Fieldtrip report:
New England Collecting Trip
June 2007
Steve Bonney
The Plan: Incorporate some serious collecting into a family trip to Connecticut and Maine. The goal was to visit multiple free access sites, collect some decent specimens, and do some homework and planning for future trips. I ended up visiting nine sites and here’s a bit of what turned up along the way.
Connecticut has one of the largest concentrations of dinosaur tracks in North America, preserved at Dinosaur State Park in Rocky Hill Connecticut. Approximately 500 tracks are on display indoors. About 1,500 more have been reburied to preserve them.
One of the highlights of this park for any dinosaur enthusiast, including my daughter Katie, is the opportunity to make a plaster cast of a Eubrontes track at the site. Eubrontes was the carnivorous dinosaur responsible for all the tracks at the park. Access to the track casting area of the park is free.
Katie and my wife (Tammy) wait for the plaster to dry.
Katie’s finished Eubrontes track cast.
Fellow Magma member Mike and his son (Michael) joined us for a day of collecting at the Nathan Hall Quarry in East Hampton, Connecticut.
Tammy and Katie on the hunt at the Nathan Hall Quarry.
Mike and his son were able to locate several interesting specimens while digging and shifting.
A flattened beryl crystal collected by Mike.
A few beryl crystals found by Mike and his son.
Portion of a large golden beryl crystal found by me.
Some gemmy quartz from the Nathan Hall Quarry. I hope to have a stone cut from this someday for Katie.
