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While I was out doing recon on a new fossil spot today due to the lake's low water level, I ended up finding a nice terebratulid sp. brachiopod with its support imbedded atop a fair sized (over a foot and a half in length, about 3 inches in thickness) slab of chert. I took it back home with me, and after a few wacks all was done. I like how this one came out. It sits upright on it's own for display, and it also has a side window exposing more angles of the druzy covered small loop support.

A friend uncovered this oddball today in the Late Ordovician (Sandbian) of eastern Missouri, in the uppermost part of the Plattin Group (a Platteville equivalent) or possibly the lowermost part of the Decorah Group. He's been finding a lot of weird fossils in that zone, including articulated cyclocystoids, but this one I'm at a loss on. Too wobbly for an orthoconic cephalopod, too much space between calcite elements for a crinoid column. Given the size, is machaeridian a possibility? What other ideas should we be considering?

I ended up going out yesterday for a good portion of the day to my favorite creek. I've collected so many treasures here now that I don't mind sharing my favorite creek now, and figured I would show how a normal stream can have more than meets the eye. Of course these fossils are by no means easy pickings, as it requires splitting large slabs of chert. This is the more risky way to collect the fossils as they are delicate steinkerns that can easily break. The chert can also fracture in dangerous ways so I always wear glasses when I split chert, and would be a blind man if I didn't! Well heres a shot of favorite creek, pretty boring looking right? It's a real treat this time, because the water level has never been so low when I've come here. Usually the water is about 4-5 foot high when I walk through this stream, but currently there is only a few inches of water in certain spots of the creek. That means there is a lot of rock I can look at that I've never layed my eyes on. You can see on the bottom left of the photo where I started work on the first chunk of chert. Taking photos is not my forte! It's hard to see (I thought it was a better photo when I was out fossil hunting) but this chunk has a nice brachiopod in the dead center I worked out. While it was nice to see so much exposed rock this time, the timing wasn't. The leaves falling from the trees ended up making my job more difficult as the leaf litter covered many rocks. As I was splitting chunks off the large slab to get to my brachiopod, I was very delighted to see a small associated sliver that had some coral and brach pieces embedded. From much experience, I used my pocket knife to removed some of the terebratulid brach's delicate (paper thin) steinkern, revealing it's small loop support. I can't express how fragile these things are, they usually pop off or just break into countless pieces. I set that nice piece to the side, and continued to split away. Right before I got to my big brachiopod, this little spirifer popped out and landed in my lap, I kid you not. It was pretty dirty, but it did have a nice noticeable bit of it's spiralia intact. Should clean up nicely. Anyway, heres the nice bigger brachiopod I had my eyes set on, freed of the chert. I like this one very much, and considered prepping it off the chert. I ended up working the chert so it will set up by itself during display. I didn't see much wildlife while I was out this time. I did see this cute caterpillar though. I've always had a soft spot for bugs. I think this guy is a Yellow Bear Caterpillar, Spilosoma virginica. I was fortunate, and took a lot of goodies home this trip. Here is what I find worth sharing. Yet to ID this brachiopod. Terebratulid brachiopods with small support loop intact. Spirifer brachiopod with partial internal spiralia Platyceras gastropod (needs cleaning) Actinocrinitidae (I think) crinoid calyxs, I left one embedded inside the chert and again worked this chert so it sits upright during display. Blastoid calyx, removable from its chert home

I found this rock today in my favorite spot in southeast Missouri. I guess they are Smithville variety. There are several fossils in this rock. That spiral looking one is 4" long!

Goodmorning/ afternoon all! Being a middle aged 20 year old, I've outgrown the need to go trick or treating for candy on Halloween. This year, my brother and I were supposed to have my nephew over for the weekend. We had originally planned some fun activities for the little guy (he's 4) as real trick or treating was out of the question this year. Turns out this week that 4 of his day care workers came down with the Covid, so he's now in quarantine at his mom's house for 3 (her choice, she won't budge) weeks. All alone for Saturday now, I decided to go out and look for the real treats, fossils! I started by going to my first and favorite honey hole, knowing the site wouldn't be the best to collect currently. Fluctuations in water levels determine how ideal this location is, and the waters been very low this year. While this being a good thing, it's also been so low for some time that overgrowth has had more time to come in. This just makes it more of a pain to scope around, but for me that just means going down to the hands and knees. There were some spots where it wasn't as bad, but all of the ideal scrap spots required patience and sifting through. Not sure why, but I only took one picture in situ this time. Glad I did, because it was a nicer, plump blastoid! It only required a bit of digging around the rock, and prep should be easy peasy on this guy. For the first fossil hunt in a while for me, I would say that yesterday was a successful day out. I only take nicer, complete specimens now a days. I hauled home a nice Globoblastus norwoodi blastoid, an Uperocrinus pyriformis crinoid, a Platycrinites? calyx, and a nice little brachiopod I still need to ID. Heres everything cleaned/ prepped besides the Uperocrinus. I may just leave it as is, but something in me tells me I'll do detail work someday on it. I trimmed down the matrix and half prepped the blastoid. I think this one will stay like it is in matrix. I remove most of the calyxs from the rock, but figured it would be cool to keep a couple of fossils in their rock setting. The hour I spent out fossil hunting was much needed. This past month has only entailed packing up possessions, moving on, and working. Getting out was nice and much needed. Now I have some more fossils to pack up. Hope everyone had a fun, and safe Halloween. Regards, Jackson

Hi all, I collected this lovely crinoid calyx stuck in a Favosites sp. from the Fern Glen Formation in Imperial, Missouri (Mississippian, Osagean Series). My guess is Platycrinus stellatus (based on Weller, Stuart, Kinderhook faunal studies; V, The fauna of the Fern Glen Formation. Geol. Soc. Am., Bull., vol. 20, 265-:332, (1909)) but I would prefer some more opinions since I'm new to paleozoic strata. On that note I would also welcome learning references on crinoids, especially regarding the Mississippian and Pennsylvanian. Thanks for any help or information. -Tom

This was found on October 9, 2020 in a creek bed in Warrenton, MO. It is about 6cm x 7cm. I am no scientist and I have no idea how to identify what we found. This website was introduced to be by one of the science teachers at the high school where I teach. Any help is appreciated. Thank you.

Timer period: Pennsylvanian Location: Missouri Formation: Not exactly sure. Found in an abandoned rock pile containing limestone from the Iola Limestone Still it is a possibility it came from limestone from the Upper Winterset limestone. Hello! I found this nautiloid a long time ago and it was too heavy for me to carry the chunk of limestone that contained it, but before I left I got a few pictures of the specimen! Once I observed the photo a few weeks later I had the biggest regret of my life as it might contain an impression of soft tissue! I don't know If my mind is playing tricks on me but I think it might contain soft tissue. The thought is driving me crazy since I am always doubtful when I find fossils like these and due to my own lack of experience. Can anyone confirm if it does contain soft tissue? Is this a tentacle? or my imagination? Here are photos I edited in photoshop in order to see if I can make the features more visible (Above) Added more saturation and darkened (above) Added saturation and brightened the image I would like to note I have returned to the area but I have had no luck in finding it again and these are the clearest images I could obtain and I apologize for the blurriness Here are the images in their natural file size and some additional images: https://imgur.com/a/80wzODc If possible I would also love to know its species but I find that unlikely since it is bisected and poorly preserved shell wise.

Found in a creek in Eureka, MO!

Hello! this is one of my weirdest things I have found at this location, I believe it might be a fragment from a fin spine? A piece from an Echinoid? Something else? I would love to know what it is and what species this came from! Some information on the area: Location: Missouri Time period: Pennsylvanian Formation: Most likely from a member of the Iola Limestone What makes this one of the most bizarre fossils I have found is the circular pattern on the fossil itself, as I have not seen anything like this in the area before. backside Pictures in their natural file size: https://imgur.com/a/qUWY0gB

It was found near Eminence, Missouri on a river bank. The pattern reminds me of a brachiopod, but has that strange frilly edge...

Location: Missouri Timer period: Paleozoic (Might be Pennsylvanian) Formation: N/A Hello! My friend recently gifted to me a few fossils and he brought to me an interesting tooth/crushing plate and asked if I was familiar with it, and unfortunately I was not! He mentioned what he thought it could belong to, but I am unable to recall what species. Some information I was told was that his mother actually found his specimen at a location a few years ago and I was unable to get a picture of the location or check it out due to a busy schedule! My friend's specimen (he took home): Around 5-6 cm The one he gifted me: (backside) Roughly 2.5cm long ( The plate fossil itself) Images in their natural size (not compressed): https://imgur.com/a/ZWA47Mf

Hello! I found these beautiful scales inside a calcium phosphate nodule from Muncie Creek Shale. I believe this fish regurgitation might have some identifiable scales and I would love to know if anyone can nail down an exact species! Location: Missouri Time period: Pennsylvanian Formation: Muncie Creek Shale The center scale is roughly 9mm long! Concretion with Size reference other half of the concretion other half rotated More images and in their natural size (Not compressed) https://imgur.com/a/pWKw9Vk

I was fortunate to be able to take two trips recently to the Marmaton group in Northern Missouri and wanted to share my trip report with the forum. It's hard to find information on the Marmaton in Missouri, and I struggled with the geology and understanding what members within the Marmaton I was seeing, but I had a great time non the less. I grew up in this region and have some ‘insiders’ information on a few spots I wanted to check out just from spending time running around the countryside as a kid. The first was in a local creek in the township I grew up in that contains concretions we called ‘dragon eggs.’ I was curious if they would contain fossils so on my first trip in early September I committed to breaking one open. First, here are a few pictures of the site: I was able to break this one open, and it did contain fossils! The blue line on the lower left marks a very thin layer of limestone that the concretions seem to form right above. Here are a few more pictures of the concretions for reference. A particularly large one: And one that is just cracked: Unfortunately for me only the very first one I broke had any fossils. I spent several hours hoping another would reveal some but luck was against me at that point I guess and I failed to find a single one. Frustrated I spent the remainder of the evening searching through the fallen limestone exposures. The next post will contain some of the specimens from the single fossiliferous concretion and the limestone.

Very odd little fossil found today in the Mississippian Warsaw Formation of St Louis County, Missouri, USA. All insights appreciated.

I found this along a creek here in Southeast Missouri. It looks like a fossilized egg. What do you think? I searched the site for egg with no results.

I’m new to the whole artifact and fossil hunting and actually forum posting! I would like to get opinions on this following find. It was found in a creek in SE Missouri. And any pointers on hunting and identifying would be greatly appreciated. Thank you

I recently got to do some hunting in northern Missouri, Marmaton group and found a few large phosphatic concretions. Within one was this specimen that I am trying to identify. I am wondering if it looks like a Solenochilus sp. to anyone beside me? There may not be enough of the specimen present to determine a species ID, but I figured I'd take a shot for the sake of labeling. Thanks,

Hey all, when I was out fossil hunting today in the Burlington Formation, I found this odd little thing. I'm pretty confident it's a fossil, but I'm really not quite sure what it is. I really don't even know where to guess on this, any ideas?

Hello! I have been cracking open a few more concretions from Muncie Creek and I cracked open this bizarre fossil! I know braincases have been found in these nodules since I have found a braincase of Lawrenciella, and donated a braincase that was found to have parts of the upper jaw! My main reasoning for asking if this is a braincase is that it has a few bizarre structures I have not seen in other concretion fossils. The chance that it is an ordinary bone is very much a possibility. on the left you can see that there are these repeating structures Here is a more zoomed in image. Here is the image zoomed out for refrence. Below are images of the bizarre round patterns that are visible on the fossil Some general info on the area: Location: Missouri Timer period: Pennsylvanian Formation: Muncie Creek Shale member Size refrence:

Hello! I was cracking open some more phosphate nodules from the Muncie creek shale formation and had these stored in my room for a while! I was wondering if anyone could identify these very hard to determine fossils as I cannot tell if they contain bone fragments or if the fossils are from a coprolite! I think the one on the bottom right could be a either bone or coprolitic material More images of the specimen on the left which I believe is either fish excitement or fish vomit, I am unsure as I have found similar fossils to this inside some other nodules. Unsure what this one is as well! Any guess is welcomed! Location is in Missouri The area is dated to the Pennsylvanian Formation is the Muncie Creek Shale member

Hey there, I hope today was as nice for you as it was for me outside here in Henry County, Missouri. On my day off today, I decided to go on another fossil hunt. Today's location is a little arm off of Truman Lake, and is one of my favorite spots to look for crinoids. The water was relatively low right now at this location today also. I decided to take advantage of that fact and look along the bottom by the water line where scraps and eroding peices fall down, and get covered back by water for most of the year. Often times I'll find complete crinoids and blastoids down here if the water is low enough, and one's luck is high. Today was a decent day for this picky fellow. The morning started off a bit cloudy, which was nice because I have a bit of a walk before I can start scouring for fossils on the ground. Soon after starting my trek, this cute little bug landed on my hand. I think it is a mayfly. Bugs can be annoying, though this little guy wasn't. Today was particularly bad with mosquitoes though. Lazy me forgot to bring bug spray. Be prepared for ticks, mosquitoes, and other creepy crawlies when coming out here. After getting to the fossiliferous limestones, I started off by going towards the bottom of the exposure. I tend to squat down sumo style, or look like I'm doing toe touches with my butt sticking in the air a good portion of the day while looking. One's success is often due to experience here, but alot of things are small, dirty, weathered, or just easy to overlook here. It definitely pays to take your time and go low when you look. There is always at least one fisherman or kayaker usually baffled by what I'm doing, today was no different. The first find was an easy to spot crinoid, which was perfect and required no preparation at all. Sometimes its as easy as just picking it off the floor. Very lucky to say the least. All that was needed was cleaning with warm soapy water. Can you spot the crinoid in situ? The second find was just as easy! A hundred feet away or so, this blastoid was just sitting there. Again, this only needed very simple cleaning up. Here is another photo, showing how I found it next to my trusty old Estwing. There are some cherts in the Burlington Formation, as well as the crinoidal limestones already shown. I didn't find too much in the cherty sections today. It always takes scribe and abrasives to prep this material. Sometimes you can whack the chert and the fossil will pop out, but depending how it's situated in the rock and also just dumb luck depends on weather that extraction method is successful. It usually isn't, and it can be dangerous as the chert can splinter out and shoot at high speeds if you hit the rock wrong. I did find a nice Pentremites sp. blastoid though, as well as a nice Composita sp. brachiopod in cherts. It is likely complete, but not one I can just whack. Heres another blastoid, though a different type from the crinoidal limestones that needs prep. It will be much easier to finish. After a good 5 hours out, I decided to return back to my car and head for home. I won't have many opportunities to hunt my beloved Burlington much longer, so I'm trying to make the best of this and go out as often as I can. I tend to be at peace most when I'm out in nature, and finding fossils has taught me more than just about these ancient creatures. It has taught me about my current surrounding environment, the current living creatures here, patience, and more that I probably don't need to ramble off about. Anywho, here's everything I managed to clean up today. Preparation on the blastoids will have to wait until I have more time. Composita sp. brachiopod Azygocrinus rotundus and Globoblastus norwoodi Other crinoidal bits. Another Globoblastus norwoodi (needs abbraided still) Crinoid (probably Aorocrinus parvus, still needs prep) And that ends today's trip, thanks for reading. Enjoy your summer while you still can!

Hello! I have found a few ferns at a road-cut and was wondering if anyone could identify these ferns below! I have found trilobites (small), Neuropteris fern leaves, many Calamites, and ocean invertebrates in the area. I was very lucky to find these plant fossils as they appear to be relatively uncommon in the road cut area! Specimen #1: I found this lovely leaf with a few imprints of fern fossil right next to it! (3.5cm) Specimen #2: A lovely... Ginkgo? I had posted this previously on a different website and noted it looked like a Gingko. I was not sure as the leaf has a more rounded edge and not a split edge like the Ginkgo I saw online Nevertheless it could be a squished Ginkgo or a related species! Specimen #3: A lovely leaf and one of my largest that I was able to find (5.3cm) Specimen #4: A beautiful fern fossil leaf (3.4cm) Some general information I was able to gather from the area! Time period: Pennsylvanian Location: Missouri Formation: Upper Winterset Limestone Thanks to Missourian For the possible Formation ID