Collecting Fossils in California - Sharks

<BODY BGCOLOR="#ffffff"> <P><FONT COLOR="#000000">Shark Teeth Fossil Site -</FONT><FONT COLOR="#000000" SIZE=-1></FONT></P> <P><FONT COLOR="#000000" SIZE=-1>This convenient fossil site is located near the top of a </FONT><FONT SIZE=-1>sandhill</FONT><FONT COLOR="#000000" SIZE=-1> in the southern Santa Cruz Mountains range, just minutes away from highway 17 in the town of Scotts Valley of Santa Cruz County in Central California.</FONT></P> <P><FONT COLOR="#000000" SIZE=-1>The hill is a geological outcrop named the "Santa Margarita Formation" that spans through the Late </FONT><FONT SIZE=-1>Miocene</FONT><FONT COLOR="#000000" SIZE=-1> Epoch (10 to 12 million years ago).</FONT></P> <P><FONT COLOR="#000000" SIZE=-1>Shark teeth of at least 20 species and several marine mammals fossils are abundant at approx. 70 feet from the base of the </FONT><FONT SIZE=-1>hill</FONT><FONT COLOR="#000000" SIZE=-1>.</FONT></P> <P><FONT SIZE=-1>From San Jose take Highway 17 South for approx. 23 miles. You will go through the Santa Cruz Mountains and enjoy a beautiful scenery. Exit right at the Mount Harmon Road exit in the town of Scotts Valley.</FONT></P> <P><FONT SIZE=-1>From San Francisco you follow the above directions if you find your way to San Jose via Highway 101 South (approx. 45 miles). Also, you can take Highway 1 South and travel along the Pacific Coast until Santa Cruz, were you take 17 North.</FONT> <FONT SIZE=-1>From Sacramento, reach San Jose via Highway 680. From Los Angeles, you can reach Scotts Valley via San Jose or via Santa Cruz through Highway 101 (or Interstate 5) and turning East on Highway 152.</FONT></P> <P><FONT SIZE=-1>At the Mount Harmon exit in Scotts Valley turn right. Go straight for 1.3 miles. You will cross Scotts Valley downtown. Turn right at Lockhart Gulch. Go for 0.2 miles and park at the side of a fence on your right hand side.</FONT></P> <P><FONT SIZE=-1>At your right you will see the Santa Margarita Formation. You must climb the hill for approx. 70 feet (blue trail).</FONT></P> <P><FONT SIZE=-1>At that level you will see several holes were people have been digging in.</FONT> <FONT SIZE=-1>This is the place were the fossils are.</FONT></P> <P><FONT SIZE=-1>Once you are in the general area, you can create a new hole or dig further into an existing one.</FONT> <FONT SIZE=-1>The best fossils are above a depth of around 5 feet.</FONT></P> <P><FONT SIZE=-1>You will find shark teeth at a rate of about one every 30 minutes. The most common shark species is the Isurus Hastalis (top row), an extinct ancestror of the Great White shark; and Isurus Planus (bottom row), one of the still existing Mackerel</FONT><FONT COLOR="#FF0000" SIZE=-1> </FONT><FONT COLOR="#000000" SIZE=-1>sharks</FONT><FONT SIZE=-1>. Less common are the teeth of the huge Charcarodon Megadolon (a 40+ feet long extinct shark!) and many other shark species.</FONT></P> <P><FONT SIZE=-1>More frequently, you will find fossil remains of the sharks' food; mainly fossil bone fragments and molars from marine mammals such as Sea Cows, Sea Lions and Whales.</FONT></P> <P><FONT SIZE=-1>For this fossil site you will need the following tools:</FONT></P> <UL> <LI><FONT SIZE=-1>1/4 inch pitch wire screen with a 2 x 2 feet (min.) wooden frame</FONT> <LI><FONT SIZE=-1>Shovel</FONT> <LI><FONT SIZE=-1>Hand rake</FONT> <LI><FONT SIZE=-1>Hand shovel</FONT> <LI><FONT SIZE=-1>Finer pitch screen for small fossils (optional)</FONT> </UL> <P><FONT SIZE=-1>The following publications are recommended for further reading:</FONT></P> <UL> <LI><FONT SIZE=-1>"Fossil Sharks and Rays of the Southern Santa Cruz Mountains, California", by F. Perry, Santa Cruz Museum Association, Santa Cruz City Museum of Natural History, 1994. (Follow museum link for availability information)</FONT> <LI><FONT SIZE=-1>"Sharks" - A. Cleave, Smithmark Publishers Inc., NY, 1994. A nice coffee table reference book with large photos of existing sharks.<I> (Great White and Mako shark images are from this book)</I></FONT> </UL> <P><FONT SIZE=-1>This fossil site has been open to the public since the 1960's. No fossil digging permit is required. </FONT></P> <P><FONT SIZE=-1>However, you must respect the area. Do not dig indiscriminately. You must clean-up and carry all your garbage with you. Please be aware that this fossil site is a gift from nature for everyone to enjoy.</FONT></P> <P><FONT SIZE=-1>If you find an unusual fossil, please contact your nearest museum of Natural History. If you discover a new species, it will be named after you!</FONT></P> <P>Viewing this page requires a browser capable of displaying frames. With that capability you will be able to view images and graphics associated to the text for much more enjoyable experience. If you have a frames capable browser, go to the following URL:</P> <P>http://www.gtlsys.com ('Collecting Fossils in California' home page) </BODY>