Fossils

Did you ever try to explain something to a child or even an adult that you, yourself, did not fully understand or perhaps did not know the full details of its existence and how it was formed? I've had this experience many times. The field I am referring to is fossils. I have been interested in fossils. Perhaps some of you may wonder what is a fossil? My meager definition might be it is something that gives evidence of prehistoric life that existed millions of years ago. How can you explain to a child how long is a million years? Sometimes I wonder if I understand it.

A fossil can be any type of animal or plant life that once existed. It need not be the entire plant or animal. What I am referring to are stone fragments one can find almost anywhere. I have dozens of stones about my home which I have picked up over the years and carried back to place them about my flower beds.

Many of these fossils once had bony shells. The fleshy part has decayed. A few still have traces of their exterior shells. Most of my collection consists of shell formations. These shells had been buried in sediment along rivers or bodies of water. After the body had decayed a hole was left in place, thus leaving a depression. As the sediment hardened into what we call stones and rocks this impression remained. I have one large stone which weighs perhaps fifty pounds. It contains hundreds of fossils of many varieties. Others are about the size of your hand. The most common fossils found here are either the mold type (hollow or the cast raised) which shows the top exposed while the bottom part is still imbedded in the rock.

In certain sections, especially in coal regions, fragments of fossil plants can be found. Coal dumps are favorite places for fossil hunters. Most of the fossils we find are the remains of animal life that once lived in the sea. Yes, according to geologists, millions of years ago this area in which we live was once covered by the ocean. The plant fossils generally are associated with coal deposits that were once large swamps on land areas.

In the past century several parts of dinosaurs have been found in this county. These reptilian animals were more numerous in the western parts of the country. In some rocks there have been found tracks where animals walked or crawled. These too, are fossils and are very rare.

We are not attempting to make geologists out of you, but we would like to have you become more interested in those peculiar stones. Fossil collecting can be an interesting hobby. It might cost a little energy to carry a stone back home and place it in your flower bed, but you can get a lot of pleasure by having some one who is knowledgeable in this field tell you a little history about how it lived and how it was formed.

The next time you find a stone with a shell form in it, pick it up. It might be worth some money as many people are now beginning to add fossils in their hobby collections.