Caroline, Allison and Natalie (left to right) sit atop a pile of mine soil at the Aurora 

 Fossil Museum. 



Kyle Hampton explains a fossil find to daughter Allison. 



teeth in an hour of searching the piles. 



It is a fun activity for children, 

 trying to see who can find the largest 

 or the most shark teeth. After a few 

 hours of digging, we came away with a 

 handful of small shark teeth, a bag of 

 coral and a small piece of bone. 



The final day of our trip began in 

 New Bern, a 45-minute drive from 

 Aurora. We were looking for two sites 

 along the Neuse River down U.S. 70 

 east of New Bern. 



The first site, number 9 in the 

 guidebook, is located behind Brinson 

 Memorial School. We parked and 

 walked through an amphitheater 

 toward the river's edge, where we 

 located the formation by the familiar 

 gray-green clay protruding from the 

 riverbank. 



The guidebook indicated that this 

 site should be visited at low tide, and 

 we barely made it. We took an hour to 

 pry a few clam, scallop and oyster 

 shells from the clay. Many were brittle, 

 but we managed to extract several 

 nearly intact. These shells are believed 

 to be from the Plio-Pleistocene James 

 City Formation. 



Our final site, Flanner Beach 

 Recreation Area in the Croatan Na- 

 tional Forest near Havelock, was not 

 open for the season when we visited in 

 early April. But even when open, the 

 national forest forbids digging, and 

 only fossils at the ground surface can 

 be collected. 



We were pleased with our finds, 

 and we learned a few lessons from the 

 trip. Since many sites are along river- 

 beds or creekbeds, a pair of wading 

 shoes or boots is a good idea. Also be 

 sure to pack mosquito repellent and 

 sunscreen, and check for ticks after a 

 day of fossil hunting. 



Take along small shovels or a pick 

 for digging. Collect large specimens in 

 shallow cardboard boxes; bring plastic 

 bags for smaller items. But don't be 

 greedy; take only what you need. 



When removing fossils, be careful 

 not to destroy the habitat, and don't 

 leave behind any trash. If you're fossil 

 hunting on private property, seek 

 permission from the landowner. And 



be careful when removing fossils from 

 creek banks. Don't be the cause of an 

 erosion problem that could affect water 

 quality. 



Fossil Collecting in North Carolina 

 is worth its price. Joe Carter, a geologist 

 at the University of North Carolina at 

 Chapel Hill and one of the book's au- 

 thors, identified the sites that were still 

 viable and accessible: 2, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 



16, 17, 18, 20, 22, 24, 25,26, 28,29 

 and 34. Based on our experience, the 

 maps and site directions are accurate. 



The book also helps with identify- 

 ing your finds. Copies are available in 

 some hobby or bookstores. Or it can be 

 ordered by writing the N.C. Geological 

 Survey, P.O. Box 27687, Raleigh, NC 

 2761 1. Enclose $6.50 plus tax. 



Continued 



COASTWATCH 19 



