rik-rat corn pile

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Fossil Hunting in Iowa : Bison Teeth Fossils.

A bison tooth fossil in it's natural habitat.


Sometimes people ask me, "How do you find all of those fossils?"  Sometimes it's the fossil that finds you, you just have to be in the right place at the right time and it's obviousness will blind you.  First off, a river bed is always a good place to look for fossils.  The river water cuts  through the earth and moves rock around, exposing objects that have been buried for years.  Also, rivers go through dry periods and wet periods. This getting wet, drying out, getting wet, drying out thing is a very good way to turn bone and teeth into fossils. It allows minerals to turn bone into stone.  Yup.

So, with that being said.  These bison tooth fossils were found on a river bank.  The one in the top photograph (or the bottom of my hand in the other photo) was found on a sandbar (and blinded me with it's obviousness) and the other tooth was found in the river water.  So, my advice? Eyes to your toes, keep looking down and eventually something will find you if you're in the right spot.

9 comments:

  1. Cool. I'm going to wait for the fossils to find me. It's probably doubtful that I will find them at Hyvee, but I guess I'm not in the right place at the right time :)

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  2. Let's see. I think they are old as dirt, frail, pale, and covered in wrinkly pock marked patterns. So yep that qualifys as fossils or I too am an a hole :) And that's why we are friends.

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    1. you should tap your teeth on one of em' just to make sure. lolzzz.

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  3. I found this and thought of you:

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/09/ancient-spider-fossil-100-million-amber-spider-attack_n_1949261.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003

    It's a fossilized spider killing a wasp. In amber. Like in Jurassic Park.

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    1. that's the most amazing thing I've seen all week. when I die I wanna be preserved in amber.

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  4. what is the price of the above picture of the tooth fossil.

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  5. How old are bisan teeth that are commonly found. I found set very similar to the top picture in my farm creek. Also found a piece a lot longer. Almost looks like petrified wood but has the tooth appearance. Do you have any idea what that would be from?

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  6. I also found one in a creek..kept it for years..my Dad guesswd it may be a horse tooth but the pics i saw today told me it was an ice age bison tooth from sioux city iowa..how much would i get if i sold it today?

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