It’s ironic that to find the fossils of some of the largest sea creatures ever to roam ancient Alabama, you have to go to a place that looks like a desert.
The weathered chalk gullies at Harrell Station Paleontological Site in Dallas County could almost be mistaken for Saharan sand dunes, or at least a large Gulf of Mexico beach without the actual Gulf.
But these gullies are made of Mooreville chalk, like so much of the bedrock in Alabama’s Black Belt. Wind and water have carried away about 82 million years of topsoil and rock, exposing the late Cretaceous sediments underneath.
Alabama’s Black Belt is one of the best places in the world to find mosasaur fossils.Graphic by Ramsey Archibald
That eroding chalk is rich with fossils large and small, including shark teeth, fish vertebrae, massive ancient turtles and mosasaurs – marine reptiles that grew 50 feet or more and ruled the seas toward the end of the dinosaur age.
This part of Alabama would have been underwater at the time, as a massive shallow sea covered the interior of North America. Mosasaurs were the apex predator of those seas, feasting on fishes, sharks, turtles, perhaps even occasionally land-based dinosaurs that died and washed out to sea.
Adiel Klompmaker, curator of paleontology for the Alabama Museum of Natural History, said that seven different species of mosasaur have been found at Harrell Station alone, and Alabama’s Black Belt is one of the best places in the world to find mosasaurs.
“We’ve got one of the largest mosasaur collections in the world [at the museum],” Klompmaker said. “That’s because they’re so commonly collected in Alabama.”
Fossil hunter Hayley Nedbalski explores the chalk gullies at the Harrell Station Paleontological Site in Dallas County, Ala.Dennis Pillion
I went to Harrell Station in late November with Klompmaker and 15 others on a trip organized for the Alabama Paleontological Society.
The University of Alabama purchased 132.5 acres of land around Harrell Station in 1991 for use as a research and education site. There are 27 separate gullies identified on a map of the portion of the site owned by the University, and a few more that are still on privately held land adjacent to the site.
The Alabama Museum of Natural History is also part of the UA system – it’s located on the Tuscaloosa campus — and as curator of paleontology, Klompmaker also manages Harrell Station.
We got there by caravan down a dirt road in Dallas County, near Marion Junction, driving through a locked gate to park in a grassy field next to some cow pastures. Then, after a short hike and another locked gate, we take a steep climb down a gully into the chalk fields.
There’s an optional rope there to help lower yourself down, and most of us take advantage as we shuffle down the cliff face, with small backpacks, water bottles and collection bags in tow.
Adiel Klompmaker and members of the Alabama Paleontological Society look for additional fragments of a partial fish skeleton discovered by Ricky Mims at Harrell Station Paleontological Site in Dallas County, Ala.Dennis Pillion
Stepping into the vast gullies feels like entering another world, or the surface of a planet where vegetation hasn’t quite caught on yet. There are islands of normal ground among the deep dunes, where scrub pine trees and other vegetation have held the soil in place, showing just how much dirt and rock has been eaten away at the site.
It’s a little after 10 a.m. when we are released to hunt our treasures. There are 22 active fossil gullies on the 132-acre site, but we’re given a map and asked to stick to the first four so we don’t get lost. Some of the more experienced fossil hunters in the group who’ve visited the site before volunteer to act as guides and keep the newbies from wandering off. Even on a full-day trip, there’s plenty in the first four gullies to keep 17 people busy.
It gets warm in the shadeless gullies. Jackets, hats and scarves are stuffed into backpacks as the temperature rises. In the summer, this landscape would feel like an oven, which is why the trips are usually organized in cooler months.
There are many different techniques for finding fossils through the chalk ravines, but I find the best one is to stick next to Klompmaker and let him tell me what I’m supposed to be looking for.
What appear to be just pebbles in the rocks are more than meets the untrained eye. A fish vertebra here. A fossil shark tooth there. The impression of a clam shell there. Many of the finds are one-off bones or teeth with no other pieces from the same animal visible
Some of the best finds are up on a pedestal before they’re even found. The hard, fossilized bones trap sediment underneath them from erosion, and as the ground around them disappears, the fossil is left sitting an inch or so above the ground. Some of the items on these pedestals are iron deposits, pyrite or other rocks, but some are treasures.
Fossil fish vertebrae found at Harrell Station Paleontological Site in Dallas County, Ala.Dennis Pillion
The first mosasaur vertebrae of the day was found sitting on a pedestal by Benji Deason of Trussville. A few minutes later, his son Brent, finds two more near the same spot.
Klompmaker examines the vertebrae and determines that the Deasons are lucky enough to take the bones home with them. Fossil hunters visiting the site have to sign an agreement that any scientifically significant finds will be donated to the museum
Fossil collector Benji Deason shows three mosasaur vertebrae he and his son Brent found at Harrell Station Paleontological Site in Dallas County, Ala.Dennis Pillion
Mosasaurus is having a moment right now, at least partly thanks to its prominent role as the new top predator in the 2015 movie “Jurassic World.”
But Mosasaurus, which is probably what the movie-makers were trying to recreate, was just one genus of about 40 that made up the group mosasaurs, which were widespread in the late Cretaceous period, from 90 million years ago until a massive meteorite struck near Mexico about 65 million years ago. That triggered a mass extinction that wiped out the mosasaurs and 70% of all species on Earth.
Mosasaurs weren’t technically dinosaurs, but large marine predators that lived during the same time period as later dinos. The filmmakers decided that was close enough for a role in the movie franchise.
The mosasaur the Deasons found was one of the earlier specimens found at 82 million years old, but Alabama is also home to some of the largest mosasaurs ever found.
Klompmaker said a specimen nicknamed “Sweetie,” found in Lowndes County in 1991, has been classified as a Mosasaurus maximus, and may be one of the largest ever found.
Paleontologists believe the largest mosasaur yet discovered would have been about 56 feet long. That’s not quite not as large as the movie version. Klompmaker said Sweetie could have been about 50 feet long.
The fossil skull and jaws of “Sweetie,” one of the largest mosasaurs ever discovered. Scientists estimate that Sweetie may have been up to 50 feet long. The remains were found in Lowndes County and are about 70 million years old.Dennis Pillion
Sweetie’s remains now take up several shelves of a large, rolling display cabinet in the museum’s archives, along with several other mosasaurs found in Alabama.
Dozens of partial jaws and teeth have been found at sites like Harrell Station, where the ancient chalk is exposed to the elements, or in creeks and rivers where the water has eaten into the ancient seafloor.
Some of the more complete specimens even have names.
In addition to Sweetie, there’s “Bossie,” named because it was found next to a cowbell on the banks of the Tombigbee River in Greene County.
Then, there’s “Artemis,” one of the most complete mosasaur fossils ever discovered. It was found near the Howell Heflin Dam, also in Greene County, in 2002. The full skeleton of the juvenile mosasaur, including nearly intact vertebrae and flippers, is now on display at the museum in Tuscaloosa.
The rear fins and tail of Artemis, a juvenile mosasaur found in Greene County, Ala. in 2002.Dennis Pillion
Alabama’s unique geology makes it easy for fossil hunters to walk backwards in time through the late Cretaceous. Sweetie lived about 70 million years ago, 12 million years after the mosasaurs found at Harrell Station.
The top crescent that makes up Alabama’s Black Belt (grey on the map) is the Eutaw Chalk formation, which starts at about 86 million years ago.
Map showing rock formations in Alabama’s Black Belt that were formed during the late dinosaur age, from about 86 million years ago to 66 million years ago. Alabama Museum of Natural History
The different shades move forward in time until the pink Providence Sand and Prairie Bluff formations, which dates to about 66 million years ago, just before the dinosaurs went extinct.
This is where you’re most likely to find fossils of dinosaurs, and where paleontologists have been coming for decades to try and understand what the marine ecosystems looked like during the age of the dinosaurs.
And there’s still a lot we don’t know. Because the entire area was under an ocean at the time, dinosaur finds are rare, usually resulting from an animal that died and washed out to sea. Some of those bones, like this hadrosaur foot bone, have shark teeth stuck in them, which is another reason why we don’t find many intact skeletons.
Adiel Klompmaker shows a metatarsal (foot) bone belonging to a duck-billed dinosaur with a shark tooth embedded in it. The bone was found in Greene County and is approximately 80 million years old.Dennis Pillion
In the mid- to late-1940s, paleontologists from the Field Museum in Chicago made several expeditions to the site at Harrell Station, exploring the gullies and identifying numerous fossils, including dinosaur bones that were taken back to Chicago.
In addition to the mosasaurs, paleontologists have found fossils here from 9 species of shark, 23 fishes, 9 turtles, 4 dinosaurs including a bird, 1 pterosaur, 1 crocodile, and numerous invertebrate animals.
There were 13 new species discovered at Harrell Station, including one duck-billed dinosaur, named Lophorhothon atopus.
But even though paleontologists have been combing over the bluffs for 80 years, there are still new fossils discovered with every trip.
The Mooreville chalk is about 360 feet thick in Dallas County, and more is exposed at Harrell Station with every rainfall, constantly bringing new discoveries to light. And amateur and professional paleontologists will keep visiting these desolate-looking chalk gullies and river and creek beds with their eyes to the ground, looking to see what nature has uncovered in the Alabama Black Belt.
Ancient Alabama – Mosasaurs
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Dennis Pillion | [email protected]
Ancient Alabama – Mosasaurs
Harrell Station Paleontological Site in Dallas County, Ala.
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Dennis Pillion | [email protected]
Ancient Alabama – Mosasaurs
Adiel Klompmaker shows mosasaur teeth and jawbones at the Alabama Natural History Museum in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
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Dennis Pillion | [email protected]
Ancient Alabama – Mosasaurs
The fossil skull and jaws of “Sweetie,” one of the largest mosasaurs ever discovered. Scientists estimate that Sweetie may have been up to 50 feet long. The remains were found in Lowndes County and are about 70 million years old.
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Dennis Pillion | [email protected]
Ancient Alabama – Mosasaurs
Fossil collector Benji Deason shows three mosasaur vertebrae he found at Harrell Station Paleontological Site in Dallas County, Ala.
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Dennis Pillion | [email protected]
Ancient Alabama – Mosasaurs
Additional mosasaur teeth and jaw bones in the collection at the Alabama Museum of Natural History on the University of Alabama campus in Tuscaloosa.
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Dennis Pillion | [email protected]
Ancient Alabama – Mosasaurs
Fossil fish vertebrae found at Harrell Station Paleontological Site in Dallas County, Ala.
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Dennis Pillion | [email protected]
Ancient Alabama – Mosasaurs
Adiel Klompmaker wraps and bags a fossilized fish bone at Harrell Station in Dallas County, Ala.
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Dennis Pillion | [email protected]
Ancient Alabama – Mosasaurs
Ricky Mims next to the spot where he discovered an 82-million-year-old partial fish skeleton at Harrell Station Paleontological Site in Dallas County, Ala.
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Dennis Pillion | [email protected]
Ancient Alabama – Mosasaurs
Harrell Station Paleontological Site in Dallas County, Ala.
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Dennis Pillion | [email protected]
Ancient Alabama – Mosasaurs
The back fins and tail of “Artemis,” a juvenile mosasaur found in Greene County that is one of the most complete mosasaur skeletons ever found.
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Dennis Pillion | [email protected]
Ancient Alabama – Mosasaurs
Mosasaur teeth, jawbones and vertebrae on display at the Alabama Natural History Museum in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
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Ancient Alabama – Mosasaurs
Coprolite, or fossilized dung, showing the vertebrae from a fish that a predator had eaten some 82 million years ago.
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Ancient Alabama – Mosasaurs
A fossil mosasaur skull in the collection at the Alabama Natural History Museum in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
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Dennis Pillion | [email protected]
Ancient Alabama – Mosasaurs
Fossil collector Benji Deason shows three mosasaur vertebrae he found at Harrell Station Paleontological Site in Dallas County, Ala.
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Dennis Pillion | [email protected]
Ancient Alabama – Mosasaurs
Adiel Klompmaker and members of the Alabama Paleontological Society look for additional fragments of a partial fish skeleton discovered by Ricky Mims Harrell Station Paleontological Site in Dallas County, Ala.
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Ancient Alabama – Mosasaurs
Harrell Station Paleontological Site in Dallas County, Ala.
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Dennis Pillion | [email protected]
Ancient Alabama – Mosasaurs
Small rocks on pedestals at the Harrell Station Paleontological Site in Dallas County, Ala.
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Dennis Pillion | [email protected]
Ancient Alabama – Mosasaurs
The rear fins and tail of Artemis, a juvenile mosasaur found in Greene County, Ala. in 2002.
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Dennis Pillion | [email protected]
Ancient Alabama – Mosasaurs
The skull of a massive turtle found near the Black Warrior River north of Demopolis, Ala.
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Ancient Alabama – Mosasaurs
AL.com reporter Dennis Pillion at the Alabama Museum of Natural History.
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Dennis Pillion | [email protected]
Ancient Alabama – Mosasaurs
Harrell Station Paleontological Site in Dallas County, Ala.
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Dennis Pillion | [email protected]
Ancient Alabama – Mosasaurs
The remains of the mosasaur nicknamed “Bossie” were found along the Tombigbee River in Greene County in 1993.
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Ancient Alabama – Mosasaurs
The remains of “Bossie,” a mosasaur found in Greene County, Ala. at the Alabama Museum of Natural History.
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Dennis Pillion | [email protected]
Ancient Alabama – Mosasaurs
Adiel Klompmaker at the Harrell Station Paleontological Site in Dallas County, Ala.
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Dennis Pillion | [email protected]
Ancient Alabama – Mosasaurs
Adiel Klompmaker looks for fossils at the Harrell Station Paleontological Site in Dallas County, Ala.
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Dennis Pillion | [email protected]
Ancient Alabama – Mosasaurs
The spine and front flippers of Artemis, one of the most complete mosasaur skeletons ever recovered.
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Dennis Pillion | [email protected]
Ancient Alabama – Mosasaurs
Reconstruction of a prehistoric fish on display at the Alabama Natural History Museum in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
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Ancient Alabama – Mosasaurs
An 82 million year old turtle shell at the Alabama Natural History Museum in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
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Dennis Pillion | [email protected]
Ancient Alabama – Mosasaurs
Adiel Klompmaker shows a metatarsal (foot) bone belonging to a hadrosaur with a shark tooth embedded in it. The bone was found in Greene County and is approximately 80 million years old.
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Dennis Pillion | [email protected]
Ancient Alabama – Mosasaurs
Fossil hunter Hayley Nedbalski explores the chalk gullies at the Harrell Station Paleontological Site in Dallas County, Ala.
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Dennis Pillion | [email protected]
Ancient Alabama – Mosasaurs
Size comparison of turtles at the Alabama Museum of Natural History.