Crown Point Formation

[Andrew Knight]

Recently, I have obtained a Wikipedia account so that I could update articles on some of Vermont’s geologic formations.

The first of which I have made is the Ordovician age Crown Point Formation, in which I have collected many rocks completely covered in fossil invertebrates. Although I am unsure as to how far this formation goes (possibly extending into New York as well),localities known for having some of the most fossils from the formation include the towns of Panton and Isle La Motte.
In creating the list, my main source of information was Paleontology of the Lake Champlain Basin in Vermont, as well as my own observations of what fossils were collected by myself and other members of the Burlington Gem & Mineral Club when we collected specimens from private quarries in Panton, VT last October.

However, as my main source was written in 1962, the names and classification for some of the fauna included in the list may have names that are dubious, and the list itself if subject to change. If there is any further information that should be added to the article, please let me know, or edit the page responsibly (basing your facts/information with resources). 

Note: I have not added algae & porifera yet, so this post (and the Wikipedia article) will be edited.

  The Crown Point Formation

Cephalopods
Maclurites magnus
Stereospyroceras champlainensis
Vaginoceras oppletum
Vaningenoceras sp.
Proteoceras perkinsi
Proteoceras pulchrum
Plectoceras jason
Nanno sp.

Trilobites
Bumastus erautusi
Bumastus globosus
Cryptolithus tesselatus
Eoharpes antiquatus
Flexicalymene senaria
Isotelus gigas
Pliomerops canadensis

Vogdesia bearsi

Echinoderms
Dendrinocrinus alternatus

Brachipods
Atleasma multicostum
Camerella varians
Macrocoelia champlainensis

Corals
Streptelasma expansum
Foerstephyllum wissleri
Lambeophyllum profundum

Bryozoans
Praspora orientalis
Rhinidictya fenestrata
Stictopora ramosa 

[Kane]

In Whitely, Kloc, and Brett (2002) Trilobites of New York: An Illustrated Guide they list a few other trilobites in Crown Point Formation in both Essex County and Valcour Island, as part of the Chazy Group:

 

Ceratocara shawi i(Valcour Island)

Isotelus jacobus (Essex Cty)

Thaleops longispina (Essex Cty)

Cybeloides prima (Valcour Island)

Ceraurinella latipygia (Valcour Island)

Physemetaspis insularis (Valcour Island)

 

I understand your focus here is on Vermont, but we also know geologic formations don't always follow state lines! 

 

Hopefully this helps and not muddles! 

[Kane]

And a few more, this time from the Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology: Part O (Trilobita) [Rev. 1997]:

 

Hemiarges aff. H. turneri

Calyptaulax annulata

"Otarion" spinicaudatum

Lonchodomas chaziensis

Failleana calva

Sphaerocoryphe goodnovi

 

These are all reported from NY state outcrops of the Crown Point Fm.

[Jazfossilator]

This is hugely informative to me, thanks for the post!

[minnbuckeye]

Just saying, Maclurites magnus is not a cephalopod, it is a gastropod

[Miocene_Mason]

57 minutes ago, Andrew Knight said:

Isotelus gigas

From Vermont? I wanna see that! I guess on you guys to find!

[Andrew Knight]

On 5/4/2018 at 12:07 PM, WhodamanHD said:

From Vermont? I wanna see that! I guess on you guys to find!

Yeah. There is a nice concentration of trilobites on a private property in Panton, VT that the Burlington Gem & Mineral Club visited last year. From that trip, I got at least two I. gigas pygidiums. Sometime, I'll try to take photos of the specimens I have collected from the Crown Point Formation (and I'll be visiting the formation next week to collect more).

[Andrew Knight]

On 5/4/2018 at 11:52 AM, minnbuckeye said:

Just saying, Maclurites magnus is not a cephalopod, it is a gastropod

Noted, thank you.

[Andrew Knight]

On 5/4/2018 at 11:36 AM, Kane said:

And a few more, this time from the Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology: Part O (Trilobita) [Rev. 1997]:

 

Hemiarges aff. H. turneri

Calyptaulax annulata

"Otarion" spinicaudatum

Lonchodomas chaziensis

Failleana calva

Sphaerocoryphe goodnovi

 

These are all reported from NY state outcrops of the Crown Point Fm.

That's cool! Thank you for the information.

[Andrew Knight]

On 5/4/2018 at 11:36 AM, Jazfossilator said:

This is hugely informative to me, thanks for the post!

You're welcome, though I forgot to add fossils from New York in the post , so I would recommend visiting the Wikipedia article on the Crown Point Formation (which I am updating).

[Miocene_Mason]

5 hours ago, Andrew Knight said:

Yeah. There is a nice concentration of trilobites on a private property in Panton, VT that the Burlington Gem & Mineral Club visited last year. From that trip, I got at least two I. gigas pygidiums. Sometime, I'll try to take photos of the specimens I have collected from the Crown Point Formation (and I'll be visiting the formation next week to collect more).

That sounds cool, I always thought Asaphids were beautiful bugs. I’ll get to collecting up there someday. Good luck with hunting up there!

[piranha]

On 5/4/2018 at 8:10 AM, Andrew Knight said:

...If there is any further information that should be added to the article, please let me know, or edit the page responsibly (basing your facts/information with resources)... 

 

The Crown Point Formation
Trilobites
Bumastus erautusi
Bumastus globosus
Cryptolithus tesselatus
Eoharpes antiquatus

 

 

Spelling and taxonomy updates:

 

Platillaenus (=Bumastus) erastusi

Bumastoides (=Bumastus) globosus

Cryptolithus tessellatus

Hibbertia valcourensis (=Eoharpes antiquatus)

 

Some additional misspellings from the Wikipedia entry:

 

Ceranurinella latipygia should be Ceraurinella latipyga

Physemetaspis insularis should be Physemataspis insularis

 

from: 

 

Shaw, F.C. 1968
Early Middle Ordovician Chazy Trilobites of New York. 
New York State Museum Memoir, 17:1-163   PDF LINK

 

Whiteley, T.E., Kloc, G.J., & Brett, C.E. 2002
The Trilobites of New York.
Cornell University Press, 380 pp.

[Andrew Knight]

16 hours ago, piranha said:

 

 

Spelling and taxonomy updates:

 

Platillaenus (=Bumastus) erastusi

Bumastoides (=Bumastus) globosus

Cryptolithus tessellatus

Hibbertia valcourensis (=Eoharpes antiquatus)

 

Some additional misspellings from the Wikipedia entry:

 

Ceranurinella latipygia should be Ceraurinella latipyga

Physemetaspis insularis should be Physemataspis insularis

 

from: 

 

Shaw, F.C. 1968
Early Middle Ordovician Chazy Trilobites of New York. 
New York State Museum Memoir, 17:1-163   PDF LINK

 

Whiteley, T.E., Kloc, G.J., & Brett, C.E. 2002
The Trilobites of New York.
Cornell University Press, 380 pp.

Many thanks for the updates.