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Showing results for tags 'iowa'.
Found 130 results
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My wife found this jaw bone on a river sand bar in central Iowa last fall. I think it is a sloth jaw but not certain. The smallish size is what gives me a little bit of doubt. I have not found anything else other than a sloth that fits. Am I missing something? Thank you!
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Collected in northeast Iowa which is part of the Driftless, very rugged with lots of streams and flooding that cut away the earth. Most fossils here are Ordovician. Most are limestone of the Galena Formation. HOWEVER, this area is a hotbed for mammoth and mastodon teeth and bone finds that the locals call "dinosaur bones". That said, there is an area recently rumored to have a lot of "dinosaur bones" just 30 miles southeast east of Spring Valley, MN on the edge of Iowa. No one wants to talk about it for fear the government is going to come and confiscate their finds. Posting for a friend, so not my find. This is truly an intriguing rock. Spherical, I want to say "cherty" like a possible internal mold, the straight line and the way it is cracking almost like shell on the outside is also interesting. This could just be a very cool rock or...??? He sent me pictures and I am posting it in hopes that someone has seen something like this before. Since I am not very familiar with fossilized bone except for the real dino bones I have from the Hell Creek Formation, I would appreciate any sharing of knowledge that you guys and gals may have in what to look for in that area - @old dead things 1 2 3 4 5
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Hello fossil folks! I am going through my bone collection from last season and would like to identify the five bones pictured. The most interesting one to me is #5 as I believe it is too long to be a horse. Perhaps camel? All of these bones were collected from a river in central Iowa. So far, my wife and I have found prehistoric bison, horse, sloth, mastodon and mammoth bones from the pleistocene period. I am pretty sure these are either Metacarpal or Metatarsal bones. Sorry but I do not have a metric scale for the pictures. I have labeled the bones 1 thru 5 and noted each bone length. Thank you!
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"Maple Mill Formation near Kalona, Iowa." came up in a topic about Devonian Shark's teeth. It is a micro matrix type of material that I am interested in collecting next summer. I hunt just north of Kalona anyways!!! Has anyone ever collected this matrix or knows the location of the Kalona Clay Pit?? All of my research reveals only vague references and looking at google maps shows little exposure of rock around Kalona. All help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Mike
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This fossil was found on a recent collecting trip to a quarry near Iowa City. It is from the Devonian. As you can see, it is quite small with relatively large spines. My best guess is some type of brachiopod. I am hoping someone on the forum might know what it is.
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Hey group. I hope you're not getting tired of answering all my questions. Because...... I am requesting your expertise in a few more crinoid identifications. The information (as listed) I have on this specimen is it a Devonian Crinoid Flower from an estate sale collection from the early 1960's. It's listed(?) find location is Iowa, USA. It was originally purchased from Ralph E, Mueller and Son Phoenix, AZ in the early 1960's and was displayed in their store for several years until being sold. Help please!
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Here is a piece I saved on a recent excursion to the Devonian Cedar Valley Formation of Iowa. It looks like a thumbtack!!! I am guessing a tentaculites abutting an ostrocod, but would like other opinions. Thanks, Mike
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Any known sites near Davenport Iowa or Buffalo Iowa?
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Need help identifying what appears to be a tooth or bone of some sort. Found in the far northeastern part of Iowa (almost South Dakota) about 8 inches deep in the sandy shore of the Big Sioux River. The left and right side appear to be very slightly broken off, as well as what I would assume to be the bottom.
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When I picked up this bone and pieces my thought was bison. Reviewing it I’m not so sure, so will I defer to the experts! I was disappointed though to see this had been run over by an ATV on the sand bar... also sad to see really how polluted our water ways are...
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This gastropod was collected about a month ago in Coralville Iowa from the Cedar Valley Formation of the Devonian. I have pieced it and puttied it back together. My attempts at IDing have failed. I don't think it is a maclurite. Any experts on the Devonian life of Iowa out there??
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Another specimen given to me by my uncle over 30 years ago. Never really looked at these until recently. Any insight would be great! I have no idea. Thanks!' Dan
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Recently, the opportunity presented itself to me to hunt for crinoids in the Burlington Formation of Des Moines County, Iowa. It was not a scheduled trip, but one that occurred because I in the right place but the wrong time. My mistake gave me a full free day to hunt fossils in Iowa (what a bummer!!) , so I headed out to look for some crinoids. The Burlington is so different than any rock formation that I usually hunt. It is made up of 90% crinoidal remains. It must have been a spectacular ocean floor to see!! I envision it to have been an undersea garden. Fossils other than crinoids do show themselves and I did pick up a few. First some brachiopods: A few corals. At least I think the larger one looks like coral. My doubts come due to its thinness. Trilobites are uncommon in the Burlington. This is the first trilo-bit I have ever found.
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Help!!! I lost a good reference for IDing Burlington limestone crinoids and blastoids. I spent all last night fruitlessly looking for it. Does anyone have a suggestion for a good reference??? Mike
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Another piece my son and I found was this partial, it was not found with the others but in a tributary half a mile away?
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My son and I found these yesterday in a few inches of water right next to each other. I would guess they are most likely to be from the same creature. From other posts seen here I would guess bison? Thanks for looking!
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Picked this item up in Driggs, ID. I believe the area is Cretaceous and can see several imprints and bits and pieces but am wondering what this could be. Any ideas or help would be appreciated.
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Found a tooth walking along the gravel/sandbars of a creek in central Iowa (Des Moines lobe) and came across the tooth on the right. I was surprised to find both these jaws about 1,000 ft apart and a mile downstream. I assumed they were the source, but looks like the loose tooth may be an upper (it's larger) and both these jaws seem to be full. The teeth don't seem to match up symmetrically either, making me think it might be different individuals. Modern and ancient bison remains are pretty commonly found here (the former being extirpated ~100 years ago), but I figure cows are just common enough to confound things. They seem to have the stylids I read about, but I can't tell if they are strong/prominent enough to be Bison. Any help would be appreciated!
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My son and I went fossil hunting last weekend and here are our findings. The most recognizable is the mammoth tooth.
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Found this on the edge of a parking lot in Sioux City Iowa. I know nothing of the area but would appreciate help from those who do.
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Why Does the U.S. Army Own So Many Fossils? Turns out massive flood control projects are a great way to find dinosaurs. by Sabrina Imbler, Atlas Obscura, August 7, 2019 https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/why-does-the-army-own-dinosaurs Yours, Paul H.
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Hi, I don’t know anything about fossils, but I recently found this while digging at the farm where I work. It was 6 inches or so below the soil surface. It is very hard and light, but the upper edge chipped/crumbled a bit when I washed it off. I assume it’s a tooth, but can’t find any matching photos on the internet. Does anyone know what it might be? Thanks!
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I found this nice little Crinoid calyx at a roadcut near Dubuque Iowa. i was wondering if anyone might know what species. It was collected in the Upper Ordovician Maquoketa Formation.
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This past Sunday, I had a chance to explore a few roadcuts near Dubuque Iowa. i came across a very unusual fossil that had me stumped. After reading through an old paper, I found a match to my fossil. The guide listed the name as Climaconus. I was unfamiliar with what it might be so I did a Google search which did not yield any helpful results. I am hoping that someone on the forum might be familiar with this animal and enlighten me as to what it is. Is the name still valid? The Rock is part of the Maquoketa Formation which is upper Ordovician. It was found in the Brainard Shale member. Any help will be appreciated.
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Sometimes, when you go on a fossil hunt, you find more than just fossils. Some friends and I traveled to southeastern Iowa in Spring '18 to scour the Mississippian for fossils, but while there, we noticed that many of the homes that we drove by sported geodes in their front yards. Intrigued, we decided to investigate for ourselves. As it turns out, the area is well-known for its geodes (Iowa's state rock is the geode), so we promptly decided that we had to collect some for ourselves. We eventually found a privately owned piece of property where we could fill a bucket with geodes for about $20, descended upon a stream cutting into the bedrock, and filled a bucket in short order. Then, on a return trip to Iowa a month later, we found another outcrop of geodes along the Mississippi River. Once again, we collected handfuls. Then, once we got back, we split them with a geode cracker. They varied in quality; some were stunningly beautiful, and others were less so. They were filled with all manner of minerals: some had chalcedony fillings; others had quartz crystals, and still others had minerals that I didn't recognize. The colors varied, too: pink, white, light blue, red, and brown. As it turns out, we were a little overzealous in our efforts; we collected about 50 pounds of rocks. We've given them away to as many friends would like them and have only just now run out of them a year later. Pictured below is a fraction of the haul. If you happen to find yourself in this neck of the woods, then remember: the Osagean of Iowa and Illinois has more than just crinoids. If you would like more information on them, where you can hunt for them, or even the annual Geode Fest, then check out this link. http://keokukiowatourism.org/geodes/index.php
