Memorial Day side trip to Paulding

[minnbuckeye]

 

 

 

I spent the Holiday weekend in Port Clinton, Ohio visiting my relatives. On my drive to there, I made a slight detour so that I could visit the fossil site north of Paulding, Ohio. I must commend La Farge Quarry for their creation and upkeep of the park!!!!! They must, unlike most quarries, realize the treasures that lurk within their rock. The park consists of about 10 rows, 100 feet long of fossiliferous rock they provide for the public's enjoyment. Some of the piles are weathered and some are fresh. Certain species are better found in the weathered rock, others in the fresh. Look at both!!

Here is a sampling of what can be found in a few hours of collecting:

 

Brachiopods abound from small to large.

 

 

[minnbuckeye]

 

 

Crinoid Cup??

[minnbuckeye]

Molluscs

[minnbuckeye]

Trilo-bits. But nice partials!! 

 

[minnbuckeye]

 

 

 Corals:

[minnbuckeye]

The more I hunt, the more I enjoy epibionts, fossil on o fossil

[minnbuckeye]

[Fruitbat]

Wow!  Very nice selection of old dead things!  Sounds like a great place to go collecting!

 

-Joe

[minnbuckeye]

My favorite find of the day was a massive fenestrated bryozoan Over a foot in length!!! I am still cleaning this a bit to expose more and I am disappointed that I can not capture its size and detail together. It looks 1000 times better in person! 

 

In closing this trip report, I have two things to say: 

 

!. If you have children and are anywhere near this site, STOP!!!! This is such a kid friendly area to play in.

2. Please use this fossil park as an example for other quarries to provide access to their individual treasures. I am sure this is an economic plus for the local communities.

 

Actually a third thing: @Peat Burns, I know you are working with Paulding samples. If you see anything posted here that you would like, let me know and it is yours.

[Velociraptor99]

@minnbuckeye

 

Beautiful finds! I especially like the trilobite bits and brachiopods. 

 

I live in Northeast Ohio and may be willing to take the drive to west if this is open to the public for collecting, is it? 

 

I’ve always wanted to find a complete trilobite from the silica shale formation at Paulding.

 

Great Job and I hope you enjoyed the area.

[Fossildude19]

20 minutes ago, Velociraptor99 said:

@minnbuckeye

I live in Northeast Ohio and may be willing to take the drive to west if this is open to the public for collecting, is it? 

Yes, it is open to the public for collecting.  

 

EDIT: Paper on Microconchids of the area.

[hrguy54]

They open the quarry itself a few times a year for groups. I went 2 years ago.

There is/was a schedule.

[Peat Burns]

4 hours ago, minnbuckeye said:

 

Actually a third thing: @Peat Burns, I know you are working with Paulding samples. If you see anything posted here that you would like, let me know and it is yours.

Mike, glad you made it to Paulding.  I wanted to say you should have given me a heads up and I would have met you there, but I was in Florida that weekend.

 

Thanks For the offer. I really like  the fenestrate bryozoan.  But I don't want to take your favorite find!  I've never seen one that big (with the exception of Mississippian Archimedes).  

[minnbuckeye]

@Peat Burns, if you could use it, let me know the address to ship it to. May have to saw the edges to fit in a box!

 

 Mike

[Monica]

I, too, am a relatively new fan of epibionts - they're such a nice surprise! 

[Peat Burns]

11 hours ago, minnbuckeye said:

@Peat Burns, if you could use it, let me know the address to ship it to. May have to saw the edges to fit in a box!

 

 Mike

 That's very kind. Perhaps you could hang on to it and I could come up and fossil hunt with you sometime this summer or fall?.  If at that point you are still willing to part with it, I could bring some things in trade?

[Wrangellian]

Love that Bryozoan! It would be a shame to chop it down - is that a coral I see at the far end of that piece?

Looks like a nice variety of things to be found there... it would never get old.

[minnbuckeye]

@Peat Burns, That sounds great. I will place it in storage with your name on it. If you don't make it up to this area, I am sure more trips back to Ohio will occur. After suggesting shipping the bryozoan, I thought any piece of silica shale would disintegrate with a trip through our postal service!! So your suggestion is wise.

 

 Mike

 

[FossilSniper]

I am very much admiring the Tricopeltia Breviceps cephalons+pygiduims you have there. Nice finds, those trilobite cephalons are all quite rare.
I know the feeling of taking a bad representation photo of a great fossil. I don't judge  
I will be fossil hunting at the St. Leon roadcut all of July. I hope to pick up some nice finds, like you did.

If you need any help with IDs... then here you go!
http://strata.uga.edu/cincy/fauna/fauna.html
(Or you could just ask me )

[crinus]

21 hours ago, hrguy54 said:

They open the quarry itself a few times a year for groups. I went 2 years ago.

There is/was a schedule.

WAS is the key word.  The reason the "park" was created is because they are no longer allowing groups into the quarry.   Our group has been trying for two years and no success. 

[minnbuckeye]

Glad to see you respond @crinus. Is that a crinoid cup in my photos, and if so, is a person as knowledgeable as you able to name it?

[crinus]

7 minutes ago, minnbuckeye said:

Glad to see you respond @crinus. Is that a crinoid cup in my photos, and if so, is a person as knowledgeable as you able to name it?

Yes, that is.  It is Arthroacantha carpenteri.  Crinoids are very rare at Pauling.  I have several.  None are showy.  I am saving all the crinoids and anything else I find unusual from Paulding for eventual deposit at the University of Michigan.  They have great collection of stuff from Sylvania but nothing from Paulding.  

PS - Your bryozoan is exquisite.  Wish I had seen that when I was at the site about a month ago.

[minnbuckeye]

I offered peat burns first pick of my finds. He took the bryozoan.  If you would like to present this crinoid cup to the "SCHOOL UP NORTH", let me know your address and I will send it out. By the way for anyone that does not know, an Ohio State graduate cannot use the "m" word. It is blasphemy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[crinus]

12 hours ago, minnbuckeye said:

I offered peat burns first pick of my finds. He took the bryozoan.  If you would like to present this crinoid cup to the "SCHOOL UP NORTH", let me know your address and I will send it out. By the way for anyone that does not know, an Ohio State graduate cannot use the "m" word. It is blasphemy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yea, I saw that but I had to let both of you know that it was exquisite.  Hopefully peat will someday send it to that m word.  You people from "THE" Ohio State have a real problem with "m".  I on the other hand took the higher stand and let The Ohio State University work on my Brechin crinoids collection which is going to "The" University of Michigan. 

 

PS Save that crinoid cup and maybe some day we can all meet up at the Paulding site.

Joe

[Peat Burns]

It will definitely be placed in a museum in the state of Michigan