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A Tour Through The Kansas City Pennsylvanian


Missourian

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PetrolPete and his dad came into town for some Pennsylvanian hunting. We were joined by JeepDigger and Kehbe.

 

Our first stop was at an exposure of Winterset Limestone in southeast Kansas City, Missouri:

 

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The fossiliferous beds are in the upper Winterset. Here, these beds are grouped into three distinct zones:

 

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The pinkish-brown ledge in the middle is cross-bedded oolite with some pockets of coquina. Cephalopods and trilobites can be found here, along with other mollusks, brachiopods (especially Composita), and a few minor miscellanea. The collecting can be really good when you hit the coquina pockets. I was hoping the recent snow melt and temperature swings would pry some chunks loose from the rock face, but that didn't seem to happen this time. I didn't collect anything from this zone, but I can't speak for the other guys.... well, JeepDigger did find a rather large Deltodus tooth.

 

Below the oolite is a series of medium-thick, micritic limestone beds separated with shale partings. I call these the 'blue beds'. The fauna is somewhat similar to that of the oolite, but the fossils are a bit trickier to coax out of the rock. I did find a pretty good example of some strange forms I've been finding in this zone:

 

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Through the microscope:

 

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Graptolites came to mind, but it soon became obvious that these are cross-sections of potato chip-like forms. These could possibly be bryozoans or pelecypods that were preserved in such a way that made the shell structure visible. I always like a mystery....

 

The 'blue beds' also contain some trace fossils. These branching burrows (Chondrites?) appear to be filled with shell debris:

 

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There are also some larger, ghostly, tube-like things that may be debris-lined burrows:

 

4019-Winterset-tubes.jpg

 

The thin-bedded limestone at the top of the section contains sparse Cordaites leaves and not much else.

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The top part of the lower Winterset is oxidized and riddled with plant roots:


3978-Winterset-Cordaites-roots.jpg

These are likely from Cordaites. Interestingly, this zone of roots is present over much of the KC metro. Leaves and wood of Cordaites are scattered throughout the area as well. At this exposure, wood can be found in the oolite, and leaves can be found in the upper beds:


3868-Winterset-Cordaites-zones.jpg

Perhaps a mangrove-style forest covered much of the area at the time. The trees would have been growing on the exposed surface (shown in red). Eventually the sea rose and reflooded the area. Mud and lime deposition resumed. Oolite shoals formed in the shallow water. Bits of plant material drifted out from the nearby coastline. As far as Pennsylvanian cycles go, this marine transgression appears to have been relatively minor.

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Having found everything in the Winterset (well, not really....), we moved on to some Middle Creek Limestone:


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The fossils come from the thin shale in the sandwich-like beds on top. Here is my spectacular haul:


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I think the other guys' finds were a little better. :)

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Next on the agenda is my favorite exposure of the Argentine Limestone, which is in the northern KC suburbs. Since I forgot to take photos of the group and outcrop, I had to settle for a people-less photo from last summer:

 

074-Argentine-outcrop.jpg


We found productid brachiopods (Antiquatonia, Echinaria, Jurasania, Linoproductus), lacy bryozoans, some mollusks, and a few other things. Kehbe found a really nice nautiloid (probably Liroceras):

 

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It is one of the two finds of the day. The other was JeepDigger's Deltodus.

The nautiloid up close:

 

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It looks like prepping should be relatively easy with this one. Fingers crossed....

We also struck oil!:

 

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The petroleum was present in a few of the brachiopods:

 

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Fortunately, PetrolPete is a petroleum engineer, so he was able to provide some pointers. For instance, he said the black goo would sparkle when ignited. I would have expected a simple burn. He also confirmed our assumptions that the oil migrated to the brach shells during diagensis instead of originating as the brachiopods' guts. I'm still puzzled how such a mess could end up in the shells while the surrounding limestone remained so clean.

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And finally, JeepDigger and I made our way to the Chanute Shale to collect some gastropods:


3900-Chanute-paleosol.jpg

He is standing just above the reddish paleosol, which really stands out when wet.

Both of us collected quite a few snails. Anyone for some escargo?:


4014-Chanute-gastropods.jpg

 

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For strat fans, here is a chart of the Kansas City group showing the levels of the four collecting sites:


paleozoic_11_final.png

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I certainly enjoyed reading your report! The formation pictures are great as well as your finds! Thanks for sharing the excursions. :)

Process of identification "mistakes create wisdom".

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On 3/18/2013 at 5:10 PM, masonboro37 said:

I certainly enjoyed reading your report! The formation pictures are great as well as your finds! Thanks for sharing the excursions. :)

 

Thanks, and stay tuned. The other guys will eventually post their finds here (I hope :) ).

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Clicking on either of the two "petroleum" pictures elicits a "you do not have permission" warning. Perhaps the pictures were used elsewhere, rendering the larger versions off limits.

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On 3/18/2013 at 7:34 PM, Roanoker said:

Clicking on either of the two "petroleum" pictures elicits a "you do not have permission" warning. Perhaps the pictures were used elsewhere, rendering the larger versions off limits.

 

Gosh, this forum software is buggier than an Ozarks summer.... :)

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Gosh, this forum software is buggier than an Ozarks summer.... :)

Pulled them from the messenger...didn't you! :D

Steve

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On 3/18/2013 at 7:46 PM, Bullsnake said:

Pulled them from the messenger...didn't you! :D

 

Actually, I re-uploaded them for my 'Backyard' thread, and then I pulled the wrong attachments ('My Media' is a disaster, but I digress.... :) ). But still, I can't use my PM attachments in a post? They are *my* attachments.... :D

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Actually, I reuploaded them for my 'Backyard' thread, and then I pulled the wrong attachments ('My Media' is a disaster, but I digress.... :) ). But still, I can't use my PM attachments in a post? They are *my* attachments.... :D

Sure you can, but no one else has permission to read your PMs...I can make it so they can, or you could repost them from the original file; your call :P

"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!

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On 3/18/2013 at 8:41 PM, Auspex said:

Sure you can, but no one else has permission to read your PMs...I can make it so they can, or you could repost them from the original file; your call :P

 

I tried the second call, but I flubbed it up. :)

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Awesome report and I had a great time with everyone! Its always fun to get out with fellow forum members. I guess I'm going to have to go get some photo software for my antique laptop, my better half took her computer to California today and won't be back for a whole week! She said she will need it for her conference, yeah right. PICTURES TO COME SOON!!! :D:P

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When I'm not finding fossils, I tend to look for pretty rocks to take home:

 

017-Winterset-chert.jpg

 

The Winterset is renowned for its dark chert. This band came from the thin beds at the top

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On 3/19/2013 at 4:34 PM, Boneman007 said:

Love the Escargot!

 

The Pennsylvanian variety may taste better than some I've tried. :)

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On 3/19/2013 at 3:54 PM, Plantguy said:

Enjoyed seeing the finds and especially the stratigraphy! Regards, Chris

 

Many places may have more fossils, but our stratigraphy is first rate. :)

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I had a great time. It was really awesome meeting all of you. And I know my father had a good time too.

I'm still amazed at the fossil diversity you guys have in the area, and even in a single cut! Within 5 feet you could find trilos, brachs, shark teeth, pelecypods, plant material, gastropods, cephalopods, geodized fossils and various other odds and ends! And I have to say this was the first time I actually found hydrocarbons on a fossil hunting trip, I have smelled them before on trips before, but never seen them like we did. It's kind of funny too, because I when I was working for an oil and gas operating company over the summer, I would often refer to my fossil hunting trips as trips to go 'looking for oil seeps,' but I hadn't truly found any until now.

I'll try and post pictures as soon as I can.

Thanks again for showing me around everyone,

Peter

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Great report....that nautilus is going to look fantastic on that slab with the shells... top finds well done...

Cheers Steve... And Welcome if your a New Member... :)

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Now that I have FINALLY figured out my new photo editing software I can get some pictures up here. As Missourian said before the first stop was Winterset Limestone where, aside from being a bit chilly, was pretty productive as I found several trilobite fragments, several nice Wilkingia shells, a couple nice Bryazoan fans, lots of assorted brachiopods and a couple shark teeth! Unfortunatly, one of the shark teeth may have inadvertently been left at the local.... :angry: I still have the negative of the tooth in a smaller piece so not a complete bust. Thses are some of the better fossils I collected from this location. I have several more that I haven't cleaned up yet.

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The second location was Middle Creek Limestone. This has to be one of my favorite areas to hunt now. I really like the contrasting colors, detail and variety you find in the hash plates. This location yielded some nice fossils as well, including a a couple trilobite fragments, lots of coral fragments, crinoid bits, a sea urchin plate and spine fragment (spine courtesy of Missourian, thanks!), and several hash plates of various sizes. These are some of my favorites from this site.

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The last two locations we checked out were Argentine Limestone and Chanute Shale. Another great site! There were TONS of nicely preserved braciopods from several different species but the big find at this site was the petroleum saturated brachiopods from a recent slide. It was really amazing how clean and pure the limestone around the brachiopods could be and the shells looked as though they would start dripping at any second! Several of the larger brachiopods (Echinaria I believe) were completely geodized on the inside. Some of the crystal structures inside these brachiopods were pretty large and to pair that with the dark coloration from the petroleum was really neat! After we had our fill of oil, we decided to head our separate ways for the day. Missourian and I decided to hit one more spot on the way home and look for some gastropods. This was the Chanute Shale, The gastropods were EVERYWHERE! Unfortunatly so were some new foot prints and diging holes. While some of the gastropods were in pretty nice condition, many of them were not as perfect. We still got some nice specimens and had a great time doing it! The Sunday after our hunt we went to a local rock and mineral show where I couldn't resist picking up a little trilobite. Phacops Rana / Devonian from north eastern United States is how it was labled and as far as I can tell it seems to be accurate. I decided for all of the trilobite pygidiums I have I need to have at least ONE complete trilobite to show people what they should look like. I had a great time with everyone, its always fun to get out with other TFF members and get dirty! :D

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