Find a fossil

Understanding
Fossils are the remains of dead organisms. They could be the remains of either plants or animals. Fossils are mostly just the minerals that once composed the bones of the dead organisms. Those "bones" now appear to be part of the rock but are usually visibly different in colour.

Weathering and erosion of the sides of a hill lead to fossils being revealed. The fragments of fossil will then fall down the hillside. The place where you found a fossil will therefore not necessarily be the original source location of that fragment.

Fossils can be dug up using only shovels, brushes and small pickaxes but for larger discoveries or for greater speed excavator machines can be used.

Some places have fossil hunting restrictions. To be legally permitted to hunt for fossils in Florida you will need a Florida fossil hunting permit which costs $5 and you will need to report the fossils that you find. Peace river in Florida is one of the few rivers for which you are allowed to legally collect fossils in Florida.

To find fossils in a river a fossil hunting screen is used. It looks like a rectangular sieve with a deep wooden or plastic rim around it. It's also known as a strainer. The rim is needed so that you can filter a large mound of material in one go. They can have a length of plastic foam attached along the length of two opposite sides to act as floats when used in water so that you don't have to put in any effort to hold it at the water level. This float also leads it being called a floating screen. This device filters out the fossils from the dirt, leaves and other unwanted material.

A garden shovel is used in combination with the floating strainer. The shovel must be less than 4 feet in length to discourage you from doing as much damage to the local area.

A fossil guide is used to be able to successfully identify a fossil. An example of one such fossil guide is Simon & Schuster's Guide to Fossils.

Fossils are often found in the gravel beds of a river.

Method 1

 * 1) Find a place that's very clear of vegetation so that you can clearly see the ground.
 * 2) Find a dry and dusty landscape that experiences hot or dry weather.
 * 3) Look for bones sticking out of the ground.
 * 4) If those bones are at the bottom of a hill find where those bones would have fallen from.
 * 5) Go further up the hill.
 * 6) Look for similar fragments of bone.
 * 7) Start digging only at the source of the bone fragments until you find more bones.

Method 2

 * 1) Understand the geology of the local area.
 * 2) Determine where you would be most likely to find a fossil.
 * 3) Start splitting rocks with a metal tool.

Method 2

 * 1) Buy a fossil from a person or business that owns a fossil.

Everything else
Paleontologists often use a fossil journal to record when and where they were when they found a particular fossil.

Cameras are useful for recording what you see as you go along.

You can help to reduce the risk of sunburn whilst looking for fossils by using sun protection such as suncream, sun protection sprays, hats, long sleeved clothing, sunglasses and full-length trousers.

To prevent dehydration in a hot and dry environment bring more than enough water than you'll need to last you for the entire fossil-hunting session.

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