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Last month I made my last trip for the year into Pennsylvania. I was hoping to stop at Swope Quarry in Mapleton, but the site is now posted. With a quick change of plans, I decided to travel even further west and visit some Late Pennsylvanian marine sites that I had planning on visiting on a different trip. The two sites I visited expose the Brush Creek Marine Zone, Glenshaw Formation, Conemaugh Group. They date to the Late Pennsylvanian (Missourian). Fossil collecting at these sites was a lot of fun as the fossils just pop right out of the surrounding shale and can be picked up by hand. But they are very fragile! I felt like Dr. Frankenstein putting some of the fossils back together. I always wanted to add a Worthenia gastropod to my collection so I was really excited to add a couple at one of the sites. By the time I made it to the second site the sun was already going down and I had a long drive home. I ended up bringing back a big block to break down, and I was astonished to find a Metacoceras fragment in it. I apologize in advance for some of the photos. As some may know, the gastropods of the Glenshaw Formation tend to be very small and dark, so it is challenging to photograph them. I used my new digital microscope on some of them. I hope you enjoy! I tried very hard to find a correct identification for everything. If you have a different identification, please let me know. Cephalopods Metacoceras sp. Pseudorthoceras knoxense Brachiopod Neospirifer triplicatus Bivalves Astartella concentrica Solenomya trapezoides Edmondia sp. Edmondia aspenwallensis Coral Stereostylus sp. Trace Worm Burrow Gastropods Worthenia tabulata Strobeus primigenius Euphemites vittatus

I had the opportunity to collect plant fossils in Western Pennsylvania a few weeks ago. Success was had IDing the fern leaves. But I am having difficulty identifying the woody pieces found that are not Calamites. These came from the Glenshaw Formation, Mahoning Shale which is Pennsylvanian. I realize that a decaying swamp is full of twigs that likely are unidentifiable, but there seems to be structure in at least some of these which could lead to some sort of identification. I am hoping those knowledgeable with the Pennsylvanian flora can chime in. 1. Here are some larger pieces of plant material. Probably unidentifiable. Is the orange all plant with the centers structure being the piths or is the orange area staining and the only "wood" is the "pith" area? 2. Some smaller "twigs": 3. This one has evenly spaced projections which hopefully aid in identification. 4. This piece has some unique pattern to the wood: 5. Many circular items were exposed by spitting the shale. Would these be seeds or seed pods? 6. I like how busy and colorful this piece is. Is there anything identifiable? 7. Different types of plant material. Ideas? 8. This stem exhibits a pattern to it that may help with identification Thanks for looking!! I will try and post a trip report after improving my IDs!!!

I found this rock alone under a tree, so I'm pretty skeptical of it, but I'm also pretty curious. I looked up trace fossils that might look like this, and I thought it was pretty similar to Rusophycus. The rocks around it are from the Glenshaw and Cassleman Formations of late carboniferous Pittsburgh. The "print" is about 10 cm long in its entirety, and maybe a quarter cm deep or so. Could this be a print of sorts or is it just some funky weathering? Thanks!

Found this in some Pennsylvanian aged shale in Ambridge, PA at the well known mahoning exposure. It doesn’t have visible pinnae like the ferns I’ve found in the area, but it could just be a strange preservation. Any ideas - is this just a fern? Thanks!