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IDing my Waldron Shale finds is going well, but I hit a snag when getting to Atrypa. My research shows Atrypa reticularis is a common brachiopod found in the Waldron. Also mentioned was Atrypa newsomensis, for which I could not find a picture or description of. My finds include what look like two different Atrypa species but could be the same. There are smarter members than I that hopefully can set me straight on this. The first specimens are what I feel are Atrypa reticularis. The next group are much more ornate. They remind me of Spinatrypa beulla of the Devonian.

September found me exploring a rock formation I had never encountered before, the Waldron Shale of Indiana. It was impressive, offering up many gems (fossils). This post is picture heavy but stay with me!!!!!! First up is a typical hash plate. I am usually attracted to hash plates but discovered only one came home with me. Next time It will be a priority to collect more! Next up are the brachiopods of the Waldron, many of which were identified by the help of Adam's Silurian post. He will likely have some corrections for me, which I will welcome! Most specimens contained a mineral crust that took some effort to remove. The results were worth the effort. The next brachiopod I labeled Homoeospira, but these were definitely wider than the ones above. Notice the two ribs in the sulcus on the next brachiopods: Only 1 rib in the sulcus on these: Atrypa was the most frequently found larger brachiopod: My guess is that these are some form of Stegerhynchus but are much smaller and very thin: Rugosa coral was an uncommon find for me. Favosites, on the other hand, were found frequently: This tiny favosite grew around a crinoid stem: As for Bryozoa, I picture this unique one. It grows around a piece of algae. The algae dies, leaving the bryozoan standing hollow! This is the only species of sponge found: Initially, my thoughts were that the next specimens were TINY horn coral. But after seeing specimens of Cornulites from the Waldron on line, my thoughts changed. I welcome opinions on this! While collecting, I did not know a cephalopod ended up in my bucket. It was tucked in some matrix saved for another fossil, only to be discovered when I broke apart the rock at home!! This happens to me quite often and is why my tendencies are to save the whole piece of matrix a fossil is in until I prep it at home. Surprises then can happen. The species of ceph eludes me as it does not match the ones mentioned existing in the Waldron Shale. Trilobites seem to be commonly found in the Waldron, so I was a bit disappointed not coming home with a complete bug. Next time!!!! For some reason, I found 4 loose eyes of Glyptambon and almost left them behind. But after they were cleaned, I am glad to have kept them. Platystoma are common gastropods found. If you look closely, the flat spirals are P niagarense and the raised spirals are P plebelum: This next gastropods, Strophostylus cyclostomus, are very tiny (4mm) and ornate. My favorite: P:yrite seemed to grow on all of the fossils and needed to be removed. But once in awhile, some beautiful crystals would show up! And in addition, an occasional geodized brachiopod would be found: I will finish this post in a few minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Crinoids left to come.

Finished up a beautiful specimen of Eospirifer radiata (Sowerby) from the Silurian Waldron Shale Formation Indiana, USA. This species is not uncommon in the Waldron Shale however, fully inflated specimens with the shell intact are hard to come by. In addition, collecting a specimen with all the fine detail and epifauna is even more a challenge. This piece has it all as it was completely buried in the matrix as you can see from the photos. After 4 hours of preparation with air scribes and air abrasive the exquisite detail is realized. This is easily one of the best specimens of this species I have in my collection. Specimen collected and prepared by me.

Large Platyostoma niagarense gastropods were plentiful in the Waldron Shale that I collected in this early Autumn. But these tiny gastropods kept showing up and I can not find their identity. In the first picture, a P. niagarense is the large specimen. The smaller gastropods next to it are what confuse me. Maybe they are just small Platyostomas. But subjectively, their spiral is higher. And their coloration is different.

First up is a large trilobite pygidium I am not accustom to. Next is what I am guessing is a cornulites. My hunting grounds are devoid of these. Or is it a tentaculites??? There were quite a few of these found as I went through the matrix. Finally a complete mystery to me. Sponge or some kind of echinoderm?????? Only one was found.

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

Hi, I went to St Paul, Indiana a couple weeks ago and was wondering what these two parts are? One is two inches across, the other is about an inch across. Trilobite parts? If so, what species? Thanks for any help.

I picked up this weird fossil at the quarry in St Paul, IN last year, found as is: on the ground, split in half. It seems to be studded with crinoid holdfasts and bryozoan encrustations. Any ideas what it is? Under magnification it is a beautiful specimen. Also, I'm tempted to sand/polish one of the halves to possibly bring out some details. Would this be advisable? Thanks for any help.

Hey everyone. I finally cleaned and attempted to Identify all my brachiopods from the waldron shale which is silurian age. These are from Shelby County Indiana They are all located here http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php/gallery/album/1442-waldron-shale-brachiopods/page__display__detail there are a few more I need to clean and post.