Search the Community

I found this rock while fossil hunting in Beaver County, Pennsylvania. The surface rocks there are Conemaugh Group. I don't know much about rocks and have no idea what this is. Please help ID. Thanks.

Two days ago I went with @Tales From the Shale and another friend on a fossil hunting trip to a Bond Formation Roadcut in Oglesby, Illinois with rocks dating around 307-303 Million years ago, to the Pennsylvanian section of the Carboniferous era. Hadn't been back to the site since October 2022 and it was good to be back! I was pleasantly surprised at the lack of snow. But it was clear it only melted very recently judging by the arm sized icicles and the mud. (Quick advice for anyone planning to go fossil hunting at this time in Oglesby: bring snow boots to balance yourself on the rocks and mud, they will be a life saver). Found the usual brachiopods and crinoid bits at first, but then I found a 5cm long crinoid stem (the most intact one I've found so far from the area). I don't know currently what species it belongs to. We worked for two hours at the site before heading to another site in Braceville before heading back to Chicago. Today, I looked at some of the specimens I found and realized I found a lot more than I initially expected. Definitely enjoyed finding the large brachiopods (the second one I believe is a large Linoproductus). Found some Bryozoan (species unknown), the first I've discovered in Oglesby. Found a small but still pretty cool Cladodont shark tooth around 1-2cm in length. Currently don't know the species yet. Another cool Brachiopod (I think it's a Punctospirifer species). Also found some Petalodus teeth, Trilobite pieces, and bits of Peripristis. I'll post those and more detailed images of the others when I have access to my college's microscopes later this week.

Does anyone know what this is? I found this rock in the wabash river bottoms in west central indiana two years ago. It’s not quite like anything I’ve seen around here (usually I get a ton of crinoids). The equidistant branches off the central ring remind me of a vertebrae, but that just seems too good to be true.

Howdy! I found a beautiful pseudorthoceras last week and last night I noticed a tiny white organism on the rock. It looks like several "Vs" strung together. Fossil is 0.5 cm, is from the Glenshaw Formation and likely Brush Creek Limestone. I have no idea what this thing is. Thanks for the help.

I found some pyritized plants a few days ago and noticed that one looks like a stem with seed pods. The fossil measures 2 cm and is from the Glenshaw Formation of Beaver County Pennsylvania. I'm nearly certain that what looks like a stem is a stem, but what are the three round things seemingly attached? Help is appreciated, thanks.

Hi, I’m new to the forum. I’m 27 and from western central Indiana. I have been interested in fossils my whole life but only recently within the last few years tried to identify the fossils I’ve found. Yesterday I found this strange design on this rock which is probably sandstone while hiking in a small stream. I’ve never seen anything like it before. Any help identifying this would be much appreciated.

Found what looks like a tooth fragment last week. I've only ever found Petalodus teeth in this formation and it doesn't quite look like those. There are no serrations on the fragment. This was found in Allegheny County, PA, is from the Glenshaw Formation and is probably out of the Brush Creek Limestone.Thanks for the help.

Last week I was hunting in my usual location in Allegheny County Pennsylvania (Glenshaw Formation) and found that several of my specimens have splotches of what appears to be pyrite crystals. With some of the broken fossils I could see that even the insides contained gold-colored pyrite. On the other side of these plates were what looked like rootlets covered in a pale green mineral. Is this pale green mineral pyrite as well? Is there some way I could test this? Thanks for the help.

Greetings! This is my first post, and a Newbie, although I’ve learned much from this forum already, thanks to you all. And now I’ve got a burning ID question: About 10 days ago I came across these pieces. All found together, loose on a hillside in the Sangre de Cristo foothills of northern New Mexico, Pennsylvanian subperiod, Flechado or Alamitos Formation. P. K. Sutherland and B. Kues state this area was probably a series of shallow bays and deltas. Most fossils here are marine. So, my first thought was fracture pattern, crinoids or worm burrows, but then I noticed the woody stems and what looks like short pieces of Calamites - horsetail stalk (see detail photos). After perusing other posts on this forum, these stemmed feathery swirls look to me like Cyclopteris or Neuropteris(?) They are imprinted in layered slabs of golden brown micaceous sandstone, unlike the marine fossils nearby that are in gray shale and limestone. FYI, my index finger is about 8 cm long. Piece A Piece B Piece C Side 1 Piece C Side 2 (flipped vertically) Piece C Detail - Calamites? Piece C Detail - Neuropteris? Piece D together (seam is in middle left to right) Piece D positive and negative, rotated clockwise from previous photo. Piece D Detail - Calamites (rust-colored in upper left)? Thanks very much for looking!

Hello, Could someone explain the specific distinctions between the Pennsylvanian-aged proetid trilobites Ameura vs. Ditomopyge vs. Paladin? They all seem quite similar-looking trilobites so I often have a hard time distinguishing them. Thankfully @piranha has already outlined Paladin vs. Ditomopyge in a PM, but I would like to know a comparison with Ameura as well. Thank you.

Today it was about 50 degrees out and I told my wife that I was going to go out for a little collecting today, so I drove 80 minutes South to a Pennsylvanian road cut in Oglesby, Illinois. This road cut has exposes the LaSalle Limestone member of the Bond Formation. Many members have put together numerous posts on this location and it is know for some very large brachiopods. When I arrived, I saw a familiar face, @connorp. I said hi to him and he advised me that he had sent a PM last night to see if I wanted to join him. I did not go on the Forum to see that message, but it shows that great minds think alike. It was great seeing Connor and his younger eyes find some nice things. I did not spend much time at this site, it was just nice to be out and I collected several brachiopods that I will be giving to my neighbors young son. As I and other members have stated in the past, you really have to watch yourself at this site, especially at this time of the year when ice is melting. Connor and I were talking at the upper portion of the cut at which time a rock fell off of the head wall, after 15 feet from where we were standing. The rock was about 1’ long and am guessing it weighed maybe 15 pounds, but could cause a problem if it hit someone. Here are a couple pics of the area and my few finds, again, all that are going to a young man who likes rocks and fossils.

Howdy! I'm finding some beautiful stuff digging in the Glenshaw Formation of Allegheny and Beaver counties. Hoping to find out/confirm what they are. The limestone finds I believe are from the Brush Creek Limestone. As usual, all help is greatly appreciated, thanks! Side view of Wilkingia? Never saw round leaves before Spiropteris? Sigillaria bark? Some sort of bone or root of a Petalodus tooth?

I found this piece in my back yard a couple of years back and I still don't know what it is. It is Pennsylvanian, Glenshaw Formation and from Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. Thanks in advance for all help.

Hi all, seeking some identification help from those familiar with marine vertebrates from the Pennsylvanian black shales (Nebraska, Missouri, etc.) I recently obtained a few ex. Ted White and Bill Rushlau specimens of Romerodus orodontus and a few very nice Iniopteryx rushlaui and one unidentified specimen was included. Just for context for some reading this, W.D. "Ted" White and Bill Rashlau were very prolific collectors of the Pennsylvanian black shales, primarily the states of Nebraska, Missouri and Iowa. The specimens that they collected and cataloged are in many museum collections. The Iniopterygiformes were named as a new order by Zangrel and Case, 1973, with the type species Iniopteryx rushlaui named after Bill Rushlau. Ted White was a recipient of the The Paleontological Societies Harrell L. Strimple Award, which recognizes outstanding achievement in paleontology by an amateur. Gerard Case also received this award in 1992. Location: Hansen Quarry, Papillion, Nebraska. Stark Shale, Pennsylvanian T. White collection notes: Sat., April 5th 1947. Spec. # 8284. "Shark - unknown sp. A 20 x 40 cm. mass of rough textured tissue. up to 7 mm thick in one area. No shagreen observed. General features this is a probable anterior fragment suggesting an individual approx. 1.5 meters in length. 50 or more distinctive teeth unlike any previously found in these shales. These teeth range in length from 5 to 10 mm. unlike the fairly common Cladodus tooth, these have a roughly triangular shape and have only 1 crown or cusp. About 40 of the teeth are partially separated from the mass and are more or less in a normal orientation. A circular 2.5 cm in diameter defined by some more calcified parts may be an orbit or the symphysial whorl." I do not see any features that point to elasmobranch, but the remains do more resemble some of the "blown out" shark remains I have seen from the Penn. black shales. The teeth, which are pretty distinctive, do not resemble anything I can turn up. I also considered that they may be dermal denticles, but the arrangement does not make sense nor can not find any Pennsylvanian aged denticles that match. The "teeth" indeed measure up to 10mm in length, as described in White's collection notes. I am hoping some of the forum members familiar with marine vertebrates from the Penn. black shales can help. Pic of full specimen (teeth circled in red), pic of area with teeth, and a close up of some of the more complete teeth.

This concretion opened up recently and I'm pretty stumped. My best guess is that this is a lateral view of some sort of pollen organ, but I haven't been able to find a match in literature. I was hoping someone here might have an idea? @paleoflor @RCFossils @fiddlehead

Appears to be several clustered together. I was thinking that it could be the base of the plant, where several stems branched off a shared rhizome (as seen in figure a). Thoughts?

As I have been researching large ctenacanthiform sharks from North America, I've been wondering if there are any known globally that are currently unnamed. I definitely know of the large Ctenacanthiformes Saivodus stratus (found in both what is now North America and Great Britain), the large Ctenacanthiform from the Permian Kaibab formation in Arizona, and the 'Texas supershark' (a likely large species of Gilkmanius) from the Pennsylvanian Texas Graham formation (all three as larger or larger than an adult Great White Shark (Carcharodon carcharias)). But are there any large ctenacanthiformes (at least in size comparable to a modern day adult Great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias)) currently unnamed that are also known? Ctenacanthiformes are known from North America, Greenland, Europe, Asia, and South America. https://www.mindat.org/taxon-P34476.html Even though study of Ctenacanthiformes as a whole is just starting to become more through within the past few decades, I'm wondering if anyone on the forum is aware of any currently unnamed Ctenacanthiform fossils from areas outside of North America of Great White Shark (Carcharodon carcharias)) size?

Not a true fossil hunting trip, but a hunt for an identification. In July last year, a saw a listing on online auction site for a fossil "shark/fish". I do not often make purchases on auction sites, as quite frankly I never see anything really cool, but I do look from time to time as I suspect many of us do. Something about the specimen caught my attention, but I was not certain based on the poor pics or info from the seller what the specimen was. I did email and asked some questions, with the response, "I bought it from an estate sale and have no idea what it is". I kept watching for a week - no bidders. I then did something unusual for me, I bid at the last min (I was the only bidder) and won. I just knew there was something cool about the specimen. I received the package and thought, it certainly looks very sharky, but unsure of an ID, I put it in the back of a display case thinking I would figure it out at some latter date. Fast forward to 2 weeks ago: a friend of mine sent me some pictures of disarticulated Pennsylvanian shark remains from MO in black shale, including pelvic fins and other remains. I was wracking my brain and going thru my reference material, but was having a tough time putting IDs on some of the material. I then remembered my copy of Case's, "A Pictorial Guide to Fossils" had some good images of Penn. sharks. I was flipping thru and wow - page 230, a near complete specimen of Cobelodus aculeatus = an exact match for the specimen I purchased in July! I had in my prior collection a few ex Case specimens, and have had him help me ID a few specimens many years ago. I was totally shocked, I had an ID and a near complete shark from Nebraska, and one published by Case. Even better was the cost !!! Image of my specimen and image from page 230, Case, "A Pictorial Guide to Fossils": Cobelodus aculeatus (Cope). An essentially complete shark in ventral position in black sheety shale. Wea Shale, Westerville Formation, Kansas City Group, Missouri Series (Westphalian D), Papillion, Sarpy County, Nebraska.

The Pennsylvanian of Texas is a strange and exciting place. Even though I've been going at this whole fossil hunting thing for about a year and a half, my experience in this age of rock is extremely limited. And yet, many of my most prized specimens have come from such hunts. I've had the pleasure of visiting a few of the more prominent Pennsylvanian sites to be had around Central Texas, but now that I'm back up North, I thought it would be prime time to check out a spot that many have put in good words about. Another local collector, @PaleoPastels, had also been dipping her toes in the Paleozoic, so we decided to go for a group outing along with her entomologist roommate to the famous Lost Creek Reservoir in Jacksboro and a couple of Bridgeport localities! Unfortunately, @BobWill couldn't make it for that day, but he was nevertheless very helpful with providing guidance and advice on hunting the Finis Shale. Nothing beats first laying eyes on a distant exposure. The walk felt like an eternity! The day started off early and, after a bit of confusion , we managed to make it by about 9 am. The air had yet to be warmed by the sun, so we were all feeling a little chilly as we walked to the bluffs, simultaneously exchanging gifts and introducing ourselves. I was relieved to find that Lari was just as nice as her online personality made her out to be and we got straight to chatting about, well, fossils. Cole wasn't as big on fossils as Lari, but he still showed good enthusiasm. We weren't expecting trilos here, but I was crossing my fingers that we'd get some in Bridgeport to fulfill his entomology interests. Looking to the left and to the right on the Jacksboro slopes Once we reached the grey base of the bluffs on the far right end, we were all immediately hunched over, gathering up bits and pieces of the wide diversity of fauna present at the site. The ground was literally covered in millions of brachiopods, cephalopods, and gastropods. Some of my favorite things to pick up were snails of the order Bellerophontidae. They've got such a unique look to them that drastically differs from the gastropods of the Mesozoic and Cenozoic. A Pharkidonotus percarinatus gastropod still in matrix We steadily made our way to the left, scuttling up and down the slopes over and over again. The initial excitement had waned and the pace of finds slowed; Now we were really trying to focus on getting some of the rarer/cooler stuff. Throughout the morning, I had been yapping away about conularids: How strange they are, how I was really hoping to find one, how this was the one place where they were almost common, etc. I thought we'd have found one a lot sooner, but the lack of results and recent rain got me a little nervous, I must admit. I was starting to regret talking about them so much, especially when Lari and Cole began getting more interested in them. Surely this place was so big, it couldn't run out of them, right? A recreation of how I found the first conularid of the day Well, I guess the place is big enough because the first conularid of the day was at my feet before I knew it. It's beat up, but the enigma surrounding this animal is enough put it on the top shelf. Throughout the day, I found a handful more. I offered some to Lari, but she would not be satisfied until she found one on her own, which I understand. To find out if she and Cole scored any, you'll have to wait for her side of the story . Fimbrinia plummeri Not so far from the first conularid, I picked up my favorite brachiopod of the day. This specimen was extra shiny and had some nice pointy spines, warranting placement in my rares/delicates ziploc. I thought I had reached the peak of the day when I was forced to stop mid conversation. Inches from my face, I spotted the subtle glint of wrinkled enamel attached to an inconspicuous pebble. If I hadn't seen one of these featured on the forum last Spring, I'd probably have moved right past it. The first fragment I gazed upon was the largest and very clearly belonged to the shark, Glikmanius occidentalis. I hurriedly gathered two more smaller chunks and tried to reassemble the tooth. Glikmanius occidentalis cladodont shark. Don't worry, I figured out to flip that smaller fragment around by the time I consolidated everything! Unfortunately, the tooth crowns and a piece of the base were nowhere to be seen. There was a little valley next to it, so the other bits may have been washed away for all I know. Nevertheless, these teeth are simply awesome. I have a soft spot for shark teeth, so a charismatic find like this will always be a trip maker! I wonder if ones with cusps still attached have ever been found? Consolidated tooth. It's pretty, but I'll admit @historianmichael has me beat with his from earlier in the year! We rounded off our time in Jacksboro checking out the far left side of the exposure, mostly around the flats. There, pyritic cephalopod micromorphs could be found in excess. Shown below is my best specimen from that area: Wiedeyoceras pingue? Thus, our time at Jacksboro had run its course and the path was set for Bridgeport. Lari was kind enough to share some turkey jerky and the best blueberry muffin I've had in a long time. We all had some nice finds out of it, but I'm sure the place is a lot more productive if caught right after a storm. This spot is definitely due for a return. After identifying everything at home, I now have a list of over 55 unique species to show for the hunt! Bob and DPS have pooled together some great resources for researching IDs, but it was nevertheless an exhaustive (and satisfying) process. Bridgeport Prior to the trip, I did some recon and found a short list of cuts around Lake Bridgeport for us to visit. Since the day was already getting a bit late, I decided we should visit only the best two of the list which exposed what I believe to be the Bridgeport Shale. It was a pretty short drive and soon enough we were back together with our eyes glued to the ground at the first spot. We were on the look out for trilobites first and foremost. Within about 5 minutes, I found the first trilobutt! First trilobutt of the day I'm not sure if there is more trilobite within the nodule, but I will try to work it down and find out. Unfortunately, the trilobites did not start popping up like crazy as I had hoped. Instead, we were mostly collecting gastropods and the occasional horn coral. I did at least manage to find a pretty death assemblage of Trepospira snails. Trepospira snails I will say the red stone eventually gave me some bad flashbacks of Woodbine busts from the past. At times, it felt like I was hunting in a pile of unfossiliferous landscaping gravel. As we began wrapping up, I managed to pull a chunk of matrix with some trilobite material on top, but I wouldn't say it's anything too impressive. Trilobite material We took a short drive over to the second and final cut which exposed the same sort of rock. I got skunked at this spot, but Lari and Cole each managed to snag their own trilobite and had success splitting the various nodules. I was happy we all came out of Bridgeport with some trilobite material to show for it! The day felt like it was gone in a flash, but my body was definitely calling it quits. It was fun to meet up with another forum member and explore some unknown territory. A future second get-together is for sure in the cards after some rainy weather . Throughout writing this report, I've left out a lot of awesome finds so Lari can share them herself. So, keep an eye out for her side of the story! Anyways, here is an overview of the finds: Top L to R: Metacoceras sp., Gonioloboceras goniolobus, Brachycycloceras normale, and Euloxoceras greenei 2nd Row L to R: Pseudorthoceras knoxense, and Ephippoceras sp. Bottom L to R: Rugobactrites jacksboroensis, Wiedeyoceras pingue?, and Domatoceras sp.? Top L to R: Lophophyllidium spinosum, Paraconularia crustula, and Lophophyillidium plummeri 2nd Row L to R: Fusunilids, and Incrustospongia meandrica Bottom L to R: Fenestella sp., and Tabulipora sp. Note: Syringopora sp.? not pictured Top L to R: Rhipidomella carbonaria, Neospirifer dunbari, and Punctospirifer kentuckyensis 2nd Row L to R: Lissochonetes geinitzianus, Wellerella osagensis, and Neochonetes granulifer Bottom L to R: Meekella striatocoastata?, Crurithyris planoconvexa, and Hustedia mormoni Top L to R: Hystriculina texana?, Echinaria semipunctata, and Kutorginella lasallensis Bottom L to R: Composita subtilita, Kozlowskia splendens, Fimbrinia plummeri, Eridmatus texanus?, and Phricodothyris perplexa Note: Differentiating between Hysticulina and Kutorginella was a bit of a challenge. Top L to R: Glikmanius occidentalis, Archaeocidarid plate Bottom L to R: Various crinoid parts including a regenerating spine on the far right. The spine left of it has strange circle impressions on it. Top L to R: Nuculopsis girtyi, and Astartella concentrica Bottom L to R: Yoldia glabra, and Allorisma costatum? Top L to R: Cymatospira montfortianus, Knightites tennulieata, Pharkidonotus percarinatus, and Euphemites vittatus 2nd Row L to R: Euphemites multiliratus, Knightites tennulieata?, Trepospira illinoiensis, and Glabrocingulum grayvillensis Bottom L to R: Worthenia tabulata, Soleniscus primigenius, and Strobeus paludinaeformis Top L to R: Amphiscapha subrugosa, Donaldina sp.?, and unknown gastropod Bottom L to R: Pseudozygopleura semicostata, and Meekospira choctawensis Hashplates: Bridgeport: Thanks for reading!

Hello, Does anyone know who would be the go-to authority on Pennsylvanian crinoids of North America? The most prominent paleontologist I can find based on publications is Harrell Strimple, but he's unfortunately passed away many years ago. I have some specific questions I'd like to ask. Thanks.

As I was recently doing some research on the prehistoric shark genus Cladodus, I came across some info that classifies the genus as a member of the family Cladoselachidae, Order Cladoselachiformes. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cladoselachidae This is somewhat confusing to me as mindat and the Paleontological Database aka fossilworks list Cladodus as a member of the family Ctenacanthidae, Order Ctenacanthiformes. https://www.mindat.org/taxon-8657177.html http://www.fossilworks.org/cgi-bin/bridge.pl?a=taxonInfo&taxon_no=104838 I'm personally leaning more towards Cladodus being a member of at least the Ctenacanthiformes. But I'm curious what are the origins of this taxonomic confusion on the genus Cladodus's phylogenetic placement in the Chondricthyan family? Is Cladodus a member of the Cladoselachiformes or Ctenacanthiformes? What do you guys think?