COLLECTING MARINE FOSSILS
DALTON, GEORGIA
July 14, 2009

by Ray Hill

NOTE: This article is not complete. The complete article will be published in Ray's new book on rock collecting. Among other places, the book will be offered through our Great South Gems & Minerals site.

I had been to this area a couple of times before. I knew that some really nice fossil specimens could be collected from the road-cut banks here. This is another good North Georgia fossil collecting site. On the day that my rock buddy, Ramona Beshear, and I visited this site we only stayed for just a little over an hour. We were on our way to another collecting site on further north but wanted to stop by this location for a short time. Ramona and I both found a few nice fossil specimens during our short stop.

We left Atlanta in the morning and drove north on I-75 up to the Dalton, GA exit. I think there are three Dalton exits. We exited I-75 at exit 333 (Going north) This is State Hwy 52, also called Walnut Avenue. Going north, we exited and turned left back over the bridge. Just a short distance from I-75, just a hair over a half mile, on the left is the Northwest GA Trade & Convention Center. Go on up the steep, crooked road for another mile. From the I-75 bridge it is 1.6 miles to a large bank near the top of Dug Gap Mountain. We stopped here and spent just a little over an hour collecting.

In these photos you can see the large bank where we collected

Happy rock hunting.

NOTE: Ray will be adding 15 more articles on the rock collecting hobby, including many rock collecting locations, between now and the end of 2009. Those new articles, and those shown below, will be published in Ray's new book on rock collecting. Among other places, the book will be offered through our Great South Gems & Minerals site.

Ray Hill
Great South Gems & Minerals, Inc.
www.greatsouth.net
888-933-GEMS

Note: Only rock clubs have permission to print this article but must give credit to the author, Ray Hill, and Great South Gems & Minerals, Inc. For everyone else, please email us for permission.

Great South Gems & Minerals, Inc. www.greatsouth.net 38 Bond Drive Ellenwood, Georgia 30294 USA 1-888-933-GEMS (4367) FAX: 770-389-8095