GMS Field Trip October 2023

GMS Field Trip
Agate, Jasper, Fossils, Microminerals, etc.
in Alabama
Saturday, October 28, 2023

This location continues to be a favorite of GMS members for the variety of specimens there. Charles likes to say that we always find something new there, and the October trip did not disappoint. In addition to the jaspers, agates, and various fossils we usually find, members also found microminerals hiding in plain sight in the nooks and crannies of various rocks and conglomerates.

Because this is an active quarry, the gravel we encounter always has a slightly different flavor than the time before. With over a hundred thousand tons of material to explore, even “older” material holds the promise of new discoveries.

On this trip, the agates had an odd sort of “jaspery” look, and jaspers had some “agatey” banding. Perhaps they were hybrids of each other. Fossils included a large, weathered crinoid columnal (stem), delicate trilobites including a Dalmanites, some tiny agnostid trilobites, not much petrified wood, but for sure at least one nice specimen, and some shell casts. Some really fun concretions rounded out the specimens for the day.

The geology of this location is very different from what one would expect from gravel deposits, so members are keen on learning more so that we can share the knowledge with each other, which in turn helps us understand what we are seeing when we peruse those vast piles of gravel.

Many, many thanks to the quarry manager who was there on a Saturday to let us have fun in the gravel and to keep us safe. Thank you to Jason and Aaron leatherwood for identifying specimens and explaining geological features of rocks. Thanks to members who were so kind to bring specimens to me to photograph for the trip report. And, of course, thank you to Charles for setting up the trip and helping to escort people to the restroom facilities and to get them safely out of the quarry when they were ready to leave.

Lori Carter
On behalf of Charles Carter, Field Trip Chair
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