Late Cretaceous Fun

When a friend asks if you want to go panning for shark teeth fossils in a stream, you should probably go.  I never knew you could even do such a thing.  Big Brook Preserve in Monmouth County New Jersey is the location of a stream that runs through ancient layers of sea floor sediment -  65 to 75 million years ancient.  It's boggling to ponder.

So you work your way to a very normal stream located in a local park and you begin seeing people in the shallows.  The banks of the creek aren't even all that high in most parts.  But you can see strips and layers of pebbled sediment in spots.  During heavy rains, the banks will erode into the stream, depositing prehistoric shark teeth, belemnites, and oyster shells.  We found an isolated spot and began scooping rocks and debris from the stream floor into our sifting pans.  It was slim pickings at first until a young guy who was passing through asked us if we found anything and we told him we found a tooth.  He showed us his technique and the best spots to pan and it was a night-and-day experience.  We began finding a bunch of various shark tooth fossils.  As you pass folk in the stream or as you're leaving the park, they all ask "Did you find anything?!" excitedly.  It was a really neat experience.  And the weather was perfect for sloshing through a stream in sandals digging up ancient choppers.

Some photos below...