Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Small Discoveries

Wednesday, August 21

Sunday's overcast and cooler weather offered ideal conditions for another search for those elusive star-shaped fossils in Mt. Carmel.   So after work, armed with additional, but not better, directions we drove the seventeen miles to the junction of US 89 and UT.  We walked further than necessary and climbed cliffs we didn't need to then heard a family talking excitedly as they hunkered down by an outcropping of rock. We went over to see what they were doing and saw that they were collecting 'star rocks.'  They soon returned to their car and we began to find them by the scores.

star-shaped columnals of the crinoid Pentacrinus asteriscus
 

On Monday evening we investigated the cliffs between the entrance to Best Friends and Moqui Cave in hopes of finding petroglyphs reported to be there.  We didn't find any petroglyphs but we did find this:

 
 and this:
 

 
(This appeared to be embedded seashells forming a horse.  It's 12'
up a sandstone wall so no closer look was possible.)
 

and this:


 ('1895' is incised in the center.)


 

1 comment:

  1. Hi there, by any chance, would you be able to provide some sort of directions on where the star crinoids were being found? My GF and I know the general area, but we're not sure of the exact spot. Thanks for any help!

    ReplyDelete