Home >> Science & Nature >> Nature

How to Find Fossils in Georgia

A fossil is a remnant of ancient life that once existed in an area. The organism is preserved in the Earth's crust. Fossils are not just preserved bones but also shells, tracks, droppings, leaves and roots. There is plenty of fossil-hunting to be found in Georgia. In northwest Georgia, for example, you can find fossils from Cambrian through Pennsylvanian time in the Paleozoic sedimentary rock, according to the Dirty Rockhounds website. Hunt for shark teeth--the state fossil--in the coastal areas and rivers. (Reference 1)

Instructions

- 1
  Hunt for fossilized shark teeth, inner ear bones of whales, dolphin jaw fragments, stingray dental plates and other animal vertebra at Tybee Island, which is 18 miles from Savannah. Arrange a tour with an operator, such as Sun Dial Charters, or take a self-guided tour along the North Beach Birding Trail near the Tybee Lighthouse. (Reference 3) According to Sun Dial Charter, extinct sharks' teeth are found here from as far back as 54 million years ago, during the Eocene epoch. One way to determine whether it is a fossil you have found is to apply flame to the bone. If it smells like burning hair, it indicates the presence of protein, which means it is more recent and not a fossil. The most common teeth found are from the tiger shark, mako shark, white shark, sand shark and hammerhead shark. (Reference 7)
- 2
  Search for fossilized marine life in the Chattahoochee National Forest. The forest was a shallow coastal sea bottom millions of years ago. Find corals from the Mississippian period on the southeastern flank of Taylor Ridge on U.S. 27 in Gore. In the bed of Ochillee Creek, find 5 meters of exposed Cretaceous fossils including Serpula, Nucula, Cucullaea, Trigonarca, Breviarca, Glycymeris, Perna, Ostrea, Pecten and Turritella. (Reference 3)
- 3
  Dive for fossils of the megalodon--the extinct great white shark species--in the rivers in and around Camden county. According to the Buried Treasure Fossils website, you can find the shark teeth in gravel holes at the bottom of these rivers. Prepare to dive 30 to 50 feet in rapid currents to recover the teeth, which date back 15 million years. (Reference 5)
- 4
  Find Pennsylvanian plant fossils on Durham Road, atop Lookout Mountain in Northwest Georgia. According to Dirty Rockhounds, search in the heap of black shale on the north side of Durham Road, about 0.6 miles west of the intersection of Highways 157 and 189. (Reference 1)

Nature