Marine fossils of North Texas and North Sulfur River with Mick Tune — April 6 Wed

Wednesday, April 6, 2022 

Marine fossils of North Texas and North Sulfur River with Mick Tune

Western Interior Seaway during the Campanian (Upper Cretaceous. Graphic courtesy of WikiCommons.

Mick Tune, fossil enthusiast and frequent speaker for the Dallas Paleontology Society, will share his knowledge of the Cretaceous period marine megafossils such as mosasaurs and plesiosaurs from when North Texas was immersed in the Cretaceous Sea, also known as the Western Interior Seaway, This narrow, shallow sea that spanned from what is now the Gulf of Mexico to the Arctic Ocean created the limestone, also called Austin chalk, that forms the bedrock of eastern DFW.

Why is the North Sulphur River’s (NSR) odd and mostly man-made slot canyon the most interesting and open fossil hunting hikes in North Texas? What is its future of it and the Ladonia Fossil Park now that a dam and reservoir under construction will inundate more than half of the river?

North Sulfur River, location of Ladonia Fossil Park. Photo by Mick Tune.

Tune enjoys an extended Q&A period, so have your questions ready. Come at 6:30 to see and touch Tune’s 80-million-years old Late Cretaceous marine fossil finds from the Ladonia Fossil Park. Bring your fossils for Tune to try and identify.

Join us at Dallas College Brookhaven Campus, Building H, Room 125. Campus map. See Covid protocol, below. Or participate via Zoom — register here. (If you are attending in person, you don’t need to register for Zoom.) 

Tune, who calls fossil hunting “hiking with a purpose,” is the author of Wildering: Anyone’s Guide to Enjoying the American Wilderness and spoke about backpacking at the January 1, 2020 NTMN meeting. Enjoy this GreenSourceDFW feature about Mick, his hiking adventures, and his fossils.

Schedule:

• 6:30 Fossil display, Camera Roll and Socializing
• 7:00 Introduction and Announcements
• 7:20 Featured Presentation
• 8:45 Adjournment

Ammonites found at the Ladonia Fossil Park and other places by Mick Tune. Photo by Mick Tune.

Camera Roll

As usual, show up or tune in between 6:30 and 7 pm for an array of photos by TMNs. This month’s focus: fossils and limestone. But other topics also accepted. Send your favorite photos to Ashleigh Miller.

Mick Tune at Ladonia Fossil Park with a few of his finds. Photo courtesy of Mick Tune.

Field Trip:

Saturday April 9, 11 am to as long as you want to stay

Mick Tune will guide us on a fossil-hunting expedition at Ladonia Fossil Park on the North Sulphur River in Fannin County north of Commerce. You just might go home with a shark’s tooth or other marine fossil! Locale is rugged and accessing the river entails a climb. Long pants, gloves and hiking shoes suggested. Be prepared for bright sunlight and insects. Please note that the park is in a new location due to reservoir construction; map. 

Please note that the park is in a new location due to reservoir construction. New address: 2853 FM 2990, Ladonia, TX 75449. Google maps marker: Ladonia Fossil Park. Internet is not always reliable in rural areas, so be sure to study the map.

Covid Protocol

Please participate at the level you’re comfortable. We’re excited to meet in person, but we don’t take this decision lightly. We expect all attendees to consider the health and well-being of their fellow attendees and comply with all policies.

• MASKS are optional. 
• HAND SANITIZER will be available.
• The room will be set to allow for SOCIAL DISTANCING.
• Food and drinks will not be provided, but you may bring your own and share with others if desired.