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Field Trip: Petrified Wood, Odessa, DE (Members Only)

When
08 Apr 2023
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Location
Townsend, DE

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Petrified Wood from Odessa

Once again we are going to collect petrified wood in Odessa. Signup needs to be by email directly with me (Bob Ertman, robertertman@msn.com) because I need to be sure that everyone knows the new ground rules and the limits on the collection area. This is a John Wolf Memorial Trip.

We’ll meet at the farm, 384 Old State Rd, Townsend, DE, starting at 10:00 A.M. There is a long driveway directly across the street from a school complex & we’ll be there until 3:30 or 4:00.

New ground rules: We will collect only in the area to the left of the driveway and only as far back as the old house. Everyone needs to sign up with me so that I know that everyone knows this. This is a working farm.

We’ll walk the field and collect petrified wood (cypress), probably originally deposited in the Cretaceous or Paleocene Rancocas Group and later redeposited in a Pleistocene bed. (Thanks to Dr. Earl Manning, DVPS member, for correcting our previous description of the petrified wood as being Pleistocene.) No special equipment is necessary; in fact, you should leave your tools at home so that we do not do anything to cause erosion on this low-till farm.

Here’s a link to a nice write up about one of our trips to a nearby site:

http://viewsofthemahantango.blogspot.com/2011/08/petrified-wood-from-delaware.html

The trip will not be called off for light rain but thunder is a different matter: we cannot be the highest things in the field.

The Natural History Society of Maryland is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation and contributions are tax-deductible.

The mission of the Natural History Society of Maryland is to foster stewardship of Maryland’s natural heritage by conserving its natural history collections, educating its citizenry, and inspiring its youth to pursue careers in the natural sciences.