minnbuckeye Posted March 28, 2020 Share Posted March 28, 2020 Due to an upcoming order from our Governor to stay at home, I took the opportunity to fossil hunt last Sunday afternoon before it begins. The ground was white with an unexpected snowfall overnight when I left the house but soon melted. My goal was to look at road cuts for rock slides from the winter's freeze thaw cycle. Digging and splitting would be tough with frost still in the ground. The first spots searched were Ordovician, Galena. Here are a few representative fossils from the Galena of SE Minnesota: From there, I slipped over the border into Iowa to look at Ordovician, Maquoketa. A sluffed hillside provided me with some rock that I wasn't that familiar with. Here are some finds: The first picture is almost clay like, different than the normal Maquoketa that I am used to. 13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minnbuckeye Posted March 28, 2020 Author Share Posted March 28, 2020 Nothing too impressive and most need some cleaning, but if it helps to take the boredom away from any TFF member, then it was worth posting this. @Peat Burns, if your student wants to drive 2 hours, this is what he can likely find. Stay safe, Mike 21 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted March 28, 2020 Share Posted March 28, 2020 Marvelous. And thanks to you, I have several of these species. Love the kermits and the slightly curved cephalopod. Yes, I think your 'crinoidal?' is a plate from a crinoid calyx. Thanks for sharing. Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilnut Posted March 28, 2020 Share Posted March 28, 2020 Thanks for posting. Looks like you had fun. What is the bottom right cephalopod that is curved? Neat ! Just a wild thought re "crinoidal" cystoid? Where is Miss Piggy. Kermit misses her. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamieLynn Posted March 28, 2020 Share Posted March 28, 2020 hahahahh!! Your "nothing too impressive" is my SWOON I WISH I HAD THOSE..... what is "common" to one fossil hunter is a dream fossil to another! I would LOVE to find one of those Kermits!! 1 www.fossil-quest.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted March 28, 2020 Share Posted March 28, 2020 Nice finds and I like the idea of using moss as a background for the photos. Nice to see some of Kermit's relatives here The family is growing. Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aek Posted March 29, 2020 Share Posted March 29, 2020 Nice finds! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pagurus Posted March 29, 2020 Share Posted March 29, 2020 Love those kermits! I'm glad you were able to get out there while you could. Be well. 1 Start the day with a smile and get it over with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica Posted March 29, 2020 Share Posted March 29, 2020 What a great group of gastropods! I'm glad you had a chance to get out and look for some fossils before the lockdown takes place in your state. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kane Posted March 29, 2020 Share Posted March 29, 2020 I absolutely adore your Kermits, but I guess that doesn't come as a surprise. A lot of us up here sure miss our Ordovician spots. 1 ...How to Philosophize with a Hammer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilDAWG Posted March 29, 2020 Share Posted March 29, 2020 Thanks for showing us this smorgasboard of Ordovician goodies. Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deutscheben Posted March 29, 2020 Share Posted March 29, 2020 Thank you for sharing, I think those are all quite nice! There are some beautiful finds in there, just one trilobite like that would make my day. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peat Burns Posted March 29, 2020 Share Posted March 29, 2020 Fantastic finds, Mike. Thanks for sharing. There isn't much here that wouldn't be trip-makers for me: 1. Isotelus rollers 2. The gastropod diversity 3. Fisherites (thanks to @Nimravis, I finally have one of these) 4. The trilobits and orthocones (especially the curved one). Curious about the identity of the conical piece with the longitudinal striations. I also agree that the moss background is really nice. Thanks again! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manticocerasman Posted March 29, 2020 Share Posted March 29, 2020 Nice report I realy like those Isotelus rollers 1 growing old is mandatory but growing up is optional. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcbshark Posted March 29, 2020 Share Posted March 29, 2020 Nice finds Mike ,stay safe up there 1 Every once in a great while it's not just a big rock down there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuMert Posted March 29, 2020 Share Posted March 29, 2020 Nice finds! Lots of kermits 1 My sites & reports Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grandpa Posted March 30, 2020 Share Posted March 30, 2020 On 3/28/2020 at 3:50 PM, fossilnut said: crinoidal" cystoid? Yep, I agree this is a cystoid plate. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sixgill pete Posted March 30, 2020 Share Posted March 30, 2020 @minnbuckeye Mike, I am curious about the stay at home order in your state. Does it not allow you to do outdoor activities? It does here in NC. We can fish, hunt golf etc. As long as proper social distancing is used. So fossil hunting is still ok too. Just wondering. Bulldozers and dirt Bulldozers and dirt behind the trailer, my desert Them red clay piles are heaven on earth I get my rocks off, bulldozers and dirt Patterson Hood; Drive-By Truckers May 2016 May 2012 Aug 2013, May 2016, Apr 2020 Oct 2022 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minnbuckeye Posted March 30, 2020 Author Share Posted March 30, 2020 @sixgill peteThe way the governor explained it on Thursday, going outdoors for exercise was going to be fine as long as CDC recommendations were followed. So is fossil hunting exercise?? At my age it IS. Wisconsin has been under a similar lockdown for a week or two. Yet plenty of Wisconsin fishing boats were out the other day. I am not sure I answered your questions, but can add little else. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilNerd Posted March 30, 2020 Share Posted March 30, 2020 Nice assortment! I love Ordovician so I’m drooling over here! The good thing about science is that it's true whether or not you believe in it. -Neil deGrasse Tyson Everyone you will ever meet knows something you don't. -Bill Nye (The Science Guy) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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