[Rockhounds] Assteague Island, area around

[Jeffrey T. Cessna]

Teri,

That depends on how wide a net you want to throw. Most things I could 
think of wind up being 3,4, or more hours away. Perhaps good for the 
trip in or out if driving.

I spent last weekend at Reedy Point digging in the spoil piles from 
the Chesapeake and Delaware canal. You can find the Delaware State 
Fossil, the Belemnite and some interesting shells. This is from the 
Late Cretaceous Mount Laurel Formation. As a bonus most of the 
belemnite fossils fluoresce yellow under UV, stronger in LW.

see... http://www.dgs.udel.edu/Geology/Paleontology/destatefossil.aspx

If you go to this site this weekend (1-2 March) continue on to 
Newark, Delaware for the Delaware Minerological Society annual show.

see... http://www.delminsociety.net/marchshow.htm

If you head to the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay (over the Bay 
Bridge) you will find the Miocene Calvert Formation in Calvert 
County, MD with abundant shark teeth and many other fossils. My 
anecdotal experience is that the teeth get larger, but fewer the 
further south you go. At the north end (Brownie Beach) examine any 
handful from the wrack line for at least 1-3 1/4" and smaller teeth.

see... http://www.mgs.md.gov/ (lots of MD info)

If you go to Calvert Co., it might be worth the longer trip down to 
the Calvert Marine Museum.

see... http://calvertmarinemuseum.net/index.html

Sorry I don't know of anything closer.

Jeff


At 02:05 PM 2/28/2008, you wrote:
>Hello All.
>
>A question for my vacation.  We will be spending 2
>weeks on or around Assteague Island,
>Maryland/Virginia, and I am wondering if anyone is
>from that area, and other than doing metal detecting,
>is there any minerals, mining, panning, or any gem
>digging around this area/the Eastern Seaboard.
>
>In the general area, we are not allowed to do
>anything, but we are willing to go to other places
>that might be of interest.
>
>Thank you in advance,
>
>Teri Jetter
>--
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