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wow. This place seems very interesting ! the Nodules look alot like the fossil nodules in the conasauga formation in Georgia! I would Love to go there and collect some. So this area is only open to hunt for a certain time of year? Or can you go there in the winter if theres no snow of coarse?

I cannot find anything specifically about the Pennsylvanian of Texas. It looks very similar to either Brooksella or Laotira, which were once considered to be fossil jellyfish and have now been reinterpreted as either traces fossils or sponges. Go see “Recognizing Fossil Jellyfish, Ancient Shore Blog” by Graham Young, 2010, at http://ancientshore.com/2010/12/05/recognizing-fossil-jellyfish/ Also, look at: Ciampaglio, C. N., Babcock, L. E., 2006, Reinterpretation of Brooksella from the Conasauga Formation (Cambrian) of Georgia and Alabama, USA. Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. vol. 38, no. 3, p. 4 https://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2006SE/finalprogram/abstract_101563.htm Schwimmer, D. R., and Montante, W. M., 2007, Exceptional fossil preservation in the Conasauga Formation, Cambrian, Northwestern Georgia, USA. PALAIOS, 2007, vol. 22, pp. 360–372. http://www.researchgate.net/publication/250083071_Exceptional_fossil_preservation_in_the_Conasauga_Formation_Cambrian_Northwestern_Georgia_USA In addition, same is said about Conostichus, which is now regarded to be a trace fossil. Go see "Conostichus trace fossils" at http://viewsofthemahantango.blogspot.com/2012/03/conostichus-trace-fossils.html and “Odd Texas Pennsylvanian Fossils” at http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php/topic/22986-odd-texas-pennsylvanian-fossils/ Finally there is Conostichus ornatus, which looks more like your fossil, at http://www.clastics.com/conostichus.htm . By the way, I am not an jellyfish expert. Do not expect me to be one. Yours, Paul H.

In loving memory of when this guy had a nearly complete exoskeleton (portion of the tailshield's exo flaked off at some point ), I'll start off inverts. December 15th, 2018 Aphelaspis brachyphasis Late Cambrian, ~500 MYA, Conasauga formation Chatsworth, GA Positive: Negative:

Well since it is snowing in the Chicagoland area (expecting 6-12” tonight), I decided to go through some Conasauga matrix looking for trilobites, here are my finds. I know that they are not the sexist trilobites, but I do love being able to cut thru the matrix with a hacksaw.

Some bugs in this last set are nice and big, relatively speaking. I tried splitting some of my Conasauga matrix after soaking in water for a couple of hours, and the splits were even worse than the drier matrix. As a test, I soaked a couple of pieces for several days, and those split cleanly and easily yesterday. I'm now soaking more, so I'll see how they turn out after a few days.

My final destination would be the Conasauga river trilos

Kids are great. My son and I spent Saturday picking up rose quartz (100lbs) and some very deep blue translucent aquamarines. Conasauga next week.

Check the entries below carefully and cast your vote! PM me if you notice any errors with the entries. The poll ends October 9th. Be sure to vote in our other FOTM poll, HERE 1. Phyllograptus typus & Tshallograptus tridens (graptolites) - Early Ordovician, Bendigonian Formation - Spring Gully, Bendigo, Victoria, Australia 2. Zamites gigas or Otozamites graphicus - Middle Jurassic, Aalenian, Saltwick Formation - Yorkshire, England 3. Favosites placenta (tabulate coral with epibionts) - Mid-Devonian, Hungry Hollow Formation - South Pit, Hungry Hollow, Arkona, Ontario, Canada 4. Hildoceras ammonite - Toarcian (Jurassic) - Yorkshire, England 5. Aphelaspis brachyphasis trilobite - Conasauga Formation, Middle Cambrian - Murray County, GA 6. Zaphrentis rugose cup coral - Middle Devonian - Dauksiai Village, Joniskis District, Northern Lithuania 7. Lingulida brachiopod - Early Cambrian - Siauliai City, Northern Lithuania 8. cf. Thalassocystis striata (non-calcareous alga as carbonized compression) - Schoolcraft Formation, Middle Silurian (Niagaran Series) - Manistique, MI 9. cf. Leperditia sp. ("giant" Ostracod) - Schoolcraft Formation, Middle Silurian (Niagaran Series) - Manistique, MI 10. Syringopora sp. coral - Naco Formation, Pennsylvanian - Northern Gila County, AZ 11. Crassostrea gigantissima oyster valve - Sandersville Limestone, Late Eocene, 33 mya - Sandersville, GA 12. Hippurites nabresinensis rudist - Campanian, St. Bartholomä-formation (Gosau-group) - St. Bartholomä, Styria, Austria 13. Blister pearl in Pycnodonte oyster - Cretaceous - Monmouth County, NJ

While visiting family in Georgia, I decided to take my older brother on a Cambrian Bug Hunt. There is no better place to go than a little exposure in Murray County, Georgia that lies under a bridge and next to the beautiful Conasauga River. The Upper Cambrian (Aphelaspis Zone) trilobites found here include Aphelaspis brachyphasis, and Agnostoids, among others. This is a relatively small exposure and depending on the height of the river, it can make the exposure that much smaller or not accessible at all. I was down her in May on my way back from Sanibel Island and I was not able to collect due to river conditions. The other thing that is small with this site is parking, if cars are parked correctly, you can fit 2, but no more that that. I also collect early and leave as much room as possible for any other collectors. Here are a couple pictures of the collecting area and the steep and often slippery descent. We were were only able to stay for two hours due to the fact that my brother got injured, but I will touch on that at the end. Here are some of my finds, I also collected matrix to work on later. Aphlelaspis brachyphasis Aphelaspis brachyphasis and a Agnostoid portion. Besides the mudstone, trilobites are also found in a harder grey shale. Here is a very large portion I found on the ground ( 35 pounds) and I will work on this piece at home. As you can see, there are trilobites found in it and many times they have excellent preservation. One handy tool to have there is this folding hacksaw, it allows me to trim pieces in the field for easier storage. As I stated above, my brother had an accident, really a slip and fall. Besides watching how you go up and down to your car, you have to watch the loose matrix. He went to adjust how he was sitting and the loose matrix caused him to slip. It appears he broke or dislocated his left pinky finger and we left so he could go to Urgent Care. Be careful collecting anywhere.

There are a total of 3 Southeastern Geology papers with trilobites: McMenamin, M.A.S., & Weaver, P.G. 2002 Proterozoic-Cambrian paleobiogeography of the Carolina Terrane. Southeastern Geology, 41(2):119-128 PDF LINK McMenamin, M.A.S., & Weaver, P.G. 2004 Middle Cambrian polymeroid trilobites and correlation of the Carolina and Augusta terranes. Southeastern Geology, 43(1):21-38 PDF LINK Schwimmer, D.R., & Montante, W.M. 2012 An Aphelaspis zone (Upper Cambrian, Paibian) trilobite faunule in the central Conasauga River valley, north Georgia, USA. Southeastern Geology, 49(1):31-42 PDF LINK These papers also have info on the South Carolina (Asbill Pond) trilobites: Maher, H.D., Palmer, A.R., Secor, D.T., & Snoke, A.W. 1981 New trilobite locality in the Piedmont of South Carolina, and its regional implications. Geological Society of America Geology, 9(1):34-36 McMenamin, M.A.S. 2002 The Ptychoparioid Trilobite Skehanos gen.nov. from the Middle Cambrian of Avalonian Massachusetts and the Carolina Slate Belt, USA. Northeastern Geology and Environmental Sciences, 24(4):276-281 PDF LINK Samson, S.L. 1984 Middle Cambrian fauna of the Carolina slate belt, central South Carolina. M.Sc. Thesis, University of North Carolina at Wilmington, 54 pp. Samson, S.L., Palmer, A.R., Robison, R.A., & Secor, D.T. 1990 Biogeographical significance of Cambrian trilobites from the Carolina slate belt. Geological Society of America Bulletin, 102:1459-1470 Secor, D.T., Samson, S.L., Snoke, A.W., & Palmer, A.R. 1983 Confirmation of the Carolina slate belt as an exotic terrane. Science, 221:649-651

This summer has been great for me. After learning so much about fossils on the forum I decided to convince my wife to make a few side trips on our way from Ft Myers to Shawano, Wisconsin for our 50th anniversary celebration...she has no interest in fossils, but indulges me, so you can see why our marriage would last 50 years. At anyrate, our first stop was the little Conasauga formation near Dalton, Ga...north of Atlanta. I've been there before, and so decided to simply fill a box with pieces of mudstone to take back for door prizes over the year at my local fossil club meetings. That was fun because I know almost every little chunk will produce some nice trilobite fossil. From there I had convinced my wife to stop at the Jersey Road cut by the Harsha bridge over the Ohio River. That road cut is even larger than the well known one I hunt near St Leon, Indiana. I had stopped there because I had read there were edrioasteroids there, it having been part of the sea floor....oops...The road cut , like many, cuts through lots of differernt layers...and is terraced. From the images I had found on line, I decided to hunt the very top section. The formation I was looking for was the Bellevue Formation, but I have no idea where it was. The site was overwhelming...no, that is a wrong word, awe inspiring is better. I didn't have alot of time, so I looked and carried out a backpack of 70 # or so....of layered sections so I could crack them at home. (And that pattern of operation would serve me the rest of the trip as well. ) I will post a few of my interesting pieces for this site on this note, nothing great, but interesting to me. From there, we drove to New Salem Illinois to avoid the Chicago corrider. On our way from New Salem north, I realized we were close to the site of the famous Mazon Creek nodules. Once again, my lovely wife, agreed to stop, but on our way home. We had rented a house on a lake near where we both grew up, and had our children's families come stay with us for a week of fishing, and visiting. Great time. My children live in Michigan and Maine, and my grandchildren rarely get to see their cousins unless we arrange things like this. So it was gratiying to have them all so thoroughly enjoy each other. We had a great time. After the cottage, we decided to head through the middle of the state for a 4 day visit to my sister near Madison. ( me checking out possible future fossil sites and my son-in-law who is an avid bird watcher, hoping to see the endangered Whooping Crane. I had hoped to be able to fossil hunt near Madison and had asked on the forum for help...being told to look along highway J. There wasn't time. Though we did underetake a trip to Cave of the Mounds near Dodgeville, and lucky me, on the way back to Madison, I noticed a quarry by the side of the road. We stopped and I was able to look for a half hour, picked up three stones from a discard pile for inspection and cracking later, and headed on. Leaving Madison the next day, I was excited to be able to visit the Mazon Creek site...I had been told , nodules are hard to find in summer with all the overgrowth, but wanted to make this bucket list stop anyway. Again, as on the Ohio, the site can be overwhelming. Having asked for a good place at the reception desk, and following the advice I had received from the Forum associates, I headed out. Once again, I wish I had someone along who knew what to look for...I mean, when you are picking up rocks to open later, you don't want to pick up and carry a bunch of things that are rocks, and not nodules. To hedge my bet a bit, I decided to crack a few rocks I thought promishing, they looked somewhat like they had layers. If I found something, I'd be ahead of the game in knowing what type of rock to pick up....Success....I cracked a rock along a seam and there inside is "something"....LOL, I know, I know. Can't tell what it is , but it is something, so I picked up a bag of similarly looking rocks and headed back to car to add yet another collection to my growing car rockpile for searching later. By the way, many of you suggested the best time to hunt is in early spring or fall, and that sometimes the workers plow areas to upturn nodules at the Mazon site. Where I hunted was a washout from rain. And the receptionist said the rangers sometimes burn the vegetation along the edges of the ravines at these wash outs so they don't get so overgrown as to prohibit collecting....I came across one such ravine, and could have stayed all day. Well, I am back home safely, now planning my annual trip to the Apalachicola and Chipola rivers to search for Miocene shells. I am back on my home turf and somewhat know what I am doing here. I believe that is one great advantage for the forum as well....that is, to be able to meet someone in another part of the country who is familiar with an area to hunt, and then hunt together. We often see such trips happen, and I am so proud to be a part of a group that accomplishes such service to one another. Now that i am familiar with the areas, I too , may well arrange a trip with a buddy, when I have more time to explore. The few images attached are from the Jersey cut. I thought the crinoid stem, with little bumps around the outside was interested...and the crinoid stem center with stalk material around it was really interesting to me. While it doesn't show in the photo, under my loop, the material around the core is made up of a pattern like that of a sunflower seed head...intricate, and wonderful to contemplate. The other hashplate has those little triangular cross-sectioned needle like pieces...and I don't know what they are. I am hoping someone lets me know. Thanks. (oh, and one Whooper)

It reminds me of the matrix from the Conasauga Formation in GA where I collect trilobites.

Had time to crack any of the Conasauga bugs open? Would love to see more stuff from my favourite local paleozoic site!

After my last trip to my favourite home-grown trilobite site on the Conasauga in May, two things have happened: 1: Due to a packed June and whacky schedule (since Philmont has, for all intents and purposes, burnt to the ground, cancelling the trip ), I have been on somewhat of a hiatus for the Forum. 2: July also seems to be packed, with Mom getting surgery for cancer soon, and still facing the reality that Dad isn't there. With all this happening, I haven't had much time to go on fossil hunts. Just over a week ago, I had my first college tour at GCSU, as well as a prep and specimen lab behind-the-scenes tour with my newfound friend Ashley Quinn (who I came to know through PAG (she being the president), of which I'm now a member! ). It looked just like it does in the documentaries, so now I'm stoked about going there, almost entirely forgetting I have to get through senior year in high school first. This trip has also, quite unsurprisingly, refueled my hunger to find old petrified dead things. Now looking for something to liven up what has honestly been quite a downer summer, I'd like to take a crack at finding something that I've been thinking on hunting for quite a while now: Eurypterids. The only problem is, aside from Lang's Quarry which for all I care is an entire continent away and might scare anyone taking me with the pay-to-dig stuff, I've had little luck in finding a place that produces the overgrown lobsters. Anyone got tips for a place that might be somewhat closer to home near the peach?

I would gas up for a road trip out to Conasauga (trilos), and pick up a case of cold brewskies. Best $50 ever spent.

Tony, Though I don’t live in Georgia, I would suggest the Conasauga Formation in Murray county, but due to it’s location, down a steep hill and along a fast moving river ( at times), coupled with the lack of parking ( max 2 passenger cars if lucky), I would have to an actual visit off of the list for safety and accessibility reasons. With that said, I could supply you with a medium Priority box of matrix that they could work through in groups and also supply some representative fossils. Let me know if interested. Thanks

Also, on the "sponginess" of "Brooksella," first, I have specimens with marginal oscula that seem to be just openings, but I will double check on that back in the lab. Also, assuming these Cambrian things are just that, an ancient group, it is not parsimonious to assume they had the same morphology as later sponges. I've seen a lot of variability among sponges, and as with most taxa, no single (or even several) morphology is invariant. I was initially curious about the rarity of preserved axons, but the Conasauga nodules are odd and seem to represent a fairly novel sedimentary situation. As I noted, we find these things in all manner of shapes and sedimentary situations. I assume the spicules became part of the silica that became the enclosing material. Still some unknowns.

Hello: I see a number of discussions about the ID of Brooksella, and a figure from one of my papers. I think a fairly simple answer to many of the questions is that "Brooksella" is not a unitary thing. I have seen literal hundreds in the field and examined thousands, and I noted a lot of variability, including many in situ aligned with sedimentary bedding. We have sectioned many of them and observed inclusions and sedimentary bedding parallel to the enclosing strata in many, suggesting they were simply silica cemented sedimentary structures. Some also contain trilobite fragments. I suspect the specimen with a complete trilobite on it was simply some sticky substrate which hardened into the stricture. It would be interesting to know if the trilobite was complete (i.e. dead) or a molt. Many are clearly sponges, given the presence of symmetrical oscula on the lobes. I am not sure the argument that they are hexactiellids is definitive: they could also be siliceous demosponges. I was originally considering Seilacher's argument for trace fossil affinity for some of them, but we have collected "Brooksella" with both negative and positive structures: that is, a 5-pointed mold rather than a cast: I'm not sure how you get that by filing a trace. I have also worked for decades in the Conasauga and never found traces in the shales enclosing the "Brooksellas" other than tubular and branched shapes. One would think a few unhardened lobed traces might be seen if they were feeding structures. One more point: one comment was why scientists can't make up their minds about this. The answer is that science is the process of searching for information, not the data itself. Complicated questions are often open ended, like this discussion. Identifying "Brooksella" definitively has some open ends, so it still counts as science. If we ever establish precisely and definitively what something is, it becomes a fact to use for additional science, but is no longer science. Cheers.

Thanks for adding those links, Doushantuo! I'm going to try to be restrained here. Schwimmer & Montante's work on the Conasauga stuff doesn't fill me with a warm, fuzzy feeling. The last link, to the presentation, is actually pretty informative... but not in the way he might like. Trying to call those little spherical 'sponges' Eiffelia globosa shows a substantial failure of understanding as regards what Eiffelia is actually like, irrespective of interpretations. The one with 'possible surface expression of spicules' can only work if it had completely different spicules (and arrangement) to Eiffelia, for example. You can't recognise Eiffelia globosa purely on the basis of globosity. It just ain't so! Some of the other bits are dodgy too (that "arthropod appendage"... hmm...), but the sponges take the biscuit entirely. The 'spicule' evidence is also really unconvincing. The main problem is that it's very easy to see cross-shaped structures, or even just lines, and say you've found spicules. One of the classics were the ones described by none other than Martin Brasier (et al., 1997, image below) that held the record as the earliest reliable Precambrian sponge remains... before they turned out to be arsenopyrite crystals when re-examined twenty years later. Don't believe that there are spicules just because someone claims it and shows a low-res image... And this, of course, is why Brooksella is still such a delicious controversy, all those years after it was first discovered. It probably is a concretion growing around a trace fossil, but the waters have been so muddied by other claims that nobody's sure of anything any more!

posting something hopefully/potentially useful here(Ciampaglio et al/2006): Richter's(contra Kinkelin's* interpretation) "Pleurodictyum" interpretation(PZ/1925) *Kinkelin(Devonian Orthoceras-shale/Germany): so: a "medusoid(coelenterate)" Gamez et al(Geobios,2006--///CAMBRIAN,Pedroche Fm) Specimens do NOT overlap,suggesting phobotaxis) Not suggesting any taxonomic affinity,BTW trilobites&Brooksella Conasauga spicules:

Check the entries below carefully and cast your vote! PM me if you notice any errors with the entries. The poll ends May 7th. Be sure to vote in our other FOTM poll, HERE. 1. Barrandagnostus inexpectans Trilobite plate with Aphelaspis brachyphasis fragments - Cambrian, Conasauga Formation - Chatsworth, Georgia, USA 2. Fusinus Gastropod - Middle Oxfordian, Late Jurassic - Varena town, South Lithuania 3. Lichidae Trilobite Hypostome - Early Devonian - Varena town, South Lithiuania 4. Cypraeoidea Cowrie Shell - Middle Miocene, Fyansford formation - Fossil Beach, Mornington, Victoria, Australia 5. Petrified Wood of Coniferous Tree - Early Cretaceous, Patuxent Formation, Potomac Group - Washington DC, USA 6. Megalograptus Eutypterid Sea Scorpion - Late Ordavician, Pontgravé River Formation - St-Mathias, Quebec, Canada 7. Euproops Xiphosuran - Asturian (Westphalian D), Late Carboniferous - Piesberg quarry, near Osnabrück, Germany 8. Reptaria stolonifera Embedded on a Cephalopod - Devonian, Cedar Valley Formation, Coralville, Iowa, USA 9. Indeterminate Goniatite - Middle Devonian, Hamilton Group - Deep Springs Road, Lebanon, NY, USA

As you all are (hopefully) aware at this point, there are countless scores of fossiliferous formations all across the world, each with its own name. What formation's name do you like the most? I'd have to go with my home town Conasauga Formation. It has a really nice ring to it (and of course, there's some home-town bias in there ).

Well, I posted this in the id section and no one could say for sure one way or another. A chlorophyte / green algae? They do occur looking much like this in the Conasauga Fm. but not necessarily at this location. I don't know, but I'm staying sort of on the fence. The longest string of attached cells is 2 mm .

WOW! ! ! You did have a productive trip even without the Conasauga stuff. I love the 'heteromorph' turitella like gastropods , and the shells bored by Natica ? and the brachiopods, of course. Oh and the Escharopora ! You take wonderful photos and lay the specimens out so nicely they look even better. The little cowries are so sweet!

Murray County Georgia- I stopped here to collect trilobites, but due the the amount of rain that GA has had, the Conasauga River was too high for me to get to the area that I was looking to collect- I will get it next time. Lawrenceburg, Indiana