Southeast Indiana (St. Leon)

[Stocksdale]

Recently, we made our first trip to St. Leon roadcut in southeast Indiana with my kids and father.

Thought I'd put together a report of the trip and show the various items found. I've tried to make my best effort at IDing the brachiopods from the drydredger website, but please let me know which ones are incorrect.

Here's some pictures from the location.

[Stocksdale]

Trilobites: My 8 year old son was the only one who found a couple.

Horn corals:

Ambonychia Clam:

[Stocksdale]

Brachiopods found.

Leptaena richmonensis

Lepidocyclus

Hebertella

Rafinesquina ponderosa

[lissa318]

Nice finds and looks like the kids were having lots of fun!

[Stocksdale]

More Brachiopods:

Here's another Rafinesquina (alternata?) with some cool encrusting bryozoa

Found a lot of these. I think these are Strophomena.

Strophomena 1: front and back

Strophomena 2: front and back

Strophomena 3: front and back

Strophomena with crinoid....

[Stocksdale]

And the last batch of brachiopods:

I think this is Plaesiomys.

And more Plaesiomys

Edited June 17, 2013 by Neophytus Elginian

[Stocksdale]

And, here's one of the hash plates that we found.

I think the smaller brachs are Thaerodonta clarksvillensis with some strophomena, bryozoa, crinoids and some trilobite bits.

[evren]

Nice enrolled isotelus. Not nearly as common as the calymenes. Is there shell material on both sides?

[jgcox]

We live close to this site and collect it very frequently last winter most of the west face slid down and covered the best Trilobite area. We are still finding some but not the quantity we found last summer. Just hoping all the rain will wash the area soon. Here is a nice Isotealus I found at the end of fall last year.

[Missourian]

Nice finds. The Flexicalymene looks like it's being unzipped.

[fossilcrazy]

Nice collection and you did well in the Trilobite department. The St. Leon / Southgate roadcut is such a nice collecting spot. Kids can't help but find interesting fossils.

A couple years ago I thought St. Leon was going to be an off limits spot when the State of Indiana was cracking down on collecting highway roadsides. Guess they won't enforce there if someone isn't digging.

[Stocksdale]

Thanks and yes it is a good spot for kids.

Really nice trilobite, jgcox!

We were on the east side. So the west side may have more trilobites?

We also thought about stopping at some of the roadcuts between this one and Richmond, but some of those don't have good places to pull over.

Edited June 18, 2013 by Neophytus Elginian

[Crinoid Queen]

We live close to this site and collect it very frequently last winter most of the west face slid down and covered the best Trilobite area. We are still finding some but not the quantity we found last summer. Just hoping all the rain will wash the area soon. Here is a nice Isotealus I found at the end of fall last year.

That is very cool you guys are able to get over there like that. I love that road cut. That is a shame the face fell down though but the bright side that means more fossils in the future

[Stocksdale]

By the way, I keep walking around saying "Rafinesquina ponderosa" while waving a pretend wand and doing my best Harry Potter impression. Unfortunately, my kids are unimpressed.

[Auspex]

By the way, I keep walking around saying "Rafinesquina ponderosa" while waving a pretend wand and doing my best Harry Potter impression. Unfortunately, my kids are unimpressed.

[fossilcrazy]

By the way, I keep walking around saying "Rafinesquina ponderosa" while waving a pretend wand and doing my best Harry Potter impression. Unfortunately, my kids are unimpressed.

If you follow the same highway past Bon Hill heading East, the roadcuts are a lot better for Rafinesquina ponderosa. No wand required. The Brachs are big but the attached Epifauna are few.

[Stocksdale]

Thanks, fossilcrazy. You mean the roadcuts east of the dam and as you head toward Liberty?