Missourian Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 Here are some of the various genera of fusulinids present in the Midcontinent Pennsylvanian. I must admit I have no idea how to examine these to identify them down to the gereric level. Instead, I 'cheat' by poring through publications and finding certain stratigrapic horizons -- sometimes at specific localities -- that are dominated by one type of fusulinid. After that, all I have to do is show up and collect chunks of limestone or shale. Eowaeringella ultimata Bethany Falls Limestone (Missourian) Clay County, Missouri Loose: In matrix: Beedeina sp. (girtyi?) (edit: Some Fusulina have been reassigned to Beedeina) Higginsville Formation (Marmaton Group, Desmoinesian) Henry County, Missouri Loose: Beedeina sp. Higginsville Formation Bates County, Missouri In matrix: Kansanella tenuis Island Creek Shale (Missourian) Stanley, Kansas Loose: In matrix: Context is critical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missourian Posted July 17, 2012 Author Share Posted July 17, 2012 Triticites sp. Beil Limestone (Virgilian) Osage County, Kansas Loose: In matrix: Triticites sp. Ervine Creek Limestone (Virgilian) Holt County, Missouri In matrix: Four fusulinid types -- side-by-side comparison: These are my mass samples so far. I have a couple more genera on my to-do list.... Context is critical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Dente Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 Here are some of the various genera of fusulinids present in the Midcontinent Pennsylvanian. I must admit I have no idea how to examine these to identify them down to the gereric level. They are interesting. My understanding is that thin sections at different angles are needed for identification. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missourian Posted July 17, 2012 Author Share Posted July 17, 2012 On 7/17/2012 at 4:51 AM, Al Dente said: My understanding is that thin sections at different angles are needed for identification. I know what it takes. By "I have no idea" means "I have no idea without having a specialist's extremely detailed knowledge and having to destroy the fossils to id them". I just let someone else do the hard work. Context is critical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Dente Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 I knew a person who briefly worked on Texas fusulinids. I showed him some examples of fusulinids in chert that were nicely preserved with intricate detail. I thought he would be able to identify them but he explained to me that the silicification ruins the fine detail. I was surprised because they looked pristine, like they were floating in glass. One variety of chert replaced fusulinids that I have found comes from central Iowa and is called "rice agate" because the chert is pure black and the fusulinids are white. I think I gave away all my samples. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullsnake Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 Well, not near the cash crop Missourian has! Although beat up, these are free of matrix with (I think) nice shell preservation. Found in sand/gravel creek bed with lots of other cool little macros (~2-3mm brachs, crinoid pieces, shell bits, unknowns, etc.). Leavenworth county, Kansas. For scale: Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullsnake Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 And speaking of 'in chert', also from Leavenworth county, Kansas; formation unknown: Limestone from same unknown formation: Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missourian Posted July 17, 2012 Author Share Posted July 17, 2012 On 7/17/2012 at 2:58 PM, Al Dente said: I knew a person who briefly worked on Texas fusulinids. I showed him some examples of fusulinids in chert that were nicely preserved with intricate detail. I thought he would be able to identify them but he explained to me that the silicification ruins the fine detail. I was surprised because they looked pristine, like they were floating in glass. Yeah. I didn't even mention the possibility that critical details might not even be present after going through the trouble of finding, sampling, cleaning, cutting, polishing, making thin sections (or acetate peels), and preparing slides. For me, it's easier to just do this : Context is critical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missourian Posted July 17, 2012 Author Share Posted July 17, 2012 On 7/17/2012 at 4:07 PM, Bullsnake said: Well, not near the cash crop Missourian has! Although beat up, these are free of matrix with (I think) nice shell preservation. Found in sand/gravel creek bed with lots of other cool little macros (~2-3mm brachs, crinoid pieces, shell bits, unknowns, etc.). Leavenworth county, Kansas. ..... Those are all pretty nice, especially the loose ones. Being from Leavenworth County, they probably came from one of the Shawnee Group formations, which is a fusulinid collector's dream. Context is critical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missourian Posted July 25, 2012 Author Share Posted July 25, 2012 One more: Or should I say a couple thousand more?.... Triticites sp. Beil Limestone Osage County, Kansas Context is critical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herb Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 One more: Or should I say a couple thousand more?.... Triticites sp. Beil Limestone Osage County, Kansas Nice!! "Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence"_ Carl Sagen No trees were killed in this posting......however, many innocent electrons were diverted from where they originally intended to go. " I think, therefore I collect fossils." _ Me "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."__S. Holmes "can't we all just get along?" Jack Nicholson from Mars Attacks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrangellian Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 Nice guide, Missourian, that's the kind of thing I'd really appreciate (well the biostrat charts would be good too ) if I were collecting in that area. I have a few chunks with what look like fusulinids in them but no idea where they came from.. sounds like they are even less likely to be ID'd now... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missourian Posted July 29, 2012 Author Share Posted July 29, 2012 Fusulinids of all sizes: Triticites sp. Ervine Creek Limestone Holt County Missouri I found this while digging through the pile (i.e. my collection). Context is critical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missourian Posted July 29, 2012 Author Share Posted July 29, 2012 I found these today: Triticites sp. Toronto Limestone Leavenworth County, Kansas I like the color of the piece. Context is critical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prehistoria Posted July 29, 2012 Share Posted July 29, 2012 What method do you use to extract the fossils from the matrix? I apologize for the newbie question, but newbie pretty much sums up my level of expertise lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missourian Posted July 29, 2012 Author Share Posted July 29, 2012 I washed the loose specimens from little shale beds within the limestones. Just add water, strain out the mud, and pick out the specimens. Context is critical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missourian Posted July 29, 2012 Author Share Posted July 29, 2012 This piece has been cut and polished: Triticites sp. Beil Limestone Osage County, Kansas Context is critical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missourian Posted July 30, 2012 Author Share Posted July 30, 2012 On 7/17/2012 at 4:11 PM, Bullsnake said: And speaking of 'in chert', also from Leavenworth county, Kansas; formation unknown: Limestone from same unknown formation: Being from Leavenworth County, they probably came from the Plattsmouth Limestone, which is known to contain plenty of chert and fusulinids. Context is critical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullsnake Posted July 30, 2012 Share Posted July 30, 2012 Being from Leavenworth County, they probably came from the Plattsmouth Limestone, which is known to contain plenty of chert and fusulinids. Thanks. I checked the KGS stratigraphic succession for a limestone with chert, but couldn't find it. Apparently I didn't look high enough. The map pretty much shows the area as Lawrence fm., so I was researching based on that. Not finding it there, and not knowing whether to go up or down, I just figured I'll have to return for more clues (you know I hate having to go look at fossils/rocks). Sometimes I think I'll never get guess one right . As I'm sure you're aware, you have to draw me a picture, then I might get it! Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missourian Posted July 31, 2012 Author Share Posted July 31, 2012 On 7/30/2012 at 6:16 PM, Bullsnake said: .... (you know I hate having to go look at fossils/rocks).... .... Sometimes, it's an 'art' as well as a science. Since I spent a good part of last Saturday checking out some of those beds in Leavenworth County, I'll ramble on a bit about the matter.... The only units exposed in Leavenworth County that would likely have chert are the Spring Hill Ls. and the Plattsmouth Ls. Since your geo map indicated Lawrence Fm., that likely rules out Spring Hill (along with the fact that fusulinids are comparatively sparse in that unit, at least around the KC area that I've seen). Were the fragments found at an outcrop, or were they loose? If at an outcrop, it's a pretty good chance it is the Plattsmouth, as geo maps can be somewhat vague on a human level. If loose (i.e. fragments of chert sitting on shale), then it could have slid from an outcrop uphill. If no bedrock can be found, there is the possibility that it was washed from glacial drift. In that case, it's still probably Plattsmouth, since much of the material was likely derived from local bedrock, especially from beds that are higher up. On saturday, I found a nice little slab of fusulinid-bearing chert in some drift on top of the hill, which happened to be sitting atop a truncated, chert-free section of Plattsmouth. I tentatively figure it came from the same unit. A good, general description of Pennsylvanian beds in Kansas can be found at http://www.kgs.ku.edu/Publications/Bulletins/83/index.html . I'm not sure if I've linked this one yet. It is worth a re-link. Context is critical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullsnake Posted July 31, 2012 Share Posted July 31, 2012 O.K. You did send that link to me, but I've been using the 1968 Stratigraphic Succession. This one has more detailed descriptions, so, thank you for reiterating! To your question, the chert is a band in the outcrop (roadcut, are they interchangeable terms?). Thanks again, Missourian. If you go out again soon, give a shout if you don't mind some company. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missourian Posted July 31, 2012 Author Share Posted July 31, 2012 On 7/30/2012 at 7:19 PM, Bullsnake said: O.K. You did send that link to me, but I've been using the 1968 Stratigraphic Succession. This one has more detailed descriptions, so, thank you for reiterating! I prefer the 1949 pub. The 1968 one is too brief, though it does cover all strata throughout Kansas. Quote To your question, the chert is a band in the outcrop (roadcut, are they interchangeable terms?). Yes, they are interchangeable (all road cuts are outcrops, but not always the other way around. ). Indeed, "a chert band in the outcrop" sounds like Plattsmouth. Quote Thanks again, Missourian. If you go out again soon, give a shout if you don't mind some company. Sounds like fun. I'd like to expand my reach further up into the Shawnee Group, as there some fantastic beds contained within. We could even do some meet-ups with the usual crew, but there are no guarantees on these scouting trips. Context is critical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullsnake Posted July 31, 2012 Share Posted July 31, 2012 Still fun, though! Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missourian Posted July 31, 2012 Author Share Posted July 31, 2012 One more thing about the Plattsmouth.... It is the bed that is primarily responsible for the Oread escarpment, which can be traced across much of the outcrop belt in Kansas. These features can serve as a crude "geologic map". The Bethany Falls and Winterset form one as well. The Oread Formation is named after Mount Oread, which is the hill upon which KU sits. Context is critical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullsnake Posted July 31, 2012 Share Posted July 31, 2012 I need to go to school! Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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