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PCS Phosphate Mine |
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These 2 pictures were taken at the PCS Phosphate Mine in Aurora, N.C.
The photo on the left shows one of the huge drag line cranes that are used to excavate the pit and the phosphate. I am standing on an overburden pile and a portion of the pit is visible behind me. The tooth in the photos below was found not far from where I am standing.
Lee Creek, Aurora, NC, October 27, 2002. |
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These pictures show the reward for patience and thorough scanning in the mine. The area the mine covers is huge and the pictures above really don't do it justice.
This carcharocles chubutensis was found in a rain washout with only an area of the size of your thumbnail visible.
The tooth's root was buried with the tip pointed diagonally upward with just a portion of the serrated edge visible.
It's longest dimension is
2 7/8" long.
Lee Creek, Aurora, NC,
October 27, 2002 |
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The picture to the right is a collection of fossils from the PCS Phosphate mine tailing piles from various road side deposits in North Carolina. Many places use the gravel like material to line parking lots and/or driveways. |
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11/30/2002 |
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These three pictures show more finds from the roadside tailings. 2.25" Megalodon above. Hemipristis (third row middle 2 teeth),, Notorynchus (top row left), mako, chubs, porpoise (top row middle 2 teeth), baracuda (upper row right), ray plate fragments ( lower row), stingray barb (lower left), and crab claw (lower row). There is also a whale shark or angel shark tooth next to the Notorynchus tooth in the top row. Notice how small the teeth in the lower right are. With patience, you can find teeth that size all day long! |
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The picture above is a single day's worth of collecting at the PCS Phosphate Mine in Aurora, NC. There is a variety of shark species represented as well as various vertebrae, a nice fish tail bone,
sea urchin spines, ecphoras, parrot fish mouth plates, crab claws, porpoise teeth, and even an internal mold of a spiral shell.
Lee Creek, Aurora, NC, March 17, 2001. |
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These pictures show some of my better finds in the mine on 10/27/02.
* The upper right picture is a collection of porpoise teeth.
* The lower left picture is of two whale teeth.
* The upper left is a picture of a small shark's tooth in a matrix.
* The lower right picture shows two great white teeth.
Lee Creek, Aurora, NC
October 27, 2002 |
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PHOTOGRAPHY |
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LINKS |
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FOSSILS |
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AUTOGRAPHS |
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These three pictures show another sampling of the types of fossils you can find at the tailings piles. Persistent searching can reveal nice finds like the notorynchus tooth in the middle or the tiny skate/ray fossils to the immediate left.
Lee Creek, Aurora, NC
November 30, 2002 |
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PAGE 2 |
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