connorp Posted May 26, 2022 Share Posted May 26, 2022 Last weekend I had the opportunity to spend a few hours collecting in a quarry in northern Illinois that exposes most of the Galena Group (Late Ordovician). There was lots of fresh rock to hunt through, and it was a good and productive trip. As usual, lots of gastropod molds were found. Hormotoma sp. Liospira sp. Sinuites sp. Lophospira sp. Subulites sp. Unknown gastropod. Looks like Liospira but appears to curl in the opposite direction. Brachiopods show up too. Most common are molds of what I believe are Rafinesquina (@Tidgy's Dad?). The inarticulate Pseudolingula iowensis is somewhat common. Specimens are almost always crushed and missing shell, but they usually have some shell preservation which contrasts nicely with the yellow matrix. Occasional bivalve molds are found. This one has calcite? crystals. Trilobite parts are uncommon, and the only species I've seen from this quarry is Thaleops, possibly Thaleops laurentiana. Here is a cephalon I found. Now for my favorite finds of the day. A partial specimen of the small receptaculitid Ischadites iowensis. Fisherites is very common at this site, but I had not come across Ischadites before. A partial conulariid. Judging by the visible cross section, the back side is present, so this should hopefully prep out nicely. And finally, what might end up being a complete trilobite. Not sure if there is any more buried, but it does look like at least some of the shell is preserved, so fingers crossed! 17 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted May 26, 2022 Share Posted May 26, 2022 Great finds! Thanks for sharing with us. I appreciate seeing all of the variety available at certain sites. Tim - VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER VFOTM --- APRIL - 2015 __________________________________________________ "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~ ><))))( *> About Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted May 26, 2022 Share Posted May 26, 2022 Some really super finds. I am lucky enough to have these gastropod species thanks to the Marvelous Mike @minnbuckeye Yes, it's Rafinesquina sp, I think there's two or three possible species. Strophomena can look similar but has a concave pedicle valve and I think this one shows a convex pedicle so should be Rafinesquina.. It just looks more like Rafinesquina to me, anyway. Lingulids are often thin shelled, so do tend to break sometimes. Their shells are made from apatite (calcium phosphate) rather than calcite as in Rhynchonelliforms ( "articulate" brachiopods), so preserve differently which can produce very pretty fossils as with these specimens. Congratulations on the splendid Ischadites and a rather lovely conulariid, I would love to see this after prepping, please. 1 Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minnbuckeye Posted May 26, 2022 Share Posted May 26, 2022 (edited) 9 hours ago, connorp said: Unknown gastropod. Looks like Liospira but appears to curl in the opposite direction. If it is an Ordovician sinistral gastropod, consider Maclurites, maybe M. crassus. It is a bit small for most Maclurites. Also look at Eccyliopterus owenanus. It's size is more typical of your fossil. LOVE the conularia! It makes my hunt a complete success when I stumble onto one, especially one as nice as yours. The Ischadites iowensisis also a trip maker. They are uncommon in my area, but I have one site where they are exposed in a thin 4 inch band of unfortunately HARD matrix. So it is a challenge retrieving a prized one. Mike Edited May 26, 2022 by minnbuckeye 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aek Posted May 26, 2022 Share Posted May 26, 2022 Nice finds. Someone found a complete Gabriceraurus from that quarry a few years ago. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nimravis Posted May 27, 2022 Share Posted May 27, 2022 Great finds Connor. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoahW24 Posted June 10, 2022 Share Posted June 10, 2022 Can’t wait to see the prepped results!! I’m moving to the area soonish and I’m so glad to see some good fossil sites around- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
connorp Posted June 11, 2022 Author Share Posted June 11, 2022 5 hours ago, NoahW24 said: Can’t wait to see the prepped results!! I’m moving to the area soonish and I’m so glad to see some good fossil sites around- Lots of quarries, most are inaccessible though unfortunately. There are a very limited number of public sites, but I would be happy to show you around sometime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stats Posted June 23, 2022 Share Posted June 23, 2022 Nice, Connor! I need to go on that trip sometime... I usually just skip it. Next year! Cheers, Rich Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
favositefinder Posted March 29 Share Posted March 29 Hi Connor! Can I ask which quarry this was? I’ve been trying to find one to hunt at. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minnbuckeye Posted March 29 Share Posted March 29 9 hours ago, favositefinder said: Hi Connor! Can I ask which quarry this was? I’ve been trying to find one to hunt at. @connorp 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
connorp Posted March 29 Author Share Posted March 29 20 hours ago, favositefinder said: Hi Connor! Can I ask which quarry this was? I’ve been trying to find one to hunt at. This quarry was only accessible through official club trips, but changed owners and is no longer accessible to anyone. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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