Relic And Fossil Hunting In Texas (pt 1.) 

Hey, I am a Geologist and PhD Candidate all the way from The University of Stathclyde (Glasgow) :). I love your videos and just wanted to share some of my expertise. The beach would be a bit of a paradise for me I think with all those large and interesting fossils and relics just waiting to be discovered. The first few fossils don't look like Devils Toenail (Gryphaea) they are much too big. However, I think its in the same family (Gryphaeidae) and more likely belongs to Sp. Exogyra probably Exogyra ponderosa. You are right though it is a rather nice saltwater oyster fossil . Probably from about 100 million years ago (Cretaceous)and about the same time that England was under a warm tropical sea much like the Caribbean today. The ridge marks you can see on some of them show growth lines as they grey year on year. The little holes and scratches you see in these fossils are original and are the remains of ancient worm burrows on the surface of these ancient oysters just like you see today. The piece of rock at 1:42 is quite cool its what is called a "Slickenside" it basically grew within a Fault (A moving fracture) within the earth. Because there is a fracture in the rock water moves through depositing minerals like calcite or quartz in the same way as limescale accumulates in a kettle. Because there is a gap here the rocks use this as a movement surface gauging out lines in the rock. If there are steps/rough side on this rock then it shows the direction which the rocks were moving relative to each other. Yup cool fossils the first one is definitely bone, a trick of the trade is to lick your finger and slide it along the fossil if it dries very quickly and feels porous its a bone fossil. If its not chances are its a plant fossil or piece of funny looking stone. This is just a rule of thumb though :). Second one I am not convinced by. Wow! that is a gorgeous Ammonite, you can see the fantastic feathery lines on the fossil these were made by the creature as it got bigger outgrew each chamber and moved forwards. Generally the main part of the creature was only in the last 1-2 chambers with the old ones forming lots of buoyancy chambers which the Ammonite could take on water through and rise and fall as a submarine would. The ammonites take many years to grow to that size probably 15-30 years as a guesstimate. Bacculates not to be confused by their distant cousins Beleminites are another form of Ammonite which had evolved into long straight shells similar to the orthocones 400 million years before hand. This similar nature s an example of similar creatures evolving completely independent of each-other and must be a testament to the design of such creatures (though there are differences). Interestingly geologists think that the male creatures could have been a third smaller than the females and that these creatures like the Ammonites probably ate tiny plankton, small crustaceans and maybe even other ammonites in the warm tropical seas where they lived. 8:14 those are concretions. Basically some of the more porous layers say sand vs clay, the sand layers get most of the water moving through them depositing the limescale I mentioned earlier and gradually fill up with sludge which eventually hardens into these harder globules over millions of years. Some of them can have some pretty cool geodes/Septerian Nodules inside though :). Actually looking at it the one at 08:02 is almost certainly a septerian nodule and definitely keep your eye out for them as they are very pretty. 9:03 thats a trace fossil worm cast. Basically, as you walk out on the beach today you get little worm burrows which the fishermen use for bait. Those are essentially 100 million years old versions of those worm burrows. Or its the inside of a septerian nodule can't tell if its sparkly. Thanks and Please Continue Making Awesome Content. Sam

Chigg can just smell where the coins are. The metal detector is just a prop.

That's what Rusty gets for bringing a metal detectorist to a fossil site. You still have the skills without the machine... :) Thanks for the video.

Can't wait for part two!! You have amazing perception chigg, it's incredible!

Love collecting fossils here in the UK, it's great to see what you find over there. Thanks for all the work you put into your videos chigg, really appreciate it 👍🇬🇧🇺🇸

Can't even begin to comprehend the age of the fossils. At least not compared to the age of this old man. Reminds me that my life isn't even a blip, not even a nano-second in the history of our planet. Thanks, Beau, for making me feel so insignificant! LOL! I loved the fossils.

Another great video. I can hardly wait for the next one. You are sure having the time of your life. You are not the only one who brings home rocks and thing for his wife. My husband does the same for me and I think it is awesome. I love found objects and funky rocks and shells and things and he loves to salmon fish and wander the rivers edges and streams. It makes for a happy marriage of nearly 38 years.

15:27 You don't even need electronics to find treasure!!! And I didn't have to hold my breath yet either!! Welcome to Texas!!!!

The fossils are fascinating!! Wow... that trip must have been a blast !!! Thanks for taking us along !!!

Only you could go out in the middle of nowhere and find some really old coins. Really good job of reading the area/ground and capitalizing on it!

How exciting!!! I smiled so big when you found the first coin! Then 2 MOOOOARRR!!!! Awesome!

nice seated and a murc Likey a lot got to be MOAR!!!! thanks Beau. 😁😁😁

Doing some research on fossil hunting this came up in the queue, love how excited you got when you came across all the metal stuff...that coin is so cool! Carrie

Super fun video!! One of my favorites, thanks for keeping camera on while digging through the treasure!!!

This is the most interesting part chegg when you found that dime that made me happy then 😁 chegg started doing what chegg does best

Your videos are relaxing to watch! I've never been interested in any of the things you do but I am now! Thanks@!

You are in my river!!!! Aquachigger is in my RIVER!!!!! I have about 10 videos in that river!!!!

Well this hunt had practically everything. Relics, fossils and more. Keep them coming!

Welcome to Texas.... It was a pleasure meeting you at the TAMDC. I have lived here all my life, not East Texas but you have found more silver than I have. I have 500 acres up in West Texas I think you would love. There are 2 houses supposedly from the early 1800's that I have not detected yet. You are always welcome.. Take care

Your just obsessed! I like it! Think that's why I watch your videos! Hope to see another soon!

Wow, fossils, bullets, and coins. Nice haul.

Great video! That would be so much fun digging In that river area! All the best to you!

Great video showing the diversity of your adventures. Love the fossils and I'm sure Lindsay did too.

I love your videos! I'm always excited to see what you find next.

Awesome finds Beau. Sometimes we just have to slow down and look. Hope you went back and found some more neat stuff. enjoyed this one a lot....Ron

the pro is on.his hands and knees....the rookie is walking along!!!! lol..loved it

EARTH ANGEL😇. NICE finds MR. BEAU!!!👍 That seated dime was surely a perk! Just luv those devils toe nails😍!! An engineer for Guilford RR gave me A small tin of those date nails, started me collecting,have some from the 20s! Don't take up much space ,either! Nice trip!Good luck tomorrow!

Rusty would have to fight me to get out of there. So cool. Awesome fossils and just cool stuff. Thanks for all the footage.

Hey Beau! Cool, to see you visiting Texas! I live in East Texas, near Lufkin. I was born in Houston, but raised here. I'm glad you were lucky to find some old silver coins. I hope you can find some arrowheads and pottery, too. I'm Native American. A member of the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana. I really love your channel. I really like it when you have viewer contest. have a great time in Texas, and keep the awesome videos rolling! Chigg, you Rock! Kari Celestine in Texas

Fascinating! You have REAL good eyes for seeing the tiniest of shapes and patterns.

Great finds Beau! I'm jealous! I was riveted to the screen. I want to be right there with you with my new screens to help you sift through it all! I have three new panning screens with different size holes. I haven't gotten a chance to use them yet. I'm trying to find something to carry them in with my new plastic scoop sifter and a plastic scoop shovel. I have metal shovels too just in case the plastic ones break. I think that they are more for the loose sand at a beach. I found a 5-gallon bucket that I'd like to use to sift the soil over.

Your sifting tomorrow should be spot on!!! Can't wait to see what you find!!

Only the Chig would find a Seated Liberty dime and a thick silver bracelet with-out a metal detector. Nice surface finds, headed to Part 2.

Great video! Good luck for future hunts!

Boy, Beau, you can sure nose out some coins! Great finds.

Great video Mr.Chigg

Can't wait to see you back at that spot!!

Silver finds, that would make my day for sure. It looks like the river had changed directions, and your digging what was once the river bed. It looks just like your videos where you find all the heavy metal collected in the bedrock.

I have learned everything about metal detecting abd about geography from u plz never stop making videos

Nice video! Keep it up!

Some nice finds, AND Mrs Beau gets a new bracelet to go with her fossils. lol

l live in East Texas. Good to have you out here. I love it. Welcome

Beau is a master detector. Crazy

I can't wait to get out there! I'm going to spend some time in western Az east California this late summer and early fall. It's going to be my detecting vacation. I've been researching and collecting period map's so it should be a fun time. Thanks for sharing your time out in the field. I'm definitely going to be searching washes! Thanks Beau. Happy travels! Beeps.

Excellent video!

awesome video chigg, these are the kind of videos i love

People have probably told you already. But, the piece you thought was "some kind of drain plug" is actually a piece from an old natural gas house (space) heater. You would attach a hose running from the heater to that piece to heat your room. In many parts of Texas everyone got free natural gas many moons ago. We actually had in until the 1980's. Of course, the family I married into at the time owned the mineral rights.

great vid, loved the the garter snake

Awesome!!!! Hold your breath for the next video!

I wanna see the screening video! Anticipation is building...

What would Chill Bill call it, scraping with that old metal spike? He called it something when you and he were " mudlarking ". I'm glad you stayed and dug the stream bed. Nice coin finds and I hope Lindsay really likes her gift. I love rocks, fossils and old artifacts! Great video, Beau.😉

Great find, Chigg! 👀🖒👊

Awesome coin finds.

Hey Beau at 18:54 you find a gold earing and looks like a coin or 2 . Keep up the great work buddy :)

Good video, thanks Mr Chigg

great video lots to find there

You'll make a great story teller. You have awesome videos on history

l cannot wait to see what y'all find using screens, I bet there's all sorts of old relics to be found.

this is awesome man. I love it. the best thing in life is to get on out.

looking forward to part 2 Ken. UK

You know its spring when Chigg starts the uploads.

Love your adventures... just like being there!

If you ever find pottery sherds I would love to see those. I occasionally find them on the sandbars. MOAR river treasure!

That's MY exact spot on the EXACT river for fossil hunting. I've seen a lot of rusted metal down there, but I've never seen a pile of it like that! Looks like nature vomitted up all the man-made stuff! I agree that a metal detector would be tough to use down there with so much metal. :)

Interesting little finds

Some of the best content on youtube. I love Fossils

Wow, that was a great video.

Yay! Thanks for this video!

+1. Nice to be out of the caves!

As usual you make me laugh in between your informative tutorials. As you're scratching the dirt and fossils you're saying "where's the gold? Where's the gold? I know it's in here!" Like a gold prospector but you're looking for (gold) coins!! Hahaha!

Hi Chigg, I love your videos!!!

most awesome Vid, dude.

Wow, talk about great surface finds :-)

The North Sulphur River , been there many times . But I always go to the rock and gravel/fossil beds to the east of the Hwy 19/ 24 bridge . That area of the river is FULL of Gryphea , calcite geodes and other fossils and even granite . It's the best area for collecting , period . Rubber boots are a very good thing to wear there . You can walk down on the north side of the river cliff way down to where its accessible , across the soft silt and MUD to the 4 rock beds . It's best to go when it's low water time because high river time means a lot will be underwater there . DO IT , and good hunting !

WOW welcome to Texas !

Dude you are living the dream. Great trip, I know you are gonna dig that honey hole. I predict 5 mini balls, 3 indian heads, 1 rosy, 1 barber dime, a 1/2 dollar, gold, and 1 arrow head.

Texas mud larking .😂

The find at 20 Min. or so is called a D ring and are commonly used in horse rigging. Thanks for your vids. Billy, Canada

thanks for the video it was awesome

Fenga Papit! hahaha I forgot all about that!

Good vid Beau

You shouldn't worry about our excitement, just the anticipation of seeing something you miss is good enough for us. Just wish this was real time.

Awesome video

Wow that was cool!

looks like the sulpher river and great find on amonite

Awesome River finds! Love the Fossils! I'll be doing a river relic and fossil hunt in South Texas toward the end of May if you want to come. I'll be using a kayak to get to the location. Happy Hunting! GL! ~ Gypsy from Texas

So Jealous Man!!! That place looks awesome Chigg... Look forward to the next, screen & shovel baby!!! :-) Good Luck & Happy Huntin'

Nice spot!! Hope you got to dig and screen there!!

Chigg you could find a grain of earth sand on the moon, your eyes are just so well trained now.

You did not even have a medal detector an found coins that was a cool video. Thanks for bringing me along

That 1887 dime is a awesome find!

dang, that seated liberty dime is in excellent shape... I'd send it out for grading.

Yea Texas!! You should try to go diving in Lake Travis and try to find my fishing pole I lost there years ago lmao

The wife will be impressed by those devils toes, lol

nice find!

Those other rocks look like geodes too ! maybe you should bring a small hammer tomorrow and find lyns summink more beautiful lol :) Amazing how you find that stuff good luck !

That snake was soooooo cute.

Wish Mr Garrett had given you a triangular miners pick, magic for digging and scraping in the dirt.

Awesome and nice hunting and the best is the coin silver 1887 And I hope you will find a gold one I wish you good luck from Switzerland 🇨🇭Geneva all the best