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Hopped out after work today and found a Hotspot. Found 3 fairly good trilobites, another whole, but damaged I believe. Still haven't cleaned it. Will post more photos in a bit. I am super stoked! Thanks again guys!

Got our of work late today and hightailed it to an area that I wanted to check out. It started off slow, finding a butt here and a head there. I climbed higher to check the ground out above and found a single butt. I decided to drop back down just a bit and walked up onto a smorgasbord of trilobits in a section of formation that was fairly freshly exposed. Running out of time I dropped down a bit more and continued to find parts. Then it happened! I spotted it and quickly snatched it up hoping it was whole! I examined it and felt like a kid again I was so excited. I scanned about another 5 feet or so but had to leave. I know a good starting point now when I go back! I will post the photo of the whole, then add photos of today here in a bit. Thanks to everyone that gave me tips and encouraged me! I'm stoked! For it cleaned up and it is perfect!

So jumped out after work again today. Same deal. Found 3 or 4 frags within minutes of arriving. I was stoked and was feeling that today was going to be the day. But it turned out to not be the day. I did find some super cool stuff and I really need to start taking the time to take more in the field photos to share with you guys. I just feel so rushed since time is limited and I am after what seems to be a unicorn ... hahaha. I found a couple huge sections of bryzoan I believe, and numerous other fossils including lots, and lots of trilo-bits. The past couple of days I have been leaving almost all of them and keeping just a few. Anyhow....here are a few photos from today. First photo, cephalopod, and not sure what the dark string looking thing to the right of my hand is. Any ideas guys? Second photo, a few trilo-bits that I brought back. See if you can see them. Third another section of matrix containing a head and butt. Last photo, the longest run of crinoid stem that I have found to date. Thanks for looking, and if you have any tips that may help me out in my search, please feel free to share. Thanks to you that have given me tips and advice, I appreciate it greatly!

Found this today, the one on the left. Not sure that I have even seen a fragment like this. Bumpy kind of like a crab leg.

Found in a creek In Vermillion county Indiana. it’s light and covers the entire length of my hand. Looks to be a joint but I am VERY new to all of this

Hopped out for a short hunt again today. Instantly found 3 partial Flexicalymene meeki. Then another, and another. Loads of Isotelus fragments. I really thought I may find my first whole trilobite. But it didn't happen. I am going to keep at it as much as I can. I am determined! Hahaha. I have high hopes for a few different areas that I have hit. A few photos. First photo a head fragment. Second photo head fragment. Third photo, head and butt. Last photo are Isotelus fragments that I actually kept I believe. The one on the far right I am guessing is from the butt, and the one to the left I have no clue. First one I have seen with bumps like that. You guys have any clue?

Quick hunt after work, and found this. Hoping it is an Isotelus head. Had nothing with me so dropped lighter next to it and my fingertip. Possibly head fragment with spine running under the matrix and broken tip at my fingertip

New to hunting, and need help with ID, thanks

This past weekend I spent the parts of 3 days collecting in Lawrenceburg and St. Leon, Indiana and well as up and down the AA Highway in Kentucky. Here are some random pictures of the sites I collected. Here are some miscellaneous finds- burrows, Trilo-bits, Bryozoan, horn coral, brachiopods, trace fossils, etc. My favorite finds are always hash plates. I love how they show a snap shot in time. Although I mainly collect Mazon Creek fossils, I still like nice hash plates from the Ordovician more, some of them have so much stuff going on. Zoom in on the pictures, they are really cool. Continued on next post-

Two weeks ago I had the opportunity to collect a few specimens from the Waldron Shale of Indiana. I was hoping that a little vinegar would take off a bit of residual matrix left on a few specimens. It did not work well as little came off. Does anyone have experience cleaning these fossils????? Thanks for any tidbits of information!!!! Mike

This is from a visit to Whitewater Gorge in July. I don't know exactly what it is, so any help would be appreciated. I am not very familiar with the Whitewater, so I used basic ID that I could find, but I don't know what to say about this. I thought it was a brachiopod at first but I'm not so sure of that now. Pictures may not be the best quality. Dimensions of fossil: Approx. 1.2cm long by 1.3cm wide

I collected this trilobite from the Massie Shale (Silurian) in Indiana. It has no rostrum, which made me think it was Calymene at first. However it has some disarticulation, so perhaps it is a Spathacalymene with no rostrum. The furrows on the pygidium don't appear to extend to the margins, which I believe suggests Spathacalymene. A second opinion would be appreciated though.

Crowdsourcing / help request! I'm putting together a review article for the fossil collector community on the Devonian rocks of the American midcontinent, which I've defined as the gray area on the map below plus southwest Ontario. I'm hoping to include a section in which I highlight the midcontinent fossils of greatest renown for each of a number of taxa (list below). (I purposely leave "renown" as a somewhat squishy quality open to multiple interpretations.) I would appreciate (1) your nominations of any midcontinent Devonian fossils of great renown that I have failed to capture in the list below and (2) your assistance in filling in the blanks marked with "????" Thank you! List is below. Microbes: ???? Marine algae: ???? Sponges: Formosa Reef Limestone, SW Ontario Rockport Quarry Limestone, NE Michigan ???? Corals: Widder Formation, SW Ontario Jeffersonville Limestone, S. Indiana Petoskey Limestone, NW lower Michigan Hyolithids: Arkona Formation, SW Ontario Tentaculitids: Arkona Formation, SW Ontario Conulariids: ???? Bryozoans: ???? Brachiopods: Silica Formation, NW Ohio ???? Pelecypods: Arkona Formation, SW Ontario ???? Gastropods: Rogers City Limestone, NE Michigan ???? Non-ammonoid cephalopods: ???? Ammonoid cephalopods: Arkona Formation, SW Ontario Pelecypods: Dundee Limestone, NW Ohio Arkona Formation, SW Ontario Rostroconchs: Dundee Limestone, NW Ohio Trilobites: Silica Formation, NW Ohio Arkona Formation and Widder Formation, SW Ontario Haragan and Bois d'Arc Formations, SE Oklahoma Non-ostracode crustaceans: Chagrin Shale, NE Ohio Arkona Formation and Widder Formation, SW Ontario Silica Formation, NW Ohio Echinoderms: Arkona Formation, SW Ontario Silica Formation, NW Ohio Thunder Bay Limestone, NE Michigan Graptolites: ???? Fish: Rockport Quarry Limestone, NE Michigan Columbus Limestone, central Ohio Cleveland Shale, NE Ohio Woody plants: Ohio Shale, Ohio Herbaceous plants: Grassy Creek Shale, E Missouri

There are road trips and then there are road trips. I've planned many a family vacation without a single mistake. Sometimes we hit a hitch if the plane gets rerouted due to weather or something. As much as I love Chicago, I avoid it not because strange things happen when we get too close. (I'm a little concerned about what tomorrow may bring as we pass close by.) But, it was never due to my poor planning. The last two weeks have been crazy! I had it all planned out around being in the Black Hills on Monday and Tuesday of this week. Five days out from approximately Philadelphia, five days in South Dakota, and five days home with a day to sleep off the trip before Rick went back to work. I checked the itinerary twice. I asked my hubby, Rick, to double check it. We hit the road. The first few days went as planned. If this is Saturday, this must be Ohio kind of things. We spent the night in a castle and fossil hunted at a dam spillway in Ohio. We looked for more fossils along a waterfall in Indiana. We spent the night in a wacky, artic themed hotel room in Illinois. We visited a cave in Minnesota and looked for more fossils. We camped out in Buffalo Gap National Grasslands and looked for gemstones. It was all going swimmingly. The first goof was missing lodging for a night in South Dakota. No biggie. we'll just find a place for the night, although if I had figured it out, I would have opted to sleep under the stars in the free campground at the national park for an extra day. At least we had a nice shower. It also gave us extra time to admire the geology of Spearfish Canyon, complete with a run down the natural waterslide at "Devil's Bathtub." Two days later, we got to the field station for our Hell Creek dinosaur hunt, the whole reason for the trip. We got there 15 minutes early… and waited. Eventually we realized that people should be there by now and checked the reservations. It wasn’t Monday and Tuesday, it was Tuesday and Wednesday. Oops. This means that everything for the rest of the trip is now off by a day and the lodging for this leg of the trip dries up a night earlier than we need it. We decided to camp out in the Spearfish municipal campground the last night in SD. I rested a continuing migraine and Rick sat down to Google Maps and Expedia to figure out the rest of the trip. The Hell Creek Hunt was freaking awesome and will get its own trip report, but the highlights included unearthing a big fossil log along wit a triceratops tooth, a champsasaurus tooth, a 66-million-year-old turtle toe bone, and a rather large log that will probably take years to fully excavate. The next big thing on the agenda was hunting with a fellow fossil buff I’d met on The Fossil Forum. He lives on the Iowa/ Minnesota border. Somehow, when was copying and pasting Google maps told me that I needed to go to Indiana, not Minnesota. Well, that puts a monkey wrench in things! We rerouted everything and I sent my fossil friend a message about the change in plans. Then I forgot to hit send. I wondered for two days why he did not reply. Finally he asked if I was still coming. I said yes, we’d be out his way tomorrow; that we were on our way to DesMoines, a few hours away. Well, It IS a few hours away, but we were already EAST of him and had no buffer time before Rick had to be back to work on August 1st. So, this is the one thing we just had to skip. BOO! Crossing my fingers for our next trip west, @minnbuckeye SO, now we are playing the next few days by ear as we hop from DesMoines to somewhere to Cleveland and then home. Do I dare to try Mazon Creek in the heat of summer with a million ticks? Brave my Chicago jinx? Find crazy roadside attractions and just stop as we see signs? Only tomorrow will tell. Regardless, we’re having a ball. The roof rack on our minivan is loaded with fossils and pretty rocks. We got loads of sunshine. We have stories to tell. It’s all good.

I volunteer at a museum prepping some Waldron Shale material and was particularly proud of this Calymene. Thanks for looking! —————————————————————

More from the fossil box mentioned in my previous posts, I’m not quite understanding the note that looks like Inspssu ? Insposu? On these crinoid looking ones - any insights? Thanks

Hello everyone, I recently purchased this plate of brachiopods and bryozoa from the Waldron Shale in Indiana. I received a label with it but to me, the IDs on there do not seem right, so I wanted to ask here for your opinions. Here is the whole piece: I'll start with the ones I think I have identified. First, the brachiopod on the left in these photos: I think this is a Dictyonella reticularia due to the overall shape and the surface ornamentation which looks close to the specimens I have seen in my research. This was the only species listed in a list of fauna I found from the Waldron shale although other sources have other species from this genus. Originally it was labeled as Meristina nitida. Next, the small pyritized shell: Originally this one was labeled Orthis hybrida, that did not look right to me at all, I did a bit of searching and am now wondering if this could be Resserella sp.? not sure which species though. And finally the ones I am most confused about, the multiple bumpy shells: I think it is pretty clear these are Atrypids, they were labeled Atrypa reticularis by the seller. I have many brachiopods from this genus and species but have never seen any with such prominent shell ornamentation. I tried digging though fauna lists and other resources but other than that species I haven't found much. Does anyone know what this one might be, and if my other IDs are accurate? Any help is greatly appreciated. Thank you for taking a look, Misha

Hello all, it’s been a long time. I started getting back into fossil hunting now that I’ve gotten older. I had the chance to go out fossil hunting last month with my fossil club and a few friends. I’ll post the pictures over time of my finds. We went out to southern Ohio and southeastern Indiana. We stopped first at Caesar’s Creek. I had never been to any of these sites so it was very exciting. Everything at Caesar’s Creek is tiny, and you aren’t allowed to take anything larger than your palm/hand home with you. The most common find were absolutely tiny brachiopods which literally litter the spillway floor. If you want to find anything, you’ll have to get on your hands and knees. I managed to find plenty of brachiopods and a few bryozoans. But the best finds were 6 of the smallest whole trilobites I’ve ever seen or found. All of them smaller than my pinkie nail. Followed by some nice gastropods, a few pieces of horn coral, and a section of a cephalopod shell with its inner chambers partially intact. I was bummed that I didn’t find an isotelus roller but there’s always next time. If anyone could help with ID on these that would be greatly appreciated. More to come in other posts in this thread. Sorry for the poor photography, all I have is my phone camera.

Hi folks, I made a long trip to several sites yesterday and brought home a couple of oddballs. First up, from St. Leon, I think this is Tetradium. I've found it before at this site and had it id'd here, but this appears pyritized and a bit different, maybe a bit larger segments? Thoughts? Second, from Lawrenceburg. I thought this was a giant gastropod wrapped in bryozoan when I first found it, but now I think it's just a very snail-like bryozoan growth. Can you see the spiral? Also from Lawrenceburg, is this oddity. The crater thing in the middle. Looks a lot like a crinoid calyx seen from the bottom, but I've never seen a calyx like this from either of these ordovician sites. Has a very bryozoan like texture around the top, but then gets smooth as it goes down. I suspect this is also a really odd bryozoan growth, but tell me what you think. Finally, there is this thing. I've been really wanting to find an Isotelus, so when I saw this, well, I said some choice words. Apologies for no scale, this was perched pretty high up in the Lawrenceburg cut. It's still there, as I convinced myself it had to be something else and it was on a big slab. It was around 6-8" long from top to bottom in the photo. I actually brought home a partial one of these before, but never ran it down to figure out what it is. It has a very defined edge along the right, that has a small "bead" on it, if you will. (Bead like in woodworking, if that helps.) Thanks!

Hello all! Been a bit since I posted last! I've more than a few trips since then but I thought I would start posting more on the website and less on "facebook." In April, I was granted a trip to two quarry sites in Indiana where I live. Normally, these sites offer myself and several of my friends access 2-3 times a year. While at the second quarry site and finding nothing I was getting irritated and slammed my 3lb hammer into the quarry floor. What came up was a cephalopod that I have yet to find in great condition. Dawsonoceras! I did the best prep I could with my pneumatic drill but an air scribe would have helped to make a better presentation. I hope you enjoy! More to come from some of my adventures!!!! Steve

I officially got notice that my Belotelsonid and trace fossil cf. Protovirgularia dichotoma were accepted into collections at the Indiana State Museum!

Yesterday (5-5-23), I decided to take a quick 4 1/2 hour trip (350 miles- one way) down to the tri-state area to collect Ordovician road cut fossils in Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio. Before heading back today I did more collecting and also hit the Geo Fair that was held in Sharonville, Ohio. This post will show the types of fossils that I came across, some I kept, many I left and some will be passed out at the ESCONI Braceville Shaft Mine trip tomorrow. BROOKVILLE, INDIANA- This is a great roadcut to collect, but it is a tall location on 45 degree angle and very easy to loose your footing and slide down. There were a ton of Turkey Vultures flying overhead, here are a few. Vilandistrophia (?) Partial Caritodens Rafinesquina Stromatoporoid- Ambonychia- Ambonychia and Caritodens- Cyclonena- Hebertella- Horn Coral- Other misc pieces-

I found this fossil imprint while looking for arrowheads out in a farm field today in Parke County, Indiana (west central indiana). I’ve found a number of fossils from the area in my life but have never seen one like this. Anyone have an idea? The imprint does not continue around the other side of the rock. What you see in the image is all that’s there.

Hi Everyone my name is Henry from Indiana. Love fossil finds. but especially Indian arrow heads