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Hello everyone! I'm heading to St. Louis to observe the Solar Eclipse this week, which is likely to be clouded out. I'm trying to salvage the trip by looking for Trilobite fossils as I have read they can be plentiful in this area. Can anyone share tips on what to look for as far as formations? I think my best bet is to look for rock cuts on the highways in the area. Any help and even general locations to search are much appreciated. Thank you!

I've got an interesting fossil here and I'm wondering if it is a tooth, and if so, from what animal? It was found on the banks of the Mississippi River around St. Louis, Missouri, thus I have no clue what formation it is from as it could have washed out from anywhere upstream. The folds on one end remind me of dentine folds, and it is in line with being part of the grey, straight, line fossil on the edge of the piece. Also, the foveae around the alleged dentine reminds me of cartilage. Just north of St. Louis, MO, there is a quarry on the Illinois side where an anthrodire tooth was found in Cedar Valley Limestone (limestone & sandstone) -- this is what sparked the thought of it being a tooth. The white rock is chalky & soft, but doesn't seem to react much at all when I scraped dust into vinegar. The brown material seems ferrous & sandy. The grey part is translucent when a light is pressed against it. Sorry, I am not great at rock ID yet. Centimeter ruler is in brown, the grey grid is 1 in squares with 1/4in dots. Some of the high-magnification photos are through a 10x loupe connected to a phone. Let me know what kind of photos would help with ID -- mark particular points you want addition photos from and I'll do my best to get them promptly.

I've been picking up rockhounding again and recently found a neat rock on the Mississippi River around St. Louis, Missouri during this drought. After finding some recent chipped fragments of a larger boulder and taking them home, the patterning makes me think this might be more than just some beautiful banding -- perhaps algae, coral, or other? The regular nature of the banding and the perpendicular pitting/weathering is making me think it could be more than meets the amateur eye. Unfortunately, this boulder was dumped on the river, so I have little knowledge of what formation it is from. Most of the nearby rocks seem to be Mississippian limestone, but this is isn't limestone. Part of the longest photographed rock was exposed above the sand & clay when it was underwater, thus sandblasted smooth. The rock reacts a bit with vinegar, but not vigorously. The background mat is marking 1 in squares, and the ruler in the side of some photos is cm. Photos with circular black areas are taken through a 10x loupe attached to my phone. Please let me know if you want more photos of anything specific. The rightmost piece & last photo are the newly expose face that was chipped off when I found it. Advice for anyone reading this: Never step foot in the Mississippi River, and profusely clean anything you collected from the river. It is a dangerous and horrifically polluted river.

Any id on this one please? Also found near a creek. Beginner here. Thank you.

Any id on this please? Beginner here. Thank you.

Help!! I don't know much about fossils, but collecting them is a hobby of mine. I was in a creek in my backyard when I found these and have been trying to find out what they are to no avail. I find many crinoids, shells, and other ocean fossils often so my guess is some sort of ocean plant maybe? Just an educated guess but any help would be greatly appreciated.

Ever since I was youngster I've been fascinated with paleontology. I always thought thought the act of going out and hunting for fossils was far fetched... That I would spend hours and hours of searching and come back with nothing. Recently however I did some research on the topic and discovered that oceanic fossils are actually quit abundant and easy to find. After stumbling upon this new information I quickly purchased a rock pick and cold tempered chisel and gathered all the equipment I would need for my first fossil hunt - something I'd dreamed of for as long as I can remember. Last week my father and I set out to explore an area near Fenton which I heard was filled with loads of fossils and I must say that it was the most fun I've had in a long time. While my goal of finding a trilobite was a bust we found a lot of other cool stuff in an area of exposed rock along the Merremac river. Among the things were found were plenty of crinoids, brachiopods, horn coral, and bryozoa, a well preserved Archimedes screw, and, my personal favorite, a perfectly preserved gastropod (snail shell) about 1 inch in diameter. I also chiseled out a perfect spherical concretion which, as I understand, is essentially a fossilized meteor. There are also some rounder shaped things... I have no clue what they are. If anyone has any tips on how to clean up these fossils to make them look more presentable than they already are, please share (for I am clueless on how to do such things). Also if anyone has some recommendations on great place to hunt in the St. Louis area I'd like to hear them. I hear the Fern Glenn site is pretty good so I might try that next. On a side note... This fossil hunting... It's like an addiction... Now that I've had my first hunt I need more! I'm craving more fossil hunts! If I don't go another one soon I think I'm going to go crazy! -Jake