Digging through Time

  Well, it's been almost 3 years since I last posted and boy have things changed...

• I started a job at Cisco, joining the Cisco Sales Associates Program (CSAP) and now work as a Systems Engineer focusing on technical sales to state and local governments and educational institutions
• Matthew and I got married! I'll need to write about that in more detail some other time
• Of course, COVID

I'm logging back in because I've realized recently how much I love having stories of my family members, and even looking back on my own adventures and seeing things through my eyes of years ago. I find details that had slipped my memory, and seemingly insignificant events that today I realize had a major impact on my life. But most of all, it's the daily life that I want to capture, because those memories are the quickest to go. So from here, this blog may take a slightly different shape-- consider it my notes for future me. I'm happy to share with you if you're curious what I'm up to, but certainly don't expect you to be fascinated by my every weekend project.

So... what do I want to remember today?

This weekend we went fossil hunting! The tiny town of Aurora (population 520 as of the 2010 census) is one of North Carolina's best-kept secrets. Located just off the Eastern shore, the region hosts roughly one-quarter of the United States' phosphate reserves and is home to the largest integrated phosphate mine and chemical plant in the world. It's also extraordinarily rich in fossils from the Miocene and Pliocene eras, primarily shark teeth and other marine artifacts.

Because of the sheer quantity of earth moved by the phosphate mines, there is a lot to dig through. So much, in fact, that Aurora has a dedicated fossil museum with spoils pits open to the public, completely free of charge. Last year since we were locked down, we actually ordered a bag of dirt, which we spent many an evening combing over, but we've been wanting to make it out to the real deal for ages-- so glad we finally did!

After a ~3 hour drive, we pulled into the grassy parking lot, checked in at the museum, and started digging.

It was perfect picnic weather!

We bought a sifter to help with the process.

The top layers were pretty well combed-over, but once we got about 6-7 inches in we really hit gold. Or, you know, rock.

Once we'd had a few hours of sifting and munched on our sandwiches, we decided to swing into the museum itself. It's small, but we ended up spending another hour perusing the three rooms. They were full of fun facts, but I think the coolest part was that it was all so local-- nearly every fossil on display (and there were many) was from Aurora itself.

This exhibit demonstrated the geological features of the area and shared a video about how the phosphate is mined and processed.

Draglines remove the topsoil (known as overburden) to allow access to the phosphate, which starts at about 100 feet below the surface. Much of the phosphate reserve is actually below sea level, which presented a huge technological challenge when it was first discovered in the fifties. Today, massive pumps keep the mines dry.

Speaking of massive, here's the "bucket" of one of those draglines pictured above.

Now let's look at some fossils!

As I mentioned, shark teeth are by far the most common fossil found at Aurora, and there's a good reason for that. First of all, they're made to be tough since sharks aren't exactly gentle eaters, so they tend to preserve well. But it's also a question of numbers; sharks constantly shed and regrow teeth throughout their lives, and some modern sharks are estimated to shed over 10,000 teeth in a lifetime!

This modern jaw shows the "conveyer belt" of teeth waiting in reserve.

Seriously... look at all those teeth!

All the better to eat you with, my dear! (JK, sharks are *not* a significant threat to humans.)

There are quite a few species of sharks (some extinct, some not) found at Aurora, including the famous Megalodon. In fact, a few months ago a little boy found a meg tooth in the pits! That's rather uncommon, but the possibility is so tantalizing.... no such luck for us though.

I was absolutely delighted to learn about the Cookie Cutter Shark. It's called that because it simply takes a chomp out of its prey before letting it go on its merry way-- albeit missing a bite (hence the cookie cutter).

I thought these sixgill cowshark teeth were particularly cool looking.

One interesting side effect of having so many teeth is that sharks are bound to have a few misshapen ones here and there. These "pathological" teeth are especially popular with collectors, much like misprints are sought-after in the stamp community.

Although most of the fossils are aquatic in nature, as you go farther up in the layers of earth, there are other creatures as well. In fact, I was shocked at the variety of fossils found in this region:

• Sharks
• Whales
• Dolphins
• Skates
• Rays
• Bony fish
• Coral
• Shells
• Seals
• Dugongs
• Tuna
• Walrus
• Sturgeon
• Marlin
• Grouper
• Barracuda
• Stingrays
• Primitive elephants (!)
• Dire wolves
• Turtles
• Crocodiles
• Horses
• Alligators
• Three-toed horses
• Birds
• Deer

This is one of the best Walrus skulls ever found.

Before heading out, we did have to stop by the gift shop. And we did have to buy some fossils.

As for the fossils we found? They include 199 shark teeth, some stingray jaws, coral, and a few unidentified pieces of bone.

On the drive back, I entertained myself by reading all the church signs we passed. Here are a few that stuck out:

• Fall leaves! Jesus doesn't.
• Exercise daily-- walk with the Lord! Join us in prayer.
• God is in control. [Not sure if this was meant to be clever, but the church was missing a roof.]
• Does your life stink? We have a pew for you!

All in all, a great Saturday :)