A little Ordovician collecting at Garr Hill in Brookvile, Indiana

[Nimravis]

On Thursday I checked the weather for Brookville and St. Leon, Indiana, Friday looked like a good day, since no rain was forecasted, but Saturday did not look as promising. Feeling the urge to go collecting, I left at 5 am and drove the 4 ½ hours (330 miles) to my first stop in Brookville. This site is located on Route 101 and is referred to as Garr Hill, it is represented by the following Ordovician formations: Waynesville, Liberty, White Water and Saluda. This road cut is about 70 feet tall and I like going up and down and across on the road cuts that I visit. This day there were portions that were super muddy and I would slip in these areas and the other portions were as dry as the Western desert and I would slip on these areas. Special attention needs to be taken and when traversing this site and any road cut site since you do not roll down.

 

Here are some pictures of the road cut:

 

 

 

If you have seen any of my other Trip Reports, I like to take a lot of pictures, I do not take them for me, I take them for the Forum members to see, especially the ones that may never have a chance to visit. I like to try to use the pictures to take other members on a virtual trip of the places I collect. With that said, it will take me multiple posts to show this area, the fossils found while collecting, the loose fossils that I took home as well as the Hash plates that I also brought home.

 

Here are pictures of fossils that I saw in the field, many, but not all were collected. None of these will be identified, but I do my best in the portion that shows the loose fossils that I collected. I always have a problem with these ID’s, so if you see an issue and feel like correcting, please do so.

 

 

[Nimravis]

[Nimravis]

 

 

Here are loose fossils that I collected.

 

BRACHIOPODS-

 

Lepidocyclus:

 

 

 

Leptaena richmondensis:

 

 

 

 

Strophomena:

 

 

 

 

 

Rafinesquina ponderosa:

 

 

 

 

Rhynchotrema dentatium:

 

 

 

Zygospira:

 

 

 

Unknown Brachiopods: I call these unknown because I have a real issue trying to get these correct, with that said, I am not 100% about the above ID's- LOL.

 

 

 

GASTROPODS-

 

Monoplacophrans:

 

 

 

Cyclonema:

 

 

 

Paupospira:

 

 

 

 

PELYCOPODS-

 

Ambonychia:

 

 

[Nimravis]

STRAIGHT SHELLED NAUTILOIDS-

 

 

 

 

CORAL-

 

Streptelasma or Grewingkia

 

 

 

 

BRYOZOAN-

 

Prasapora simulatrix:

 

 

 On a straight shelled nautiloid:

 

 

 

 

TRILOBITES-

 

Isotelus Parts:

 

 

Flexicalymene (???):

 

 

 

 

I do not know what this is, if anything.

 

 

[Nimravis]

Here are some pics of the Hash Plates that I collected. I really love hash plates, it is like a little page out of time. Sometimes they look better in the field and when I get them home they are not the greatest. I will use a tile saw and cut some of these pieces down and the others will go into a bucket to give away at an ESCONI trip.

 

 

 

Even though it was not supposed to rain on Friday, it did. I decided to get in the car and drive a short distance to a site referred to as Brookville North. I only stopped for a couple minutes since it was still raining. I believe that this site has the Lower Whitewater formation at the bottom and the top is the Saluda layer and the start of the Upper Whitewater.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At this site I only picked up a couple things. I have never seen the below piece before and thought that it might have been by someone dumping rocks like they do sometimes at Pit 11 (Mazon Creek), then I saw a prettier piece and just decided to take them. I later learned that it is the colonial coral, Tetradium.

 

 

I also picked up a couple small ichnofossils, I do not get too excited about these, but took them anyway.

 

 

 

 

I will do a separate post on my finds from St. Leon that I collected on Saturday.

 

Hope you enjoyed this post.

[piranha]

2 minutes ago, Nimravis said:

 

 

I'm likin' this lichid    Amphilichas halli

 

[Jeffrey P]

Great photos. Prolific finds. Congratulations. The bivalves I find especially intrigued. I may be visiting this site later in the year. 

[Nimravis]

7 minutes ago, piranha said:

I'm likin' this lichid    Amphilichas halli

 

Thanks Scott, I would never have thought it was part of a trilobite.

[Fossildude19]

Great report and pictures, Ralph! 

Your reports are always a great read.   

Thanks for posting.

[Darktooth]

You always go above and beyond with your reports Ralph! Great finds and nice pics! Somebody had themselves a great hunt.

[FossilDAWG]

The Amphilichas is a rare find.  Most collectors never see even a small fragment of one.   

 

Don

[piranha]

15 minutes ago, Nimravis said:

Thanks Scott, I would never have thought it was part of a trilobite.

 

It looks slightly different as a ventral specimen so the features are inside-out  In any event, any lichid is an exceptional find!

 

 

[FossilNerd]

Great report and finds Ralph! There are not buckets to collect all the drool running down my chin! Awesome stuff!
 

[grandpa]

Wow Ralph, what a great day - such diversity and proliferation of Ordovician life; and such a scenic site to hunt.  Thank you for taking us along.  I needed that virtual fossil hunt today.

[Nimravis]

24 minutes ago, FossilNerd said:

Great report and finds Ralph! There are not buckets to collect all the drool running down my chin! Awesome stuff!
 

Thanks for the nice comments.

[Nimravis]

10 minutes ago, grandpa said:

Wow Ralph, what a great day - such diversity and proliferation of Ordovician life; and such a scenic site to hunt.  Thank you for taking us along.  I needed that virtual fossil hunt today.

Check back tomorrow, you will should like the stuff from St. Leon, there are always beautiful hash plates there. I started collecting at about 6:30 am and mostly stayed in the Butter Shale area looking for trilobites and left 5 hours later when the storms rolled in.

[Peat Burns]

That lichid: . I found a fragmemt of a cephalon of one, and I thought I was lucky...

 

Love the gastropods and bivalves. 

[Nimravis]

7 minutes ago, Peat Burns said:

That lichid: . I found a fragmemt of a cephalon of one, and I thought I was lucky...

 

Love the gastropods and bivalves. 

Thanks Tony 

[Emthegem]

Wow these are some of the most gorgeous brachiopod fossils I've ever seen!! And there are soooo many!!!! 

[Bobby Rico]

Just wonderful reports Ralph. Definitely worth the 4,30 hours drive going by the fantastic finds you found . Hash plates are great and I like the bugs and the colonial coral too. Thanks for entertaining and informative post .
Have a good week 

Bobby

[Coco]

Hi,

 

Cristals are calcite.

 

Coco

[Nimravis]

21 minutes ago, Coco said:

Hi,

 

Cristals are calcite.

 

Coco

You are correct Coco, they are calcite crystals that are found in voids of the Tetrdium coral.

[RuMert]

Nice preservation on those, looking almost like candy. And an excellent report with extensive photos

[Praefectus]

Wonderful trip report. You made some great finds. 

[TqB]

Very enjoyable report, especially as I can't get out collecting at the moment! Beautiful finds from a mouth watering locality.