Mike and Mona both mentioned the Aurora Fossil Museum as a place we would want to visit. So we loaded into their car for the fifty mile drive. There we not only wanted to see a phosphate mine, (Renita worked in a coal mine for twenty plus years), but more importantly we wanted to take a tour of the Aurora Fossil Museum and learn about the local fossils.
Arriving in Aurora we first headed down a road toward one of the local phosphate mines.
Unfortunately you really couldn't see a lot as, you guessed it, there are lots of trees in North Carolina. Still we could see some of the plant and a huge towering pile of material, scooped up with mammoth drag line shovels working the phosphate deposits. This material is rife with sharks teeth, vertebrae, and other fossils including marine mammals.
So after a few images and a brief walk in the ditches we were back to Aurora where we were greeted by the towns water tower which proudly proclaimed, 'I Dig Aurora". Driving past several rock piles we parked in front of the Museum. I was like a little kid and couldn't wait until we got inside, but I waited patiently for the others by studying the front window displays.
Inside we were warmly greeted by a volunteer who gave us a through explanation of the many fossil types we would see. He explained the nonprofit foundation, and kindly offered us a personal tour of the facilities.
One of the first exhibits was of a megladon jaw, allowing one to pose inside of the wide open rows of teeth. Hmm, it kind of makes you glad we only have to deal with great white sharks and grizzly bears. Other displays showed marine fossils including lots of fossil shark teeth, along with mammal teeth including fossil dolphin teeth, (Mona later found one).
Across the street was another building which, while filled with more local fossils, included rock and mineral samples. The guide told us that the local mine donated truck full of materials and that they had just turned it over so there were lots of fossil being found.
Taking us to the rock piles we quickly found sharks teeth and my brother held up a fossil dolphin vertebrae. Jealous, I looked for awhile before finding one myself but it wasn't as good as his and all I can say is hide it well dear brother, he never reads the blog so I can be speak my mind!
Mona and Renita found lots of small sharks teeth, solenardia coral, and everyone found fossil bone fragment. There were even small sponge fossils which are usually rare everyplace else.
After eating a quick lunch we headed back to other piles of rock scattered throughout the town and we found quite a bit more to add to our sacks. Time was running out and so we went back into the museum where we purchased a large megladon tooth along with some Ethiopean opal rough and Canadian Fossil Ammolites, opalized.
Of course we spent too much but the profits from the sales all went to the museum, it is a non profit after all. So if you are ever in this area of eastern North Carolina and you love fossils and rocks, be sure to visit the Aurora fossil museum and take some extra time to carefully dig through the rock piles. Clear skies.
Another place to add to our list.
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