DVPS St Clair trip

March 2010
This was my first trip with the Delaware Valley Paleontological Society and I had a great time.  The turnout was good ,the fossil hunting great and the people and conversation even better.
Many people consider the fern fossils found here to be some of the finest in the world. This is one of the few places where one can find detailed white ferns on a jet black slate. The white (Pyrophyllite) is believed to be the result of a later replacement of the pyrite.

 

 

Robert Badger and Myself hiking into the site
Photo by DeeDee Badger
 

 

This area is approximately 300 million years old
(Pennsylvanian Period)
Click to enlarge

 

 


Classic St Clair fern
I used a wet saw on some of the thicker pieces so they could be displayed
without the use of a stand.
I gave most of these away to friends as gifts.
 

 
 


 

 

A positive-negative slab
The back slate does produce a soot which can be messy
A light spray with some kind of preservative is my recommendation if
you want to minimize the soot.
 

 


Sphenophyllum
(scale 1 inch)
These are one of my favorites, I didn't find any that had a real
nice white color. Maybe next trip.

 

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