Showing posts with label whale. Show all posts
Showing posts with label whale. Show all posts

Thursday, June 11, 2020

6/12/20 Report - Miscellaneous Sampling of Treasure Coast Fossils: Some Being Millions of Years Old. Evolution of Horses of North America. Labeling Finds.


Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.

Rhino or Teleoceras Skull Cap Fossil

I decided to show a different kind of Treasure Coast find today.   I often tell you to keep your eyes open when you metal detect.  You can find different types of things - some of them being really old.  One example would be fossils.

I think the fossil shown above is my favorite Treasure Coast fossil fins.  A real fossil expert told me it was a rhino or teleoceras skull cap from the Miocene period (25 - 5 million years ago).  I had no clue what type of animal it  came from but got an expert and friend of this blog to identify it for me.

I guess I like that one best simply because I find it difficult to think of anything like a rhinoceros being in Florida.

I think most detectorist like to find old things, but we are usually thinking in terms of maybe hundreds of years rather than millions of years.

Fossil Great White Shark Tooth.

A lot of people like shark teeth, and fossilized shark teeth are fairly common on some Treasure Coast beaches.  This one was found on the banks of the Indian River.  I wasn't fossil hunting when I found it.  In fact when I first saw it I thought it was a piece of glass.  And it is in very nice condition.

Below are a few more examples.


Camel Phalange Fossil.

If you are like me, you don't readily think of camels being on the Treasure Coast either, but above is what I'm told is a fossilized camel phalange.

Below are a few more examples.


Whale Inner Ear Bone.


Alligator Scute.

Fossilized Ivory From Mammoth or Mastadon.

I once saw a nice section of a tusk sticking out of the Treasure Coast sand.


Fossil Bone With Shark Teeth Marks.

Some fossils will show something a little extra.  Maybe it shows that it was worked by man or perhaps another animal left its mark like the bone shown above, which shows what appears to be teeth marks.

Keep your eyes open while metal detecting.  You might see something older or more interesting than what you were looking for.

I'll add one tip here.  It goes along with the mistakes I've been talking about in some of my previous posts.  Label your finds with as much as you know about the identity of the item and also the place and details of the find.  You might think that you'll remember all about it, but time takes its toll.  As you can see from the above photos, I had some of these labeled, and I am glad of that.  Some were not labeled.  That is a mistake I made a lot.  Don't put it off.  You might remember the details for some finds, but you might regret forgetting the details of others.


Fossil Hoof.
Concerning the item shown immediately above, I suspect it is a horse hoof, but I never got it checked out.  I'm sure an expert could give me the details, but at this point I simply don't have enough information to label it with any precision or certainty.

You might be interested in the history of horses in North America.  If so here is a link.

https://www.statelinetack.com/content/general-information/the-prehistoric-horses-of-north-america/

Horses changed a lot over the millions of years.



Horse teeth fossils are very common finds on the Treasure Coast, as are turtle scutes.

Bison, deer, peccary, sloth, snake, fish, wolf, bivalve and mollusk, coral, crab and wood fossils are some of the others fossils that have been found on the Treasure Coast.

If you are interested in finding fossils and haven't done it before, I'd recommend paying a professional guide to take you for a day trip to the Peace River.  It is worth the money, and you'll learn a lot.  I did it once several years ago.

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The surf is going to be around two feet today, and the tides are now small.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net




Sunday, May 26, 2019

5/26/19 Report - Memorial Day. Soldier's Remains Recovered. World War II Victory Medal. Pelikan Not Swan. True Whale Story.


Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.


World War II Victory Medal.
Here is what Wikipedia says about the Victory Medal.

The World War II Victory Medal was first issued as a service ribbon referred to as the “Victory Ribbon.” The World War II Victory Medal was established by an Act of Congress on 6 July 1945 (Public Law 135, 79th Congress) and promulgated by Section V, War Department Bulletin 12, 1945. The medal was designed by Mr. Thomas H. Jones and approved by the Secretary of War on 5 February 1946. Consequently, it did not transition from a ribbon to a full medal until after World War II had ended.


The Congressional authorization for the medal specified that it was to be awarded to any member of the United States military, including members of the armed forces of the Government of the Philippine Islands who served on active duty, or as a reservist, between 7 December 1941 and 31 December 1946.

Reverse of Victory Medal.
On the internet these are usually shown hanging on a ribbon, but this one does not have a hole for hanging.

Source: Wikipedia.com

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Source: Military.com (See link below.)


SEOUL, South Korea -- Body armor that belonged to American soldiers along with Chinese gas masks were unearthed with the remains of Korean War dead in the heavily fortified border area that divides the peninsula, the defense ministry said Thursday.

Search teams have found 321 bone fragments and nearly 23,000 items from soldiers who died during fierce battles in what would later become the Demilitarized Zone since April 1, according to a press release...


Here is the link for the rest of the article.



Thanks to Daniel S. for helping me with the "Swan" ink question. What I thought was a swan on the ink bottle cap is actually a pelican. You'd think I'd know what a pelican looks like!

So the ink bottle is actually from the Pelikan company, which is still in operation today as a Swiss subsidiary.

I couldn't find any evidence of Swan ink being connected with Germany, which was embossed on the bottom of the bottle, so that explains sit.


Pelikan Ink Bottle With Label.

In 1832 chemist Carl Hornemann founded his own colour and ink factory in Hanover Germany. Here at Pelikan though we tend to consider the 28th of April 1838 as the founding date, as it was the date on the very first price list. All company anniversaries are therefore based on this date.


Antique Pelikan Ink Ad.
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Man ALMOST swallowed by whale.



Here is the link.

https://spiritdailyblog.com/strange-things/modern-day-jonahs

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Honor those who lost their lives in the service of our country.

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

Monday, March 11, 2019

3/11/19 Report - Anchor of Merchant Royal (?) Recovered. Snorkeler and Whale. Increasing Surf.



Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.

Anchor in Tangled Net
Source: https://www.foxnews.com/science/anchor-from-most-valuable-shipwreck-in-history-found

A scuba-diving treasure hunter said he now fears a “dangerous” gold rush after what is thought to be the anchor of the most valuable British shipwreck in history was found off the coast of Cornwall. The anchor is believed to be that of the Merchant Royal, which sank some 400 years-ago while carrying 100,000 pounds of gold and 400 bars of Mexican silver – thought to be worth more than £1bn today...

The Merchant Royal, a 17th-century English galleon, was known as “the El Dorado of the seas”, and traded with Spanish colonies between 1637 to 1640. As well as its golden and silver, the vessel sank while carrying nearly 500,000 pieces of eight and other coins – making it one of the most valuable wrecks of all time. Added Mr Milburn: “I know there are lots of anchors that look just like that one – it’s from a big wooden ship. “It’s an admiralty patterned long shank anchor, it’s the right type for the Merchant Royal...

Here is the link for more of that article.

https://inews.co.uk/news/uk/merchant-royal-anchor-shipwreck-billions-pounds-treasure-cornwall/

It seems that good reporting is quickly becoming a thing of the past.  They just go for attention-grabbing headlines these days and don't much bother to document what they are saying or give important details.   Both the inews article and Fox video leave out a lot that a careful reader might like to know.  For example, I'd like to know what makes them so sure they know what ship the anchor belongs to.  Is it only the style of anchor and location where it was found?  Or were they just eager to put something like "most valuable shipwreck ever" in the headlines.  I suspect the headline has a lot to do with it.  Why be careful about facts when you can get attention?

I'm not saying that it couldn't be the Merchant Royal.  I'd just like to know what makes them think it is.  Maybe I missed that somehow.

Odyssey Marine once thought they were on the Merchant Royal, but later it was later concluded that they were actually on the Mercedes and had to give the treasure to Spain.  If it was not easy for Odyssey Marine to know what wreck they were on, I don't know how a single anchor can be so conclusive.  Maybe I don't know anything, but that is how I see it.

Wikipedia says the following about the Merchant Royal.  (The links on that don't work, and I didn't take time to remove them all.)

Merchant Royal also known as Royal Merchant, was a 17th-century English merchant ship lost at sea off Land's End, in Cornwall County, in rough weather on 23 September 1641. On board were at least 100,000 pounds of gold (over 1.5 billion USD in today's money)[3], 400 bars of Mexican silver (another 1 million) and nearly 500,000 pieces of eight and other coins, making it one of the most valuable wrecks of all times.[4]

The Merchant Royal spent three years trading with Spanish colonies in the West Indies from 1637 to 1640. England was at peace with Spain at this time. The Merchant Royal and her sister-ship, the Dover Merchant, called into Cadiz on their way home to London. By all accounts she was leaking badly after her long voyage.

When a Spanish ship in Cadiz at the same time caught fire just before she was due to carry treasure to convert into pay for Spain's 30,000 soldiers in Flanders, the Merchant Royal's Captain Limbrey saw his chance to make a little more cash for his owners. He volunteered to carry the treasure to Antwerp on his way home.

The Merchant Royal went on leaking after she and her sister-ship left Cadiz and, when the pumps broke down, she sank off Land's End in rough weather on 23 September 1641.

Eighteen men drowned in the sinking. Captain Limbrey and 40 of his crew got away in boats and were picked up by Dover Merchant. It is not likely that the treasure was taken aboard the Dover Merchant.


Thanks much to Dean R. for pointing to that story with the inews.co link.

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Source: See FoxNews link below.

One web site proclaimed, "modern day Jonah."  Well, it did involve and man and a whale.  And the the man, a snorkeler, did end up in the whales mouth.  You can see the man's bottom and legs above.  But he wasn't in the whales belly, and it wasn't for three days.  I'm sure Rainer was glad about that.

Rainer Schimpf, 51, was snorkeling off the coast of Port Elizabeth, South Africa, when he ended up in the path of a Bryde's whale, which opened his jaws and engulfed him headfirst...
Here is the link if you want to read more about that.

https://www.foxnews.com/world/diver-survives-after-being-scooped-up-in-whales-mouth-off-south-africa

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Source: MagicSeaWeed.com.
As you can see, there will be an increase in the surf up to three to five feet Wednesday.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

Sunday, August 19, 2018

8/19/18 - Really Old Stuff That Can Be Found On the Treasure Coast Beaches. Fossils.


Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.

Great White and Megaladon Tooth.
I've always encouraged people to keep a keen eye on the beach while they metal detect.  You can find so many interesting and potentially valuable things.  As I've said before, you can find almost anything on a beach, and if you are out there enough and look around, you will find a lot.

I recently did a few posts on my all-time favorite finds.  For some types of finds, it is easy for me to pick out a clear favorite.  That was the case with sea glass.  There was one piece that really stood out from all the rest.  For modern jewelry it was difficult to pick a favorite.  It was the same way for fossils.

I don't go out to look for fossils, but I did once.   I went with a fellow who had a permit and takes people on fossil hunting ventures to the Peace River.  It has been quite a few years now, and I don't know if he still does that.   I just picked up a few fossils over the last thirty or so years while metal detecting.

Fossils can be valuable, but of course, most aren't.  Value depends upon the usual factors; including rarity and condition.  I've never sold any fossils, but I've seen megalodon teeth offered for sale in some of the Sedwick auctions, and there are many web sites where you can find all kinds of fossils for sale.

On the beaches you find more when there are big new shell piles.  We haven't had much of that for several years now.

If you like old things, fossils can be very old - even millions of years.  Its amazing to see something that while just walking along a beach.

One of my favorites is the Great White shark tooth on the left in the photo above.  It was found on the Treasure Coast.   I was just walking along, and there it was.  I never saw another one in the same area even though I've been there many times.

It is in great condition.  You can see the sharp serrations in the photo.  They show up even better in person.  I don't think it is my favorite fossil find, but it is my favorite shark tooth find and ranks right up there.

On the right in the above photo is a megaladon tooth.  It is one that was found on my trip to the Peace River.  The serrations on that one are gone.

On the Treasure Coast beaches, it is more common to find smaller shark teeth, like those below.

Tiny Shark Teeth.
You can find fossils on most beaches along the Treasure Coast when conditions are right.  Just a little north of the Seagrape Trail access is one good place to find small shark teeth when there are a lot of shells.  One of the fellows that lives by the beach in one of the condominiums hunts shark teeth there a lot.

But shark teeth aren't the only fossils of marine animals you can find on the beach.

Small Fossil.

The small fossil show above is the first fossil that I found and kept.  I didn't know that it was a fossil for probably twenty years after I found it.  I was in the water hunting jewelry and saw the unusual item in my scoop.  I didn't know what it was, so I decided to keep it.  I kept it for many years until I finally had a fossil expert tell me what it is.  It is a fossilized grinding tooth from a fish such as a red fish.

Fossilized Inner Ear Bone of a Whale.
I found this larger fossil near the waterline on a Treasure Coast beach when there were a lot of big shell piles.  It is a fossil of an inner ear bone of a whale.

Large things will wash up when beach conditions are right, and some of them won't make your detector beep.

Fossil Dolphin Vertebra.
Back a few years ago there were more fossils on the beach.  They'll return again some day.

Among the most common Treasure Coast beach fossils are turtle shell and horse teeth.  I just wanted to talk about marine animal fossils today.

Not much new with beach conditions to report.

Keep looking down.


Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

Friday, January 12, 2018

1/12/18 Report - Palm Beach Beaches Low. John Brooks Beach. 17 Shipwrecks on Google Earth. Sea Level Rise Issue.


Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.

Groin Showing at Palm Beach
Photo by Joe D.
Joe D. sent in the following message with photos from Palm Beach.


 Hit Palm Beach at low tide this morning! Some spots are as eroded as I've ever seen them in many years! TONS of iron from the exposed steel groins everywhere, making any finds hard to come by! Literally thousands of pieces seen and unseen! Even when discriminating ( which I rarely use) still drove my detector crazy! Also backed down the sensitivity! Ive been keeping track of the  erosion in certain spots with pictures each time I visit here, and hope to find more old stuff soon, if it continues!

There were some things exposed that I took some pics of that I have never seen before that were interesting! The steampunk looking pipes were brass or bronze and where in a strange spot for such items! I would love to know what they are part of, and would probably be valuable salvage! Also some old pilings exposed and a anchor point for something!


Sea Wall at Palm Beach
Photo by Joe D.


Pipes on Beach
Photo by Joe D.


Posts on Palm Beach.
Photo by Joe D.
Thanks much for the report and photos Joe.

The first picture reminds me of some detecting that I did many years ago between exposed groins that produced many very high quality finds.

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John Brooks Thursday Near Low Tide


Surf at John Brooks Near Low Tide Thursday.

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17 Mysterious Shipwrecks You Can Find On Google Earth.   That is the title given by Live Science - not me.

Anyhow you might find it interesting and perhaps possibly informative in some way.

Here is the link.

https://www.livescience.com/60505-mysterious-shipwrecks-on-google-earth.html

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Whale saves snorkler from shark? That would really be an experience just to be so close to such a large animal.

http://www.foxnews.com/science/2018/01/08/hero-whale-saves-snorkeler-from-tiger-shark-in-pacific-ocean.html


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Two days ago I mentioned an article that talked about how much we can expect the sea level to rise in the next hundred years  Champ F., a geologist, sent the following response to that.


As a geologist, one of my pet peeves is the brainwashing the media has done re sea level.
Yes, sea level is rising but a very important component of that is that the ground is subsiding too. Added to that fact is that for 100+ years we have greatly reduced our rivers' sediment load to the coastal areas by building dams and other flood control projects. sand is constantly being lost off the beach to deeper realms and if not resupplied, the beach will go away. (I am in No Way advocating for renourushment as it is currently done. Adding more sand at a point source, say at the mouth of a major river, over a long period of time and allowing nature to distribute that sand as she sees fit is probably a better way).

Its not just the sea level rise (and the implied 'global warming' or whatever the Tax/Spend politicians and their suckups call data falsifying these days), but also subsidence and sand resupply. and all this ignores that sea level rises and falls over time- thats the way it is and always has been.

I dont know costs, but there is an effective way to allow nature to resand a beach for you. just build a breakwater line x-feet offshore and the sand will fill in from the shore to the breakwater all by itself. probably best not to push this tho as it would lead to sanding in the area for ever. but remember, without the rivers resupplying sediments, all beach sand will eventually conveyor belt into deeper waters.

Good hunting!
Champ F.

Thanks Champ.

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Bathtub beach is closed for repairs again.  It is really ripped, as is often the case.

I think they are digging near the Port of Fort Pierce and will probably be dumping more sand south of the Fort Pierce Inlet before long.

I remember back in the eighties, John Books beach was very different.  At the edge of the water there was about a four foot drop-off where now the sand extends out many yards.

While sand has not been dumped on John Brooks down by the beach access, a lot of it has been dumped on the beach to the north and the longshore currents washed it down to John Brooks.

One year the erosion was all the way back to right in front of the condos to the north.  Now the beach is nearly a hundred yards out to the east of there.

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Google stats says the blog is drawing very close to having 2 million page views.

Back  a few year ago I started to work on a formula for metal detecting success and the factors that go into it.  I think that I'll refine and expand on that in the near future.

Another front will be coming through this weekend and the surf will bump back up to around six feet by Monday.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

Wednesday, June 10, 2015

6/10/15 Report - More Than An Object. Seminole War and Voyage To The Spanish Main. Geoducks.


Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.


National Geographic Photo.
More on that below.

I've been showing a lot of older found objects lately.  Those are things that just recently saw the light of day for the first time in centuries.  There have been cannon balls, musket balls and even a rare 1800s Indian Head penny.

An object is more than an object though if you've done your research to learn more about it.  It becomes a part of living history.  It can tell a story of a time and place.

The object was made for a purpose.  It started with a desire or motive.  Someone needed or wanted it enough to create it.  Someone owned it and used it.  And eventually someone discarded, lost or left it behind.

Everything connects.  Every little object was made with a purpose that was a part of a specific time, place and circumstances.  It had its place.

Peoples connect - and sometimes clash.  It is true today and was always true.

It is amazing to me how found objects from the past can lead you on a journey into the past - a journey of adventure and an adventure of endless learning.

I just received an email from James F., who along with his wife, found the musket ball and trigger guard that I showed back a week or so ago.  Here is what James said.

As a result of my wife and I locating some Second Seminole War artifacts, I did notice and completely read a free Google Play e-book entitled "The War In Florida" with some rather extensive narratives of the U.S. Army and Seminole Indian exploits during the Second Seminole War. I was amazed to read of several Archaeological digs and studies done in 2006 by a university, who decided to keep locations of their study a "secret" because of "looters," whose questions on troop actions, supplies and movements via artifact data, and burned wooden posts are all pretty much answered in this book's narratives published in 1836. This is the second time in the last few years I have found published historical data, written by the folks who were actually there, that archaeologists were completely unaware of! Do they not do document searches any more?? At any rate, if you can deal with the early 19th Century way of spelling and somewhat involved descriptions, it makes very interesting reading. It also can be emotionally trying to read first hand the double-standard and pleading of the Seminoles for the whites to just leave them alone in the land of their fathers and they would fight no more. Sometimes it makes you wonder how Americans could treat their native brothers in such a way...it can make you question our shining words of freedom, then compare it with our past actions. Not a good thing sometimes.

Thanks much for the note James.

First of all, James gives one more good example of the great resources we have today on the internet.  When you can find something like that it makes your found objects really come alive.

This is the Google Play book that James is talking about.

The War in Florida: Being an Exposition of Its Causes, and an Accurate History of the Campaigns of Generals Clinch, Gaines, and Scott ... By a Late Staff Officer
Woodburne PotterLewis and Coleman 

And here is the link to that book.

https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=C8d1AAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&output=reader&hl=en&pg=GBS.PA109

One of the things I notice while browsing that book is that the Negroes  (as they were called in the book) that joined the Seminoles were referred to as being the property of the Indians.  I had always read that the escaped slaves from the north just joined the Indians.  I never saw anything before suggesting that the Seminoles treated the escaped slaves as slaves or held them as property.  Perhaps it was a misperception or intentional misconstrual.  I don't know.

Anyhow, there is a lot of good information out there on the internet that will help you make finds.  The same resources will help you make more sense out of your finds, which makes them both more interesting and valuable - in more ways than one.

When I was reading other historical documents, I was surprised to learn how prevalent scalping and other forms of violence were back in the colonial days.  Our history books and teachers don't present that like the books and documents written back a century or so.

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Here is another online book you might enjoy.  This one was written in 1819.


And here is the link for that one.

http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=wu.89096224696;view=1up;seq=316;size=75

This one also talks about Black Beard and privateers.

Take a look at the table of contents and chapter headings and jump to the sections you want to read.


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Geoduck For Dinner.
Isn't that an amazing picture at the top of the page.  I've had some awe inspiring experiences with manatees, porpoise, and other creatures in the sea, but none of that size.  Could you imagine!  If you could put yourself in that diver's place, it would be a truly awesome, and probably frightening experience.

Mark B., is an experienced diver who harvested geoducks for ten years off of Vancouver.  He is interested in doing our type of treasure diving.

Don't know what a geoduck is?   It is a large salt-water clam delicacy.

Thanks for the great photo Mark.

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Nothing much new about Treasure Coast beach conditions.  The surf is small and we had a good low tide this morning.  Also a few rain showers.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net



Wednesday, June 27, 2012

6/27/12 Report - Debby Comes Ashore & Another Millions-Year-Old Find

One Treasure Coast Beach Yesterday Afternoon.

Tropical Storm Debby has been hard to predict.  Some models had her going West to Texas, others North, others East and even a few, Southeast.  It was really all over the map.

Some of the mystery is now over.  Debby hit land near Steinhatchee and is headed across Florida above Orlando and then out into the Atlantic.

I would guess that the Outer Banks of North Carolina might get some action.   If you are up there or thinking of going up, get ready.

Speaking of hard to predict -  minor erosion can pop up almost anywhere at anytime.  I'm convinced that even local thunderstorms can create cuts.  That isn't the type of erosion that will create productive cuts though, unless conditions were already decent to begin with.  A few additional inches of erosion on top of beaches that are either borderline or already productive, will help.  In contrast, a few inches of erosion on a very sandy beach, won't help much other than to possibly bring a few modern finds within detector range.

Yesterday I looked at the white caps on the Indian River and wondered if the internet surf predictions were right.  Yes, the wind was coming from the south/southwest and the water was blowing out, as expected, but it looked a little too rough on the lagoon for the ocean to be smooth.  I also heard contradictory predictions.  A TV report said one thing, and an internet site said something else.  

The predictions are sometimes wrong.  And sometimes I wonder where they get them.  I've pointed out what appears to me to be a consistent error in one of the web sites a few months ago.

Anyhow, the curiosity got the best of me so I took a trip to the beach to take a look for myself.  You can see the photo (above) of what I found at one beach.  There was a new cut in front of the old cut.  It was only about a foot tall, and ran for a few hundred yards.  I didn't expect that.  That's why I went out - to see for myself.

Of course not all of the beaches were cut.  The others that I looked at showed only the slightest hint of erosion - not really any cuts at all on most beaches.

Remember, every beach is unique.  You can have deep erosion at one beach while none of the others in the area will be cut at all.  

Right now I would esepcially check beaches that are to the north of rocks or other obstructions to the flow of sand.

When I give a beach conditions rating upgrade, the rating is not determined by a single spot on the beach.  My ratings reflect general conditions of the treasure beaches along the Treasure Coast.  While I haven't seen enough to remove my "poor" rating, I'm keeping a watch on things.  Even though there is a protective sand bar in front of the beach along much of the Treasure Coast, at least some sand is moving now, and who knows, maybe Debby will turn around and come back south.  There is enough weather out there right now that we need to stay alert.

And remember, it is always possible for a treasure cob or two to pop up at almost any time.  As I've said many times in the past, my rating scale starts with a 1 instead of a zero because there is always a chance.  The probability might be very low, but it is never zero.


While we wait for the treasure window to open, there are always things of various kinds to be found.  Recently I told you about a find that was millions of years old.   Here is another.

Can you guess what it is?  I had my suspicions but didn't really know, so I asked Fred D.

Here is what he said.

Treasure Coast Beach Find - Millions of Years Old
It is a tympanic bulla from a rather sizable cetacean. Looks like it has been tossed around in the ocean or an ancient river for some time. Most of the early whale and dolphin material found usually dates back to the Miocene (23 million to 5 1/2 million years ago) ...

A cetacea is a water mammal such as a whale, porpoise or dolphin.  A tympanic bulla is a bone from the inner ear.

Just what you would expect to find?  Not me.  Who would ever guess?

Keep your eyes open while you detect.

Conditions today will be about the same as yesterday.  Still the seas are small.  The south winds continue. And the swells predicted to be small.   The shallow water will probably be choppy though, as small waves break on the bar in front of the beach.

While I'm not upgrading beach conditions yet, as I pointed out in today's post, there is some action and there could be some improvement in conditions in the near future.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net