Lafayette, IN: New interest in fossils

[Miss Marie]

Hello! I am new to the forum and this is my first time posting. I am totally out of my element.
 

I have 3 elementary school aged children and I want to incorporate fossil hunting and identification into our activities. We are all very interested! 
Can anyone give me any input on what resources I can look into? Any clubs, classes, recommended literature, what to do with found fossils (even display) etc. I am simply using google right now. 
 

I believe we found some horn coral and possibly crinoids, but there are others that I cannot find similar photos of. 
 

Also, should we clean fossils? 
Any help or advice is greatly appreciated!

Note: bottle cap for size. 

 

[Miss Marie]

[Miss Marie]

[Miss Marie]

[Peat Burns]

Welcome to the Forum!  It looks like you've already found some very nice fossils of colonial corals, horn corals, brachiopods, etc. there!  They appear to be from glacial deposits (transported from glaciers) or perhaps river tumbled.  I'm going to suggest some favorite books from my childhood, published by the Indiana Geological Survey.  They are real gems.  Both are old (1959) but still very informative.  Both are free to download.

 

The first is called "Adventures with Fossils".  It focuses on fossils and fossil hunting in Indiana.  It includes what geological time periods are represented in Indiana's rocks as well as specific sites to hunt fossiliferous outcrops in Indiana.  Some of the sites listed are no longer accessible, but most of the road cuts still are. 

 

ADVENTURES WITH FOSSILS

https://igws.indiana.edu/bookstore/details.cfm?Pub_Num=C06

 

This is another old (but good -and free-) book on Indiana fossils that also has collecting sites:

 

FOSSILS: PREHISTORIC ANIMALS IN HOOSIER ROCKS

https://igws.indiana.edu/bookstore/details.cfm?Pub_Num=C07

 

[Miss Marie]

Thank you so much!! I am very excited to start researching! I think this forum is going to be a real help on our new journey! 

[Peat Burns]

Just now, Miss Marie said:

Thank you so much!! I am very excited to start researching! I think this forum is going to be a real help on our new journey! 

You're very welcome.  Feel free to post any questions or ID requests.  We're all very happy to help.

[Fossildude19]

Welcome to the Forum.

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Hello, Miss Marie, and a very warm welcome to TFF from Morocco.

The first picture after the group shot is a nice solitary rugose 'horn' coral, with very nice septa showing, but I guess you already know this.

Next is a colonial phaceloid coral, I think. 

And then a lovely rhynchonellid brachiopod. 

[Miss Marie]

Thank you! I am going to research all of these. I am not familiar with any of it, so I don’t even recognize the names of them. This is going to be fun! 

[Mark Kmiecik]

You've found some nice specimens. Enjoy.

[Tidgy's Dad]

2 hours ago, Miss Marie said:

Thank you! I am going to research all of these. I am not familiar with any of it, so I don’t even recognize the names of them. This is going to be fun! 

We all have to do that sometimes, indeed, it is fun. 

Google is our Friend. 

[Miss Marie]

24 minutes ago, Mark Kmiecik said:

You've found some nice specimens. Enjoy.

Thank you! We thought so too.

[Miss Marie]

3 hours ago, Fossildude19 said:

Welcome to the Forum.

 

Thank you!