Paleozoic Adventures in Kentucky and Tennessee October 2021

[Jeffrey P]

Hi Everyone,

In the latter half of last month I took a two week trip to Kentucky and Tennessee. My sister, her husband, two of her adult children, and my parents all live in  the Elizabethtown/Louisville area and I was able to spend some quality time with them. Fossil collecting was also part of my agenda. Herb, my primary fossil collecting partner in Kentucky and I had a three day trip down to Tennessee planned. Before I went on that expedition, I was out with my brother-in-law driving around central Kentucky. He dropped me off for 20 minutes at the Upper Mississippian site at Wax where the Glen Dean Formation is exposed in a roadcut. I picked these up:

[Jeffrey P]

The next day I collected in the area between Bardstown and Mount Washington, a few roadcuts exposing the Upper Ordovician Richmond Group. Orthid brachiopods, Vinlandostrophia are by far the common fossils- the limestone is literally packed with them in places. I picked up a few to add to my already extensive collection:

[Jeffrey P]

There are other species of brachiopods as well. This is Hebertella on the left and Rafinesquina ponderosa on the right:

Edited November 6, 2021 by Jeffrey P

[Jeffrey P]

And these bivalves: On the left is Ischyrodonta elongata and on the right is Ambonychia robusta.

Edited November 6, 2021 by Jeffrey P

[Jeffrey P]

Herb and I finally got together early in the morning and drove down into Tennessee. Our first stop after three hours of driving was a roadcut near Parsons. It exposed the Lower Devonian Birdsong Formation. Brachiopods were very abundant and surface collecting produced a number of fine specimens such as these Discomyorthis oblata

[Jeffrey P]

Leptaena brachiopods are common in New York's Lower Devonian, but they're almost always broken if found outside the matrix. There were many complete examples here and probably more than one species was present:

[Jeffrey P]

Atrypa reticularis is also common in New York's Lower Devonian, but they were crazy abundant here, the most common species at this locality:

[Jeffrey P]

There were also a number of mostly small Rhynchonellid brachiopods:

[Jeffrey P]

Although brachiopods were by far the most common fossils in the Birdsong, there were other things as well. These are small Favosites, a tabulate coral:

 

Edited November 6, 2021 by Jeffrey P

[Jeffrey P]

It may be worth mentioning that Herb found a huge Macropleura, undoubtedly the find of the day. After our stop in Parsons we proceeded on to another roadcut, much larger than the first, an exposure of the Silurian Brownsport Formation. Fossils weren't as abundant here as the last spot, but trilobite parts were common as were Rhynchonellid brachiopods. Here are some of my finds: 

[Jeffrey P]

The next morning we met up with Archimedes who drove up from Alabama. He took us to a couple Silurian Brownsport sites where we surface collected in open glades. Sponges were the most common fossils: 

[Jeffrey P]

This is Astreospongia meniscus, the most common sponge we saw:

[Jeffrey P]

On our way out I picked up this Astylospongia:

[Jeffrey P]

Besides sponges, there were a lot of echinoderms such as these Pisocrinus, a very tiny crinoid calyx less than a quarter inch in diameter:

[Jeffrey P]

These are more crinoid calyxes: On the left is Lecanocrinus and the two on the right are Eucalyptocrinus:

 

Edited November 6, 2021 by Jeffrey P

[Jeffrey P]

Probably the most sought after fossils in the Brownsport Formation are the cystoids; Caryocrinites ornatus. I was fortunate to find a few:

[Jeffrey P]

My biggest surprise of the day was finding this blastoid, Troostincrinus reinwardi, which happened to be one of the first fossils I found. It is about two thirds of an inch long: 

[Jeffrey P]

Finally, some Silurian brachiopods from the Brownsport:

[Jeffrey P]

The next day we met up with JimB88. He took us to a few sites in the Mississippian Fort Payne Formation. Two were duds, but one site was just incredible. Here are a couple calyxes of Eretmocrinus magnificus. The top one I found and has some arm parts preserved. The second was a gift from Jim that he found. 

Edited November 6, 2021 by Jeffrey P

[Jeffrey P]

Jim also found this Alloprosallocrinus which he gave to me:

[Jeffrey P]

These are Agaricocrinus. I think Jim may have given me one of these:

[Jeffrey P]

This is Gaulocrinus veryi which Jim found and gave me:

[Jeffrey P]

Here's a few more crinoid calyxes. Most of these I found:

[Jeffrey P]

One of my favorite finds of the day was this crinoid root base. It is over four inches long. It is a monster compared to any of the Devonian ones I had collected before. 

[Jeffrey P]

Some miscellaneous crinoid stem pieces. Some of the crinoid stem sections were over an inch wide: