Arundel Field Notes 15 April 2001

[Tompaleo@aol.com]

Introduction

Believe it or not, today marked the beginning of the 2001 field season. This 
is most unusual, and rather late, as the weather here has been very 
uncooperative. Typically, I make my first forays to the site in January but 
conditions have been at first, wet and very cold (supposedly the coldest 
winter on record), then with the spring thaw, just plain wet. Thus, the site 
is virtually a sticky morass-not to practical or productive field work in a 
clay pit. I've already lost three months work! In the last week, we've 
finally had a sufficient warming trend between rain showers such that 
evapotranspiration and drainage are both finally becoming more positive. 
Arrived in country, about 08:30 after working the midnight to 8 AM shift at 
my "other" job.  Conditions were quite pleasant, mostly sunny and ~50 degrees 
F, ultimately warming into the 70's, with a modest NE breeze, with rain 
showers expected in the late afternoon. The drive up the dirt road was 
surprisingly dry, more so than I had expected which lifted my hopes for a 
good day's prospecting. And I would not be disappointed.
Upon reaching the outcrop, the only really wet spots were in the erosion 
channels and the outwash that proceed from them at the base of the slope. 
After changing into my field garb, and considering the fact that, 1) more 
rain was forecast for the afternoon and 2) it was Easter Sunday and that I 
had domestic duties to perform, I decided on a more general survey in order 
to cover as much area as possible. Before last summer, usually, I could cover 
the entire site in this manner in about 3 hours. Now with the increase in 
exposure (~40% more) due to last summer's Bryan Patterson Project, it took 
exactly 5 hours to cover. 

Slight digression...
Last summer, we, via support from the Bryan Patterson Award and help from the 
quarry owners, and a number of volunteers, lifted the overburden from the top 
of the Arundel Clay, and pushed back about 15 meters perpendicular to strike 
and down-dip, to create a "workbench." This was done to increase the amount 
of fossil recovery by nearly doubling the overall areal extent of the 
outcrop. I also anticipate increased erosion over the coming years to help 
facilitate this. 
The newly exposed part of the quarry is developing nicely, and 9 months of 
weathering have already begun to cut into the top of the Arundel as expected. 
Furthermore, we now have about 20 years worth of matrix to pick and screen 
wash through that was skimmed from the first meter or so off the top of the 
Arundel along with the overburden. This material is over 4 meters high by 20 
meters long ad 5 meters wide and was a planned for byproduct of the project.

Returning to today...
It was over an hour before I found anything, the first item being one the 
ubiquitous taxodioid cones which become even easier to find after a rain. 
Even the more productive 'sweet spots' were not so giving on this trip but I 
pressed on. In all, 5 hours were spent traversing the entire outcrop in a 
grid-like fashion, including the recently exposed part of the outcrop and 
it's resultant mound.

It should also be noted that two much smaller mounds exist which resulted 
from a 1998 "dig" sponsored by the Discovery Channel and accompanied by Tom 
Holtz and a number of others. These mounds are scheduled to be scraped up, 
bagged and screen washed this season. Over past few seasons since this event 
I of course keep an eye on it as here to, material suddenly pops up after a 
rain. Today was no exception. See below.

In all not a whole lot of material recovered but this is typical of the first 
couple of visits untile I get my "eyes back".

Fossils Recovered;

1) 6 "taxodioid" cones
2) 1 Gar scale
3) a number of nondescript fragments of bone
4) 1 fragmentary, partial metatarsal; "distal end"
5) 2 larger fragments of a partial long bone 
6) 1 or 2 possible coprolites (or, rolled,  intraformational clay clasts)

By 1330 I was essentially finished with this first field trip and despite the 
small returns accomplished all that I had set out to do. The timing was great 
for by the time I started to pack up to leave, the clouds had built in and 
rain was on the horizon. 
 
Well, that's it for now. Subsequent installments of the field notes, I 
promise, will not be as long!

Thomas R. Lipka
Paleontological/Geological Studies
Tompaleo@aol.com