Cremorne, not far from the Zoo)
>where you can still gain access legally, which of course excludes
>national parks. Someone told me that the brickworks site in Mobbs Lane
>at Epping is still operable and permission may be given to enter their
>site..I'll follow that up..Apparently so many sites have closed down,
>but any information would be greatly appreciated.Thanks, and keep
>digging!! Jill Harrison

Hi everyone,
I'm unable to go regularly to country digs with the Fossil Club, which
is disappointing, as I had a great long weekend at Yass last year and
a wonderful time at Mulbring with the Club. In Sydney the closest site
we have visited is North Avalon ...found some rock with fern fronds.
My question is: does anyone know of any sites within the greater
Sydney suburban region (I live in Cremorne, not far from the Zoo)
where you can still gain access legally, which of course excludes
national parks. Someone told me that the brickworks site in Mobbs Lane
at Epping is still operable and permission may be given to enter their
site..I'll follow that up..Apparently so many sites have closed down,
but any information would be greatly appreciated.Thanks, and keep
digging!! Jill Harrison

Hi everyone... I got stuck at work and missed our last meeting - I had
planned to share some American fossils from my modest collection, but
I'll bring them next time instead :) I'm really looking forward to the
upcoming trips, too.

I came across this article online: yet another case of closer
inspection of old collections leading to an entirely new interpretation:

Rumors of Dino Cannibalism Declared Greatly Exaggerated
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?articleID=00000B95-6C57-1519-AA1E83414B7F0000

I remember this dino cannibalism idea figuring prominently in "Walking
With Dinosaurs".

Cheers,
James :)

PS: I just got a copy of "The Greening of Gondwana" - really enjoying it!

Hi Albert.  I just added a photo of Jeff Vaughan with a Lepidodendron
fossil we collected in Tamworth a few weeks ago but I put my name in
the wrong section.  Can you edit it to so the heading is "recent
find"  Thanks  Paul

P.S. I'm pretty sure its Leptophloeum australe and I hope to talk the
quarry owner into a field trip for the club

Hi Albert.  I just added a photo of Jeff Vaughan with a Lepidodendron
fossil we collected in Tamworth a few weeks ago but I put my name in
the wrong section.  Can you edit it to so the heading is "recent
find"  Thanks  Paul

P.S. I'm pretty sure its Leptophloeum australe and I hope to talk the
quarry owner into a field trip for the club

Hi John
Looks like dirty work but satisfying. Look forward to seeing the
pictures.

Albert


--- In fossilclubgroup@..., "janewlands"
<janewlands@i...> wrote:
>
> Hi all
> I've posted another pic to the miscellaneous album. Those legs are
> mine above a section of Jurassic log, possibly a once 30m tall
> araucariad. If this log can be saved from pilfering several tonnes
> will be excavated by machine and sections re-assembled at the
Hobart
> Museum.
>
> This site near Southport Lagoon, Tasmania has a lot of silicified
> material just lying on the surface, including araucariad wood and
> red-blue agate nodules with crystal vugs. There are fronds and
rarely
> cones of cycads. Shale horizons have leaf impressions.
>
> If this log makes it to civilisation I'll get pix of the excavation
> and its eventual display in the city.
> Regards
> John Newlands (ex NSW now Tas)
>

Hi all
I've posted another pic to the miscellaneous album. Those legs are
mine above a section of Jurassic log, possibly a once 30m tall
araucariad. If this log can be saved from pilfering several tonnes
will be excavated by machine and sections re-assembled at the Hobart
Museum.

This site near Southport Lagoon, Tasmania has a lot of silicified
material just lying on the surface, including araucariad wood and
red-blue agate nodules with crystal vugs. There are fronds and rarely
cones of cycads. Shale horizons have leaf impressions.

If this log makes it to civilisation I'll get pix of the excavation
and its eventual display in the city.
Regards
John Newlands (ex NSW now Tas)

Hi Albert,

I would have thought that this was were that time scale drawing (the spiral
one) came from:

http://earth.geol.ksu.edu/sgao/g100/plots/

"""""
Multi-media Materials Compiled/Created
by Dr. Steve Gao for GEOL100 Lectures
Website: http://earth.geol.ksu.edu/sgao/g100/plots
"""""

But either that has since been changed or else I might have made a mistake,
as I cannot find it there any longer.  Don't know how to find it again, as
a picture is not words and no particular way to 'Google' it again or know
where it came from, I'm afaid.

Cheers,


John

Hi Albert,


Thank you; I think this is pretty common, that people forget where things
come from.

I still haven't paid my Club membership fee I'm afraid.  I'm supposed to be
part-retired and have plenty of time for things like that but still it
seems I don't get around to doing heaps of things.  Likewise I've been
intending to join Concord Lapidary Club .. so that I might have somewhere
to cut/slice a rock ever now and then but week after week goes by that I am
intending to do that without actually getting it done.  I was "spoilt" with
the facilities of 'Mines Department' in the past, especially access to
literature.  Since the pulled out of Sydney and the good geology library
has shifted to Maitland I find it pretty difficult to follow any sort of
geological interests.  I'm also currently interested in Ashfield Shale ..
and various other quarries all around Sydney .. and am finding it pretty
amazing about how little facts/memories are preserved on many of them (of
if there is information it is by no means easy to come by .. I'm trying all
the local historical societies).


Cheers,




John



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


At 07:59 AM 8/8/2006 +1000, you wrote:

>Hi John,

>I went in to the Lachlandhunter site and saw that the geological time
scale at the beginning was prepared by Associate Professor Stephen S. Gao.
Last year I contacted Prof Gao about the time scale and ask permission to
use it. His reply was that he took it off the web and used it for his
lectures. He does not remember where he got it from or who drew it. Maybe
your group might like to alter the time scale caption to avoid copywrite
problems. Just a thought.

>Regards
Albert

Hi John,
I have uploaded 2 papers on Tasmanian trilobites in the files
section. Hope this will help.

Regards
Albert



--- In fossilclubgroup@..., John <john.mail@o...>
wrote:
>
>
>
> On Mon, 24 Jul 2006 John wrote:
>
> >I've uploaded an image to the miscellenous photo album. It is of
a
> collection of Jurassic log sections found last week in the far
south
> of Tasmania by Peter Harris. The trees were conifers perhaps
> araucariads related to Wollemi Pine.
>
> >So far no showpiece trilobites or dinosaur bones but we're
working on it.
>
> >Regards
>
> >John Newlands
> ex NSW now Tas
>
>
>
>
> Dear Fossilclubgroup,
>
>
> I must greatly apologise that I have neither sent off my
subscription fee
> yet for Club Membership nor an intended detail response to John
who has
> also sent log photo/info to me.  I ask for more indulgence till I
do this,
> ?soon.
>
> As I probably noted by way of introduction, one of my "pet"
interests is
> trees, viz.
> http://www.lachlanhunter.deadsetfreestuff.com/JB/Big-Trees/big-
trees.htm
> which is a survey of big tree localities worldwide).
>
> I recently discovered, while attempting to tap into the knowledge
of those
> who know Catherine Hill Bay far better than I, and/or live
thereabouts,
> that there seems to be a quite significant (for geology anyway)
layer of
> standing fossil trees, or petrified forest if you like, just close
below
> the Great Northern Seam.
>
> As far as I am yet aware, nobody before has recognised or
described this
> tree-bearing interval (which would be withing the Awaba Tuff)  - I
found
> out that a snorkeller saw a big standing log in the underwater
cliff face
> at Catherine Hill Bay some thirty years ago and it turns out also
on more
> enquiry that NPWS have known about fossil stumps visible at low
tide on
> Ghosties Beach just south of the Bay.
>
> Geologist Sir Edgeworth David (1907) reported seeing good fossil
trees near
> Quarries Head (or else at Stinky Point?) and at the "Government
Quarry"
> near there, where he recorded that some are up to 10m in length. 
I'll
> certainly be interested, some time, to try and retrace David's
steps
> thereabouts.
>
> There's well known fossil forest exposures at Swansea Heads and at
Fennel
> Bay on the western side of the Lake.  I know of some other fossil
log
> mentions ,,,, for Stockton (VERY large, one hundred feet in
length), near
> Freemans Waterhole, at West Wallsend, etc., but I expect I
certainly would
> have nothing like a full and comprehensive list of all occurrences
yet.
>
> As I get fresh new snippets of interest (new to me but not
necessarily to
> others who might already know of such) I tend to upload them ...
and
> http://www.lachlanhunter.deadsetfreestuff.com/JB/enchanted-
professor.htm is
> recent example of such.  It is about somebody (maybe a local
Swansea
> resident?) who appears to have paraphrased David's 1907 writings
into an
> article.  You can see there some more 'modern' geologists
following David's
> steps on the "sandy beach below the pilot station" and headed for
the
> fossil trees.
>
> That particular excursion is by the Geological Survey which was,
and is,
> the same living entity that was David's old outfit in the 1880s
when he did
> his immense undertaking of coalfields survey - A fine feat which I
think in
> particular kicked off the great 1920s mining boom of the Greta or
South
> Maitland coalfield.
>
> I suspect that many or most of the fossil tree locations we might
know or
> learn of today were already known to David, with the possible
expception of
> the Catho-Ghosties one.
>
> With Best Regards,
>
>
>
>
> John Byrnes
>
> (Geologist, Strathfield)
>

Send instant messages to your online friends http://au.messenger.yahoo.com

Hi John,
I have uploaded 2 papers on Tasmanian trilobites in the files
section. Hope this will help.

Regards
Albert



--- In fossilclubgroup@..., John <john.mail@o...>
wrote:
>
>
>
> On Mon, 24 Jul 2006 John wrote:
>
> >I've uploaded an image to the miscellenous photo album. It is of
a
> collection of Jurassic log sections found last week in the far
south
> of Tasmania by Peter Harris. The trees were conifers perhaps
> araucariads related to Wollemi Pine.
>
> >So far no showpiece trilobites or dinosaur bones but we're
working on it.
>
> >Regards
>
> >John Newlands
> ex NSW now Tas
>
>
>
>
> Dear Fossilclubgroup,
>
>
> I must greatly apologise that I have neither sent off my
subscription fee
> yet for Club Membership nor an intended detail response to John
who has
> also sent log photo/info to me.  I ask for more indulgence till I
do this,
> ?soon.
>
> As I probably noted by way of introduction, one of my "pet"
interests is
> trees, viz.
> http://www.lachlanhunter.deadsetfreestuff.com/JB/Big-Trees/big-
trees.htm
> which is a survey of big tree localities worldwide).
>
> I recently discovered, while attempting to tap into the knowledge
of those
> who know Catherine Hill Bay far better than I, and/or live
thereabouts,
> that there seems to be a quite significant (for geology anyway)
layer of
> standing fossil trees, or petrified forest if you like, just close
below
> the Great Northern Seam.
>
> As far as I am yet aware, nobody before has recognised or
described this
> tree-bearing interval (which would be withing the Awaba Tuff)  - I
found
> out that a snorkeller saw a big standing log in the underwater
cliff face
> at Catherine Hill Bay some thirty years ago and it turns out also
on more
> enquiry that NPWS have known about fossil stumps visible at low
tide on
> Ghosties Beach just south of the Bay.
>
> Geologist Sir Edgeworth David (1907) reported seeing good fossil
trees near
> Quarries Head (or else at Stinky Point?) and at the "Government
Quarry"
> near there, where he recorded that some are up to 10m in length.
I'll
> certainly be interested, some time, to try and retrace David's
steps
> thereabouts.
>
> There's well known fossil forest exposures at Swansea Heads and at
Fennel
> Bay on the western side of the Lake.  I know of some other fossil
log
> mentions ,,,, for Stockton (VERY large, one hundred feet in
length), near
> Freemans Waterhole, at West Wallsend, etc., but I expect I
certainly would
> have nothing like a full and comprehensive list of all occurrences
yet.
>
> As I get fresh new snippets of interest (new to me but not
necessarily to
> others who might already know of such) I tend to upload them ...
and
> http://www.lachlanhunter.deadsetfreestuff.com/JB/enchanted-
professor.htm is
> recent example of such.  It is about somebody (maybe a local
Swansea
> resident?) who appears to have paraphrased David's 1907 writings
into an
> article.  You can see there some more 'modern' geologists
following David's
> steps on the "sandy beach below the pilot station" and headed for
the
> fossil trees.
>
> That particular excursion is by the Geological Survey which was,
and is,
> the same living entity that was David's old outfit in the 1880s
when he did
> his immense undertaking of coalfields survey - A fine feat which I
think in
> particular kicked off the great 1920s mining boom of the Greta or
South
> Maitland coalfield.
>
> I suspect that many or most of the fossil tree locations we might
know or
> learn of today were already known to David, with the possible
expception of
> the Catho-Ghosties one.
>
> With Best Regards,
>
>
>
>
> John Byrnes
>
> (Geologist, Strathfield)
>

On Mon, 24 Jul 2006 John wrote:

>I've uploaded an image to the miscellenous photo album. It is of a
collection of Jurassic log sections found last week in the far south
of Tasmania by Peter Harris. The trees were conifers perhaps
araucariads related to Wollemi Pine.

>So far no showpiece trilobites or dinosaur bones but we're working on it.

>Regards

>John Newlands
ex NSW now Tas




Dear Fossilclubgroup,


I must greatly apologise that I have neither sent off my subscription fee
yet for Club Membership nor an intended detail response to John who has
also sent log photo/info to me.  I ask for more indulgence till I do this,
?soon.

As I probably noted by way of introduction, one of my "pet" interests is
trees, viz.
http://www.lachlanhunter.deadsetfreestuff.com/JB/Big-Trees/big-trees.htm
which is a survey of big tree localities worldwide).

I recently discovered, while attempting to tap into the knowledge of those
who know Catherine Hill Bay far better than I, and/or live thereabouts,
that there seems to be a quite significant (for geology anyway) layer of
standing fossil trees, or petrified forest if you like, just close below
the Great Northern Seam.

As far as I am yet aware, nobody before has recognised or described this
tree-bearing interval (which would be withing the Awaba Tuff)  - I found
out that a snorkeller saw a big standing log in the underwater cliff face
at Catherine Hill Bay some thirty years ago and it turns out also on more
enquiry that NPWS have known about fossil stumps visible at low tide on
Ghosties Beach just south of the Bay.

Geologist Sir Edgeworth David (1907) reported seeing good fossil trees near
Quarries Head (or else at Stinky Point?) and at the "Government Quarry"
near there, where he recorded that some are up to 10m in length.  I'll
certainly be interested, some time, to try and retrace David's steps
thereabouts.

There's well known fossil forest exposures at Swansea Heads and at Fennel
Bay on the western side of the Lake.  I know of some other fossil log
mentions ,,,, for Stockton (VERY large, one hundred feet in length), near
Freemans Waterhole, at West Wallsend, etc., but I expect I certainly would
have nothing like a full and comprehensive list of all occurrences yet.

As I get fresh new snippets of interest (new to me but not necessarily to
others who might already know of such) I tend to upload them ... and
http://www.lachlanhunter.deadsetfreestuff.com/JB/enchanted-professor.htm is
recent example of such.  It is about somebody (maybe a local Swansea
resident?) who appears to have paraphrased David's 1907 writings into an
article.  You can see there some more 'modern' geologists following David's
steps on the "sandy beach below the pilot station" and headed for the
fossil trees.

That particular excursion is by the Geological Survey which was, and is,
the same living entity that was David's old outfit in the 1880s when he did
his immense undertaking of coalfields survey - A fine feat which I think in
particular kicked off the great 1920s mining boom of the Greta or South
Maitland coalfield.

I suspect that many or most of the fossil tree locations we might know or
learn of today were already known to David, with the possible expception of
the Catho-Ghosties one.

With Best Regards,




John Byrnes

(Geologist, Strathfield)

Albert
I'd be happy to write on the Jurassic conifer log situation when it is
all resolved. One idea is to get a grant for some heavy machinery to
dig up a large log, take it away and araldite the pieces together for
a museum display. May not happen tho. Meanwhile I've had not one but
two strong leads on Tertiary silicified wood (eucalypt, casuarina)
with a superb black and yellow tigereye sheen. Hopefully all sorted
out by Xmas.
Regards
John in Tas

Hi All,
Our new presidente (Philip) showed me a copy of David Attenborough's
Lost Worlds Vanished Lives DVD. It is quite good as it shows you all
kinds of fossils and places where you might find them. You can get a
copy from the ABC Shop for about $30. It runs for about 158 minutes
and contains 4 episodes – the complete series. I recommend this for
all who loves fossils.

Jill - you should have a look at this DVD as it talks about Lyme Riges.

John - nice pictures of the logs, would you like to write something
about the logs for the Newsletter?

Albert

Hi Jill,
A few months ago one of our club members went to England and brought
back some fossils. She went to (I think) Dorset, Lyme Regis - see
http://www.lymeregis.ukfossils.co.uk/,
http://www.jurassiccoast.com/index.jsp?articleid=26809,
http://www.ukfossils.co.uk/dorset.htm.,
http://www.channel4.com/history/microsites/B/big_monster_dig/collecti
ng_fossils/dave_martills_favourite.html,

You can just walk around the beach and headland and pick up what you
see but follow the local laws - see the above URLs. Don't much about
collecting in Europe so you will have to search in Google.

Happy hunting
Albert



--- In fossilclubgroup@..., "jillyonly1"
<jillyonly1@y...> wrote:
>
> Hi everyone,
> I'm  a new member, and enjoying the field trips. I have no
knowledge
> of sites overseas and so my enquiry may seem odd, but if you don't
> ask, you don't learn. Perhaps there is a site on Google which you
can
> suggest for basic information of world sites ...... Anyway to my
> enquiries:
> I am going to Europe via London in late December for 3 weeks.
Flying
> to Norway then travelling  by train to Italy, France and Spain. I
have
> 2 questions a. Are there any approved dig sites in southern Europe
for
> small fossils in January, or will it still be too cold.
> b. If anyone has contacts in this part of the world, I'd really
like
> to meet up with them. I plan to stay at YHA hostels on the
continent ,
> and can be anywhere, anytime from 30th December. Must say, my "non-
> fossil" friends are wondering why I'm not just sunning it in the
Greek
> Islands for a fortnight instead of digging around in soggy
dirt! ...
> Jill Harrison
>

Hi everyone,
I'm  a new member, and enjoying the field trips. I have no knowledge
of sites overseas and so my enquiry may seem odd, but if you don't
ask, you don't learn. Perhaps there is a site on Google which you can
suggest for basic information of world sites ...... Anyway to my
enquiries:
I am going to Europe via London in late December for 3 weeks. Flying
to Norway then travelling  by train to Italy, France and Spain. I have
2 questions a. Are there any approved dig sites in southern Europe for
small fossils in January, or will it still be too cold.
b. If anyone has contacts in this part of the world, I'd really like
to meet up with them. I plan to stay at YHA hostels on the continent ,
and can be anywhere, anytime from 30th December. Must say, my "non-
fossil" friends are wondering why I'm not just sunning it in the Greek
Islands for a fortnight instead of digging around in soggy dirt! ...
Jill Harrison

I've uploaded an image to the miscellenous photo album. It is of a
collection of Jurassic log sections found last week in the far south
of Tasmania by Peter Harris. The trees were conifers perhaps
araucariads related to Wollemi Pine.

So far no showpiece trilobites or dinosaur bones but we're working on it.

Regards

John Newlands
ex NSW now Tas

--- In fossilclubgroup@..., "jelainegardiner"
wrote:
>
> I am seeking information about bringing fossils into Australia after
> travelling overseas. If anyone can suggest helpful websites or
> someone who might be of assistance I would appreciate it. In early
> August I will be flying to Los Angeles and London. I hope to purchase
> fossils from a dealer in LA(visited previously), fly to UK and collect
> ammonites around Lyme Regis and possibly vertebrate specimens at Aust
> Cliffs. I will then return to Australia by air.
>
> I would appreciate any information about what I can or cannot
> transport via the UK with me and bring back to Australia, whether I
> require a permit, and any other relevant information. It would be a
> pity to spend time and money collecting good fossils only to have them
> confiscated by customs or quarantine. Thanks - Janette Sutton
>
Hi jelainegardiner
I have asked this question before on my travels. You can get an
official reply from
http://www.deh.gov.au/heritage/movable/import.html#advice, the
Department of Environment and Heritage. In some states in the US it is
forbiten to collect fossil from certain government lands , so check
where it comes from. As long as fossils does not originate from China
and Argentina its OK - see DEH link. I am not sure about the UK -
check their DEH or Custom web site.

Albert
Webmaster






Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://au.groups.yahoo.com/group/fossilclubgroup/

<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
fossilclubgroup-unsubscribe@...

<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://au.docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/

Hi joe,
Thanks for the error. Apperantly I left out the http:// in the URL.
I will email you your user ID and password to your email address.

Note to all members:
Please let me know if there are other errors as the web site have
not been proof read as yet.

Albert




--- In fossilclubgroup@..., "Joseph Dimech"
<jdimech@f...> wrote:
>
> Hi Albert,
>
> I ran into a couple from Maitland at today's fossil dig at
Mulbring.  The
> woman's name was Lynne and she is a geologist who's been a
longstanding
> Fossil Club member.  She said that she couldn't log onto our
website.  The
> only thing I found is that the hyperlink from the forum is
incorrect ...
>
>
http://au.groups.yahoo.com/group/fossilclubgroup/www.fossilclubnsw.or
g.au
>
> I think that this might be the problem.
>
> I've also forgotten my username and password to the members part
of our
> website.  Could you please email it to me again?
>
> Joe
>

Hi Albert,

I ran into a couple from Maitland at today's fossil dig at Mulbring.  The
woman's name was Lynne and she is a geologist who's been a longstanding
Fossil Club member.  She said that she couldn't log onto our website.  The
only thing I found is that the hyperlink from the forum is incorrect ...

http://au.groups.yahoo.com/group/fossilclubgroup/www.fossilclubnsw.org.au

I think that this might be the problem.

I've also forgotten my username and password to the members part of our
website.  Could you please email it to me again?

Joe

--- In fossilclubgroup@..., "jelainegardiner"
<jelainegardiner@y...> wrote:
>
> I am seeking information about bringing fossils into Australia after
> travelling overseas.  If anyone can suggest helpful websites or
> someone who might be of assistance I would appreciate it.  In early
> August I will be flying to Los Angeles and London.  I hope to purchase
> fossils from a dealer in LA(visited previously), fly to UK and collect
> ammonites around Lyme Regis and possibly vertebrate specimens at Aust
> Cliffs.  I will then return to Australia by air.
>
> I would appreciate any information about what I can or cannot
> transport via the UK with me and bring back to Australia, whether I
> require a permit, and any other relevant information. It would be a
> pity to spend time and money collecting good fossils only to have them
> confiscated by customs or quarantine.  Thanks - Janette Sutton
>
Hi jelainegardiner
I have asked this question before on my travels. You can get an
official reply from
http://www.deh.gov.au/heritage/movable/import.html#advice, the
Department of Environment and Heritage. In some states in the US it is
forbiten to collect fossil from certain government lands , so check
where it comes from. As long as fossils does not originate from China
and Argentina its OK - see DEH link. I am not sure about the UK -
check their DEH or Custom web site.

Albert
Webmaster

I am seeking information about bringing fossils into Australia after
travelling overseas.  If anyone can suggest helpful websites or
someone who might be of assistance I would appreciate it.  In early
August I will be flying to Los Angeles and London.  I hope to purchase
fossils from a dealer in LA(visited previously), fly to UK and collect
ammonites around Lyme Regis and possibly vertebrate specimens at Aust
Cliffs.  I will then return to Australia by air.

I would appreciate any information about what I can or cannot
transport via the UK with me and bring back to Australia, whether I
require a permit, and any other relevant information. It would be a
pity to spend time and money collecting good fossils only to have them
confiscated by customs or quarantine.  Thanks - Janette Sutton

At 02:33 AM 7/4/2006 -0000, you wrote:

>--- In fossilclubgroup@..., "fossilclubnsw"

>Hi Albert

>I for one would like to know more about the Maroota project.  Thanks
>Paul M



Hi Paul/Albert,


Below is a recent progress report on Maroota by Tessa Corkill.

Plus I'll fill you in a bit about my current ideas by describing some
broader scope.

I'm interested in the Permian stumpfield horizons (assumed to have been
buried under volcanic ash) of which the well known one is at western side
of Lake Macquarie (and also with good coastal exposures near Swansea Heads).

The Maroota project is one of a set of proposals along the
Hawkesbury-Nepean of small and relatively non-technical nature which, are
also any community involvement interest as could arise, along the
Hawkesbury-Nepean river system.

Consider that imediately downstream of where the Nepean River 'comes out
from the moutains' (called the "Nepean Gorge") it has 'dropped' (deposited)
a large semicircular swathe of gravel and sand at Emu Plains/Castlereagh.
The Emu Plains area obviously cannot be quarried as it was early built
over.  The Castlereagh area (Upper Castlereagh river flats) was the scene
of the major gravel companies beginning to co-venture decades ago to buy
out all the Upper Castlereagh farmers and gain freehold over the ground for
a scheme to almost all the sand and gravel of the Castlereagh flats and
capture the greater part of the Sydney sand and 'blue metal' market.  The
holes left become the "Penrith Lakes".  The scheme covers an area of 2000
hectares.  It is the largest sand and gravel quarry anywhere in Australia.
It provides 450+ local jobs and injects over $50 mpa into the local
economy.  When mined out (and it maybe will be essentially mined out in as
little as 3-4 years more) I think the land goes to the government as some
sort of 'regional park' arrangement.

Now just south of Penrith the Nepean River emerges through the front of the
Blue Mountains Plateau, or the Lapstone Monocline, trending northeasterly
(towards Windsor and Maroota ... part of the intervening distance towards
Windsor being rich in Tertiary "older" gravel deposits - the Rickabys Creek
Formation).
This trend may be following a common ENE-NE structural trends set (examples
of such further southwest or in the upstream direction include the Kowmung
River, Butchers or Black Hollow Creek, Green Wattle Creek, Lacys Creek and
a section of Wollondilly River downstream of Bonnum Pic).

The old (Tertiary) sediments of the river at Maroota are quite rich in
silicified wood.  Where did it come from?  On the basis of suspicion that
river development was influenced by the abovemention ENE-NE set of structal
trends, my guess is to the SSW - i.e. in the Wollondilly to Nattai River
area west of Picton.  I'd be interested therefore in any records of fossil
wood known thereabouts.  Are there any significant horizons of fossil wood,
or more stumpfields maybe, to be found in the coal measures there ... or
anywhere else west or southwest or Sydney?  If stumpfields really do owe
their preservation to ashfall then ashfalls can be over a large are.

That's the bigger canvas just from my own personal interests.  The Maroota
project itself is to collect/compile all that's known of
heritage/geoheritage significance on the Maroota Sand formation.

One of the early steps will be the organising of an excursion.  This is
pending the obtaining of permission from quarries or other landowners at
present.

Maroota is also interesting because a basalt flow directly overlies the
Maroota Sand and will allow by radiometric data the getting of a minimum
age of the river deposits there.

If interested in joining in any of the Maroota project activities please
contact Tessa Corkill.  I am also nominated co-investigator on an
application to Environment Trust in quest of a little funding for the
project but Tessa is maintaining the mailing list for it and issuing
progress reports.


Best Regards,




John Byrnes

(Geologist, Sydney, Australia)
http://www.lachlanhunter.deadsetfreestuff.com/JohnByrnes.htm





~~~~ MAROOTA PROJECT ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



MAROOTA SANDS HERITAGE UPDATE

Research for the project continues, including fieldwork to examine relevant
material (thanks to helpful residents).

I've been looking at old research work into volcanic intrusions that are
reported to overlie small areas of the Maroota Sands. Dating of these will
give a minimum date for the Sands (i.e. the Sands have to be older than the
volcanic material on top of them  I estimate they will be at least 14
million years old). The underground extent of one of the intrusions of
basalt (often called blue metal) was mapped with a magnetometer by
geophysicist P. Cooney in 1966, in order to estimate its economic
importance. It didnt amount to much (only about 6 metres thick at most)
and Cooney stated it was of doubtful economic significance (Geological
Survey Report 66/190). Nevertheless, pieces found on the surface or
ploughed up during farming have been made use of locally for various
purposes, such as decorative walls.

A second even smaller basalt intrusion is supposed to be present in the
area but so far I have been unable to find a magnetometer report for this,
or any of the actual rock.

One of the reports I have been looking at, by D.S. Thynne (Geological
Survey Report 1977/104), has analyzes of dozens of samples from boreholes
in the Maroota Sands and down along the Hawkesbury. At the time they were
interested in gold and other valuable heavy minerals, but the amounts
present were too minuscule to be economically viable. Interestingly, Thynne
mentions that the Main Roads Department had previously been carrying out
drilling investigations for a possible bridge over the Hawkesbury at
Wisemans Ferry. Well, a lot can happen in thirty years, but nothing further
seems to have happened about that!

If anyone has any information or suggestions for the project, I'm happy to
discuss them at any time.

TESSA CORKILL  BA(Hons), MPhil.Sydney, AACAI(Affiliate)
Archaeologist,  Australian Museum Associate

"Archaeics",  72 Cairnes Rd
GLENORIE  NSW 2157
Phone:  02 9652 1470
email: tessa.corkill@...

--- In fossilclubgroup@..., "fossilclubnsw"
Hi Albert

I for one would like to know more about the Maroota project.  Thanks
Paul M

Hello All

A new member to this forum (Dr. John Byrnes) has started a geoheritage
project at Maroota. John, would like to post more information on this
subject?

Albert