John Wolf Memorial Field Trip to Odessa for Petrified Wood

by Robert Ertman, member of the Calvert Marine Museum Fossil Club

This field trip is organized by the Calvert Marine Museum Fossil Club and is run as a joint trip with other clubs in the region.

Once again we are going to collect petrified wood in Odessa. You and your clubs are invited. Signup by email directly with me (robertertman@msn.com) because I need to be sure that everyone knows the ground rules and the limits on the collection area. 

The trip is coming right up— Saturday, March 22, 2025. 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. 

Ground rules:  We will collect in the area to the left and right of the driveway as far back as the old house.  Everyone needs to sign up with me so that I know that everyone knows this and any last minute changes or other details. 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! There is more than one way to get there but if you go through Middleton, there is a good pitstop at the Starbucks at 454 East E Main St., and Wawa at 690 Middletown Odessa Road (same road as Main St. going out of town).  Your GPS is your friend.  If you get lost, my cell is 410-533-4203 (call, don't use messenger).Since we are meeting at the farm, I don't need to know if you will be late or if you decide to skip the trip.  I do need to know if you want to come. This is always a fun trip.