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Today was a nice “Mazon Creek Fossil Day” at the Coal City Library presented by ESCONI (Earth Science Club of Northern Illinois). The library. There were about 45 people in attendance which included some FF members. There were a number of displays that contained Mazon Creek fossils and you were able to purchase the various MC books by Jack Witry @fiddlehead. Fossils- Some of the attendees- (L) Rich @stats and Marty. Continued on next post.
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This is the Mazon Monday post from the ESCONI website this morning. There were numerous Fossil Forum users.... @bigred97 @flipper559 @RMAA. I know there were others there. Please add yourselves. ---------------------------------------------------------- The Fall 2023 Braceville Field Trip is in the books... is is that on the web? It was a enjoyable, but somewhat wet, weekend. We had rain at the very end of the day on Saturday and most of Sunday. The mud was not too bad. The dry conditions this late summer probably left the shale in a state where it could soak up a good bit of the water. We had visitors from out of state both days. Alan Keith was very generous and passed out fossils from Texas and Oklahoma. The fossil dump was as good as ever. We had quite a few buckets on both days. Unfortunately, not as many people stuck around until 11:30 on Sunday, as we had a steady rain for most of the morning. Material was supplied by Ralph Jewell, @Nimravis Andrew Young, Rich Holm, Alan Keith, and others. Thank you for your contributions! Good morning! Here is a little introductory video on the walk in on Sunday morning. It rained quite a bit Saturday night, so the shale was sticky in places. Here is a Mazon Monday post about the history of the Braceville spoil pile. It was called worm hill by the old timers. Fossil Dump on Saturday Good luck horseshoe found by Chris Berg @bigred97. Huntin' for fossils! Smiles from the pile! Mud! Poison ivy! Steam from the hill when the sun came out on Sunday afternoon Open fossils found! Say goodbye to another successful field trip!
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Hello! I had the privilege of joining ESCONI to Mazon’s Pit 4 yesterday and came across this concretion. There’s a very good chance it’s nothing, but I thought the 3D shape might be peculiar. The concretion is about 1.5 cm wide in total. Thank you for looking!
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Is this a Mazon creek insect? It has these strange lines on the front. thanks for your time Trilobites_are_awesome.
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I have a lot of unopened Mazon Creek concretions and though I do put some out in the winter for the Freeze / Thaw process, the vast majority, especially the larger ones do not open. So to dwindle my concretions, I have no problem whacking them with a hammer, and that is what I was doing today. As we all know, this is not the best way to do it since it can damage a nice specimen, but I take my chances. I always picked up any concretion that looked promising and never passed up larger ones. This all depends on the are that you are collecting, concretions from Pit 11 are never super large, but Pit 4 always produced larger ones - see below. Though these are large, they are by no means my largest. The vast majority of the time there is nothing inside, like the one below. Other ones produce something nice, like this Alethopteris that I cracked open today. Cleaned up_ A couple of my other finds from today, nothing spectacular, but is nice to get rid of the dud ones. Neuropteris Annularia Annularia, Neuropteris and Bark Asterophyllites Bark Essexella asherae Jellyfish
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Hi all, is this a Hesslerella shermani isopod from the Mazon Creek? It is from the Braidwood area Pit 11 I think it is one but I am no expert in this area
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I went surface collecting, looking for fossils near Terra Haute Indiana and and came home with a number of concretions. Most were pretty plant fossils, and one was a plant hash plate and then there was this concretion. I dont know what to make out of it, so any help or suggestions will be very welcome. It is approximately 3 inches by 1 inch , and I am showing upper and lower sides.
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Hello everyone! I've been inspired by so many good Mazon Creek topics in this forum, I thought I would start my own. I'll post my own finds, which so far don't include anything as exotic as a Tully Monster, but maybe I'll get lucky on page 134 or so... I have to credit my kids with getting me interested in fossil collecting. I was always interested in rocks and fossils but when my 10 year old son had his dinosaur phase it really sparked my interest again. I wondered if an ordinary person like me could go out and find fossils? So I Googled fossil collecting and found out that not only could I search on my own, one of the world's best sites for amateurs was just 3 hours away! The date I discovered Mazon Creek existed was 9/10/2017. I know that date because earlier in the day was the last ESCONI trip to the Braceville spoil pile for the year - I just missed it! So in May 2018 I finally went on that trip and was hooked. Since then I've gone to Braceville several times, the I&M Canal trip once, and a handful of trips on my own into Pit 11. I want to thank too many people to list for helping me learn about this new hobby. Everyone I've met on the field trips has been so friendly and helpful. And if you have posted something about Mazon Creek on this forum, I've read it. Special thanks to Nimravis for his Sometimes You Have To Whack It thread, which he started the day after my first trip to Mazon Creek - it has taught me so much and I'm so impressed at what a genuinely nice person he is. And Andrew Bach's book from his American Fossil Hunt site is wonderful, so so helpful. With that, onto the fossils (and lots of questions from me). I thought to start I would show some of my jellyfish, all Essexella asherae, I believe. I find it interesting that they are all so different, although they tend to fall into various "types" - some have a distinct "head", others are just faint outlines, some are just cylindrical shapes. #1-3 below are all from Pit 11 - the first two have a distinct head and the other is more cylindrical. For anyone who hasn't heard of Mazon Creek, these fossils are found in siderite concretions from the mid-Pennsylvanian epoch of the Carboniferous period, from roughly 305-310 mya. Cheers! Chris
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I had a concretion open up. I am confused what it could be, I was thinking some kind of worm, and I thought it had a weird texture and I was wondering if anyone has any insight.
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I am looking for ID confirmation on these 3 pieces. The first one I found at Pit 11 in the 90’s and the last 2 were found by my Fossil Mentor Walter in July of 1977 and September of 1979, respectively. According to the info that Walter had on those 2 pieces, he brought them to the Field Museum, as he did many times, to show to Dr. Richardson for ID’s. Richardson identified them as Cephalopods. I believe the ID name is Wiedeyoceras. @stats @fiddlehead @RCFossils Found in the 90’s- Pit 11 Found in 1977- Pit 11 Found in 1979- Pit 11
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So obviously it’s pretty poorly preserved but I’m pretty confident this is a worm (probably Fossundecima?) I’m just not 100% sure if im correct because of how hard it is to look at. Hope I’m not seeing things.
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I'll update this thread with my Mazon Collection over the next few weeks. With some good weather out yesterday, I managed to get my first fossil hunt in for the season and will post a report in this topic. I will be moving this upcoming summer which will put me even further from Mazon Creek so I have purchased a few pieces to fill in the genus/species I haven't found yet and will mention if I purchased a fossil. I still hold out hope to find some of these pieces I purchased eventually but will realistically be difficult if I only can make 1 trip a year. Fauna Tullimonstrum gregarium A weathered eye-bar I found on my first trip several years back. There is an eye spot evident under the right light. Still the only piece I have found at this point. Euphoberia armigera (Purchased) Acanthodian indet. (Purchased) Note: Under magnification the scales are present. Cyclus americanus What's a Mazon Creek thread without some Essexella asherae? I still like finding these guys despite the vast amount I have found. Here are a few of my favorites: Note: My largest piece, this is about 6-7 inches in diameter. A couple shrimp pieces. I believe Belotelson magister (Traded for the first one) Here is a cool insect wing from the order Palaeodictyoptera. (Purchased) Now I believe this piece may be a Dasyleptus sp. and if it isn't one, I would love to be corrected! Europops danae (Purchased) Mazonomya mazonensis I'll add to this thread with additional fauna and flora later and will continue to add as I go through freeze-thaw cycles.
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On Sunday, I finally went again the Mazon Creek and later a Bond Formation rock formation of Pennsylvanian age, around 300 Million Years ago, in Braidwood, Illinois and Oglesby, Illinois with three friends after some scheduling adjustments. The trip was awesome and we collected a pretty impressive fossil haul. At Mazon Creek, We mainly hunted for fossils around the shores of local power plant cooling pond (which despite apparently having water temperatures that day of 100 degrees Celsius, still had a decent amount of birds resting on-top). We saw also a large rock pile on the other side of the lake, which we tried to get to on foot, but after an hour of walking decided to head back and try our luck next time. We then went to Oglesby. I'm still cleaning most of the Mazon Creek fossils, so for now I'll be showing my and my friends findings from the Oglesby site. It was pretty hot and got a little cut up on the rocks, but the fossil haul collected was awesome!!! Small jumping spider we found at the Oglesby site. A piece of either coral or Brachiopod one of my friends found in Oglesby. Anyone got an ID for this specimen? Pretty Impressive Crinoid Stems collected as part of the day's Oglesby fossil haul!!! But this next specimen is probably one of my favorites from this recent fossil haul. It's a partial Ctenacanthiform tooth tip (Possibly Gilkmanius sp.) on a limestone slab with some brachiopod fossils also attached (of which I put it recently under a dissecting scope). Based on the thickness and size of the tooth, the shark it came from must of been a pretty decent sized animal when alive!!! A pretty descent Neospirifer brachiopod specimen!!! This next specimen was truly an unexpected find for myself as I've seen a Ctenacanthiform tooth from the bond like this in person before (most I've collected and heard about are of a black coloration where this is a mixture of black, grey, and brown). I must say it's very beautiful and definitely from a Ctenacanthiform shark!!! But I'm curious as to what Ctenacanthiform species it could've come from? Any thoughts on its ID you guys?
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Hi all, I have been collecting at Mazon Creek for several years, but I have not run into anything like this. This particular example was collected in September of 2020, but I just recently got around to freeze-thawing. Any suggestions on what it could be, if anything at all? Thanks! Ethan
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Hey everyone! Here are two of my findings from the most recent trip to pit 11 (Mazonia-Braidwood) that just opened. I would very appreciate any help with ID! 1. This is a worm-shaped structure that I don't think is a polychaete - I am not seeing any segmentation or jaws. The "gap" at the apex (closer to the center of the concretion) seems like some kind of a structure and at the base of it there seem to be some grains concentrated in a circle (see microscope pics). My working hypothesis is a barnacle, Illilepas damrowi, with the "gap" being a slit between the valves? Sorry for the lack of scale, still in search of my ruler. The fossil itself is about 2.5 cm long. Close-up of the slit. 2. I have absolutely no idea what this could be, but the shape seems defined enough to potentially be recognizable. Is this a plant bit? A segment from some arthropod? The fossil itself is only 5 mm. My first thought was a trilobite hypostome, but those obviously cannot be found in Mazon Creek deposits.
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I was going through some pieces from a long time ago and am looking to see if anyone has an ID on these two pieces- each one is on 1/2, I do not have the other half. This first piece I think it a partial Roachoid, what do you think? This next piece is small and I am thinking that I am seeing an insect wing, what do you think? @RCFossils @stats @connorp
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Hey everyone! Haven't posted here in a while, and thought I would come back with a trip report. Recently I became interested in Mazon Creek fossils - something unusual for me as a vertebrate person. I finally managed to get out in the field this spring and visit the Mazonia-Braidwood State Park and the Braceville spoil pile through an ESCONI trip. I have collected at quite a few Paleozoic sites before, but this was my first time hunting in the Carboniferous! I went to Mazonia with a friend on a weekend in early April, when there was no foliage and it was sunny outside. I read a lot of threads about Mazon Creek on this forum and we decided to go straight through the bushes to search for the most inaccessible areas we could find. Here are a few concretions. Sadly, both of these turned out to be empty Also found a first Pennsylvanian garter snake Here is our total haul for ~4 hours. The only non-Essexella thing we found already open was this coprolite (?). By the way - if you see any errors with identification in this thread please correct me, I'm still learning a lot about this awesome deposit. Then came the freeze-thaw. I decided to cheat a little and use the -80C freezer in the lab I work in, which shortens the freezing part of the cycle to a few hours. At this point, most of the concretions from this trip have already opened: My nicest and largest Essexella ascherae. Another Essexella (after vinegar). When it opened, I first thought it was some arthropod segment, but I like it anyways. This one is weird. Coprolite? Probably nothing (?), but the pyrite is pretty. A plant of some kind, probably not identifiable. And my favorite find: I believe this is the apex of a Calamites sp. - segments are clearly visible. This concretion didn't want to open for over a month, so I got frustrated and dropped it from the 4th floor of my building as I didn't have a hammer with me... Don't do that.
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Hi All! I had the chance to head out last Sunday with my kid and again for a few hours yesterday solo - both times we came back with very heavy backpacks. It’s not easy collecting, but neither of us mind the army crawl in the underbrush. We’re still learning what to take and what to leave - just my 3rd and 4th trip there (thanks to fellow member and friend tom_mo for showing us the ropes and getting me addicted!!) We look for the small water created gully’s in the steep hills, lots of these have been collected over the years but just as many have not it seems. Or maybe the good collectors have just left all the big Essexella and midsized open concretions! Ha It’s so exciting when we find a vein that has loads of nodules - very addicting! I do use a hand held 15$ Home Depot hoe/cultivator to disturb the surface and move moss and leaves, and sturdy gloves to sift through the piles - it really helps. Still have to clean and prep the open ones from yesterday and start soaking these for freeze/thaw - but here’s some pics of the trove from each trip! I’m going to start a separate thread with some questions I have for the long time Mazon Creek collectors - hope you have some time to help a newbie out! Thanks for stopping by! Patrick
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Today I stopped at a friends house (Marty H.) and picked up about 10+ bags of Mazon Creek fossils. I have done this a number of times over the last couple of years. I go through them and place them into buckets so I can bring them to the ESCONI Braceville Shaft Mine Trip and dump them out for the participant’s. I like to go there with several buckets full of fossils. I went through a few bags and here are a few pictures of some of their contents. These fossils came from Pits 2, 3, 4, 11 and Dresden Lakes.
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I have been gradually splitting the concretions that I collected this May with the ESCONI. I have not found anything earth shattering, but it is addictive. I go down to the freezer each day or two and see what is ready to open. The first three photos are from a 5 cm flat/oval concretion , and the last is from a small 1.2 cm circular concretion I am quessing that these are cnidarians, but any and all help will be well appreciated.
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The first one is incredibly small and was really hard to photograph so I apologize for the quality. Looks like some kind of arthropod to me, like an insect nymph? On the last picture of it I circled what appears to be antennae. It’s was really hard for me to capture that on camera but it’s much more prevalent in person. Second seems to be some type of flora? But I think it’s poorly preserved and I’m not sure if it can be identified. Any opinions are appreciated. Thanks.
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This one opened today and looks a little funky. I’m guessing worm. Any thoughts?
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Ok I’m pretty sure this is a reach but I’m gonna keep thinking about it until I get clarification. Could this be Mazonova helmichnus? I very highly doubt it is and I’m pretty sure it’s just mineralization but I’d like to know in the off chance it is. Thanks!
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I was very lucky to go with the Esconi fossil club this May to collect Mason Creek concretions. I want to thank every member of that club for help and friendliness to a stranger. I brought back a number of concretions. This one certainly has something in it, but it is not complete and I have no idea what it is ( or isnt). All help and suggestions will be greatly appreciated
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I’m sorry these photos are probably awful cause my phone quality is awful lol. But I had a few small concretions from mazon creek that opened today and these two im having trouble identifying. 1st reminds me of an egg case but I highly doubt it. It kinda looks like coprolite too. 2nd a bivalve of sorts?
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