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Old 08-30-2012, 07:06 AM
 
Location: Friendship
59 posts, read 110,166 times
Reputation: 81

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Well, I've been on staycation for a few days. One of my little adventures took me to Emerald View Park on the face of Mt Washington. While I was up there, I noticed several outcroppings of shale, limestone, and what is apparently called "Pittsburgh Redbeds." It occurred to me that some of these strata might be good for fossil hunting, so I poked around a little bit in the easily-split shale layers that were already in the process of shearing from the rock face. I didn't find much, except some discolorations in the rock which could have been a carbonized leaf for nothing at all. Since I have no experience, it was hard to say...

My question is, does anybody know of any spots that might be good for fossil-hunting? I really did not think it was a good idea to poke around on Mt Washington too much, due to the instability of the hillside and brand-spanking-newness of Emerald View Park. The DCNR website mentions Ames Limestone quite a lot, and I think that particular layer probably exists on Mt Washington. But, I was wondering if anybody knew of a more stable place to dig around in. And by "dig around" I do NOT mean go in with a backhoe . I just mean dig around with my hands, and at the most, a small rock-hammer.
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Old 08-30-2012, 07:13 AM
 
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http://www.pittsburghgeologicalsocie...pghfossils.pdf
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Old 08-30-2012, 01:03 PM
 
Location: somewhere near Pittsburgh, PA
1,437 posts, read 3,758,629 times
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Not in the city limits, but there is an area of the Panhandle Trail near Rennerdale that is called "Fossils Cliff" where some fossiled ferns and small bones have been found.
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Old 08-30-2012, 02:18 PM
 
Location: Mid-Atlantic
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I believe that Chauncey's has closed.
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Old 08-30-2012, 06:30 PM
 
Location: About 10 miles north of Pittsburgh International
2,458 posts, read 4,182,599 times
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Back in high school, a couple of friends and I went fossil hunting on the hill that overlooks the intersection of Washington Blvd and Allegheny River Blvd, opposite from Highland Park. There's a shale outcropping there that has lots of plant fossils. Didn't find any animal specimens though.

Now, to get to it you have to cross the railroad tracks, which the railroad police my frown upon. Back in school we didn't really care.

Quote:
And by "dig around" I do NOT mean go in with a backhoe
Why not? It works...
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