Search the Community

Hey all! I'm new to this site, but I've been interested in fossils all my life. I kind of joined this forum on a whim since I've been doing a lot of internet surfing recently. I'm on a quest of sorts to try and find any trilobite remains in my state, (I live in Green Bay, WI) but I'm not having much luck. I've been all over the internet looking for any known collecting sites in Wisconsin. I'm well aware of places like Fossil Park in Sylvania, Ohio, and I'd absolutely love to have a chance to visit Penn-Dixie in northwest New York, but I don't really have the time, so I've been trying to find somewhere in Wisconsin that I can drive out to for a day or two. However, I haven't had much success. I've heard of some more well-known sites, but I can't really figure out if any of them are open to collecting of any kind, and I'd rather know beforehand. I've used this website (Click here) to try and narrow my search, but I can't really find much info on any of these places or what kind of fossils they may have. One of the most promising leads I currently have is Olde Stone Quarry in Door County. It's an old limestone quarry, but I'd still like to know if there's somewhere more promising for looking for trilos. Any opinions? (Summary): Anybody know of any specific places in Wisconsin where one can search for trilobites? I can't find much info on collecting. Any leads are appreciated

I recently went to Penn Dixie for the first time and was not disappointed. Our tour guide first showed us the youngest rocks, then the pyrite. Here I found a tiny juvenile Tornoceras, Bactrites, and out guide showed us that individual septum can be found (see this post). I also found a fragment of a non-pyritized tiny Eldredgeops thorax. I found what HynerpetonHunter says is worm coprolites, and a few tiny brachiopods. Then, we went to the place where phosphate can be found. After that, we stayed a little at the place where fossils from the oldest layer were deposited in the soil, and I found a Naticonema gastropod, among the rarest fossils at the site! There were lots of brachiopods, crinoids, and rugose corals here. We then found some more corals, brachiopods, and trilobites at the most recent Dig with the Experts piles that were turned up for collecting. We walked towards the stream and on the other side found many bryozoans and coral (this time Favosites). I dropped my bucket of fossils but was able to find most of its contents again. We went to a place nicknamed "Crinoid Heaven", because of the sheer amount of crinoid columnals that can be found there. after that, we went to the original Dig with the Experts that was unearthed in 1993 (there wasn't much). After this, we went to where some trilobites are, but not as much as the recent Dig with the Experts site, so we went back. By this time our tour was over and we simply filled bucket after bucket of fossils. I found some Bellacartwrightia, Greenops, too many corals, and many, many Eldredgeops. I agree with Clary and Wandersee's (2011) rating of Penn Dixie as the top fossil park in the U.S. Below are some pictures of some of my favorite finds. First, some Eldredgeops. I prepped the top right cephalon with some dental tools. These can be found abundantly, but here are some of my best. ======================================= Some Bellacartwrightia. These are uncommon Asteropygines that are sometimes confused with Greenops. To prove that this cephalon belongs to Bellacartwrightia, look at its cephalon posterior border furrow - it continues down the genal spine, while it ends at the base of Greenops's. Directly above it is a juvenile's pygidium. Some more Bellacartwrightia pygidiums - on the same rock but on different sides. =================================================== A Greenops cephalon - the cephalon posterior border furrow ends at the base of the genal spine and does not deflect backwards. An enrolled Greenops in the matrix. Since Asteropygines have such this cuticles, I am going to wait to prep this one. Note: the scale bar is equivalent to 2 mm, not 1. ============================================= Now for the Gastropod! This is Naticonema, dorsal and ventral. ============================================ Mucrospirifer. ======================================= Placoderm bone? I am not that good with bones and any help would be appreciated on this one. I know more of these have been turning up lately, or at least being recognized. Penn Dixie was certainly worth the long drive and I very highly recommend it!

I was finally able to get back to Penn Dixie for the first time in a couple years. Between the pandemic and life just getting busy, it had been difficult to find time to do a little fossil hunting. But this past weekend I was able to make a few decent finds. I have a lot of the common fossils found at Penn Dixie so I was trying to limit myself to things I haven’t found before and/or better quality specimens. Here are a few of my finds, some of which I’m not quite sure what they are. A sizable hash plate with a nice bryozoan (my first at this site!) An unknown specimen, I don’t even know where to start with this one. Three E. rana: two rollers (one hidden), and a partial at the top of the photo. A few brachiopods, three of them had both sides.