baybay Posted June 17, 2010 Share Posted June 17, 2010 I collected 3 hours at the spillway at Caesar Creek. None of the elusive trilobites that I coveted were found, although brachiopods and corals were abundant. I found that the best fossils were found far from the parking lot right by the cliff. My ID is shaky at best,so any help would be great. This is what have cleaned so far, I have some slabs left to do. Crinoid Stem with a great star shaped lumen(can't see in pictures). Liospira sp? and Loxonema sp?, and Michelinoceras sp segment? Streptelasma sp? Monticulipora sp? Strophomena sp or rafinesquina sp? Strophomena incurvata? Lepidocyclus sp? Platystrophia sp? Herbertella sp? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erose Posted June 17, 2010 Share Posted June 17, 2010 The trilobites (Flexicalymene) are usually really small and enrolled. Smaller than a pea. I have found them by crawling around out in the middle looking for concentrations of the tiny brachiopod Zygospira. I have also found a few enrolled Isotelus out there crawling along. Always small and enrolled. You probably have the gastropods and cephalopod pretty close. Cephs are hard to ID exactly without a bunch of specimens or extra good preservation. The large horn corals are now called Grewingkia canadensis (formerly Streptelasma rusticum). There is a second horn coral that is a true Streptelasma but it is much smaller (< 1-inch) and they are always attached to something. Cinci Bryozoans are very hard to ID. There are literally dozens of genera and hundreds of species throughout the Cincinnatian. Some of the Genera are distinct but there are probably a handful that look just like Monticulipora. Looks like you have both Rafinesquinas and Strophemenas. The other IDs are probably good. For great ID help on these check out these two web sites: http://www.drydredgers.org/index.html http://www.uga.edu/strata/cincy/index.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted June 17, 2010 Share Posted June 17, 2010 Great finds! Thanks for showing us, Baybay!! Regards, 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...
Auspex Posted June 17, 2010 Share Posted June 17, 2010 Nice batch of Paleo Paella "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baybay Posted June 17, 2010 Author Share Posted June 17, 2010 Thanks guys! Erose: I especially appreciate the ID help, I need it! When I was there I crawled around for a while but had no luck finding the tiny trilo's. I was cramped on time so I spent most of it searching the cliffs which yielded much better fossils then the ones I found on the ground. Next time I am there I plan on spending more time looking for the small trilobites. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erose Posted June 17, 2010 Share Posted June 17, 2010 (edited) Thanks guys! Erose: I especially appreciate the ID help, I need it! When I was there I crawled around for a while but had no luck finding the tiny trilo's. I was cramped on time so I spent most of it searching the cliffs which yielded much better fossils then the ones I found on the ground. Next time I am there I plan on spending more time looking for the small trilobites. The DryDredgers had their May field trip there just a few weeks back. They probably hit it pretty hard for the little bugs. Go back after a heavy rain, and it has dried out. Again, look for the concentrations of the tiny brachiopod Zygospira. And pic up the book by the Cincinnati Museum if they have it at the visitor center. Edited June 18, 2010 by erose Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted June 18, 2010 Share Posted June 18, 2010 Sweet. Makes me want to go there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommabetts Posted June 18, 2010 Share Posted June 18, 2010 Nice finds, thanks for sharing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
insectboy Posted June 18, 2010 Share Posted June 18, 2010 Nice finds, hope you get the full ID on them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSpaceGeoGal Posted August 19, 2017 Share Posted August 19, 2017 Where is this spillway located? I am camping here tonight before going to Kentucky for the eclipse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilDAWG Posted August 20, 2017 Share Posted August 20, 2017 Nice assortment! That site certainly has a nice diversity of fossils. I agree with most of erose's ID suggestions. In the first photo, the gastropod at the top is a Clathrospira, probably Clathrospira subconica. Check out Lophospira for the other gastropods. The nautiloid is certainly not a Michelinoceras, as it has a distinct curve; you can see that the camerae (chambers) are thicker on one side the other. It is probably an oncocerid such as Beloitoceras. All your horn corals appear to be Grewinkia canadensis, judging from their size, as erose said. Streptelasma divaricans also occurs there but it is very small and (again as erose said) always attached to some firm substrate. All the North American Platystrophia species are now assigned to Vinlandstrophia; Platystrophia is restricted to the type species and some closely related forms from the Silurian of the Baltic area in Europe. When I collected at the spillway several years ago, any time I got within 10 feet of the talus slope at the base of the cliffs a park ranger with a bullhorn barked at me to get away from the cliff. I was only allowed to search the flat area of the spillway. I still found quite a lot including two tiny enrolled Flexicalymene and one tiny enrolled Isotelus, but I left dreaming of the big perfect trilobites and crinoids that I imagined laughing at me from the cliff and talus slope. Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erose Posted August 20, 2017 Share Posted August 20, 2017 21 hours ago, TheSpaceGeoGal said: Where is this spillway located? I am camping here tonight before going to Kentucky for the eclipse. You may already be headed for KY but if you pass back thru you will need to go to the visitor's center first and obtain a simple permit. It doesn't cost anything and mainly they do it to make sure you know the rules for collecting. As Don pointed out stay away from the vertical cliff faces. Hope you get clear skies for the totality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max-fossils Posted August 21, 2017 Share Posted August 21, 2017 Awesome finds! Those brachiopods make me fall in love Max Derème "I feel an echo of the lightning each time I find a fossil. [...] That is why I am a hunter: to feel that bolt of lightning every day." - Mary Anning >< Remarkable Creatures, Tracy Chevalier Instagram: @world_of_fossils Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now