Jump to content

Southern Indiana Ordovician Weekend Fossil Hunt


Nimravis

Recommended Posts

I was bored this last weekend and decided that I would take a quick 4 1/2 hour drive to Southern Indiana to collect Ordovician fossils at St. Leon and areas around Lawrenceburg. Despite some rain, it was a good couple days of collecting. I found numerous horn corals, various species of brachiopods and bryozoan, Isotelus and Flexi trilobite parts and some really nice hash plates containing all of the previous mention fossils, plus other finds.

 

Here are some pics of some of my finds-

 

IMG_7571.jpg.5d00164168d7732b67d383d467f3069b.jpgIMG_7581.jpg.b4eb58a5835268a589cbda21ca21ed02.jpgIMG_7597.jpg.6340e085e2f0d16e93c0737209ef6767.jpg

 

 

IMG_7572.jpg.c20956b4872908e4d4745fd99f55f2f5.jpgIMG_7583.jpg.39cffdddf088396d9308fff9427e9fb6.jpgIMG_7584.jpg.46ac8989679e278ac2d53dcec9b45f3e.jpgIMG_7587.jpg.abf11272510f896575bf0bdc9cb0f7e4.jpgIMG_7590.jpg.b3258fa1b345ce90a600494b2a9ecdcb.jpgIMG_7616.jpg.6406d78d43a2b6edeea5c21a9b27fb17.jpgIMG_7617.jpg.79853b4685f118160d131121d4e2abd6.jpgIMG_7626.jpg.b8bc25a12bca6937aaa4efb58762aab0.jpgIMG_7627.jpg.d3278a6e394e252680145793475393cb.jpgIMG_7630.jpg.b8b328c732e56a0e08ae5d19b70233c2.jpgIMG_7631.jpg.d8eba6fb7e5716a1bcb917c3d944b89f.jpgIMG_7682.jpg.45325f572e4ecd4a68cf28123538a065.jpgIMG_7635.jpg.712e67480c09fe0de90a05dac9e9c23a.jpgIMG_7672.jpg.5d961629430f021b473448ac12c4f6af.jpgIMG_7677.jpg.5ce3675cd99e3e61fb80d8934cfd2d02.jpgIMG_7678.jpg.1f9327d8b486fa601b1aec96fa73acbc.jpgIMG_7681.jpg.65fca97d4461b2e4e9ced4bcd6bbbe06.jpg

 

 

IMG_7574.jpg.2541cea3bb8ac50d8cb06a0fa89ff353.jpgIMG_7575.jpg.dc38ea51de6e243828ca2a9903ae48a2.jpgIMG_7577.jpg.555e044d6b7f1a20a6ea5e621564e6d3.jpgIMG_7578.jpg.f3a1552beea720f39615e5a8f251de76.jpgIMG_7580.jpg.9a6246a78a984c7ebac428775e352012.jpgIMG_7582.jpg.db03e1caa210659eddc08ab9ec440c72.jpgIMG_7586.jpg.bf5fd6d70c4f065787ddd4d2fec1d147.jpgIMG_7593.jpg.b0848906adcc5d1c1c2de0f414e0d61f.jpgIMG_7594.jpg.a68c4619898e6d78521214389768b861.jpgIMG_7600.jpg.9bda8fd26adc5f55ed10c67f3008125f.jpgIMG_7601.jpg.00a238e573960d70c8ea821486c03edc.jpgIMG_7602.jpg.35331c296c80eb9d583162635dee6323.jpgIMG_7604.jpg.755ff9a4f0a80018d5212c792e38a7e6.jpgIMG_7620.jpg.d7bd3796fa289182f033902db229f7bc.jpgIMG_7621.jpg.a0afcac593a79a85739c2c06f9e7819e.jpgIMG_7628.jpg.7f087132ef2133ca677f910c97e78505.jpgIMG_7629.jpg.7c16d0c1c6f97be560859ef81d88b758.jpgIMG_7637.jpg.55cdc97e3eeaf84568bfc76b70d0e7f1.jpgIMG_7639.jpg.504692fddc65e5324cb175031202d081.jpgIMG_7655.jpg.c3f6d0080e7a2759f7b61ee8ae3bd6b7.jpgIMG_7660.jpg.2c58fcc4644a0a7d92f2fc9d4a07764c.jpgIMG_7661.jpg.2db0bd52f0265fd04beb229e4f817784.jpgIMG_7663.jpg.cdf924fb36655dde610f7bcce8676b0b.jpgIMG_7675.jpg.24d271010dbb7a3490d7391e76a9b522.jpgIMG_7573.jpg.ed7e5c3836c2324ee81f09bcc881707c.jpg

 

 

IMG_7656.jpg.93a3de3faea638d550d7e1bc4915d8e3.jpgIMG_7664.jpg.a82aaa0799269617708f031a3bd38824.jpgIMG_7666.jpg.9feb590969d89b1fe2443864106cd486.jpgIMG_7669.jpg.d938dd46f592c4896faf5c6646cd5e28.jpgIMG_7670.jpg.b35935ff777eebe39488593ccdfd8b49.jpgIMG_7683.jpg.851bee587abb7f92651ee33ae9b7558c.jpgIMG_7687.jpg.00b08ae9c96a288ad905ed477c4df63c.jpg

 

 

IMG_7598.jpg.ecef90049e91bacabd8feda6a031d212.jpgIMG_7599.jpg.ab314c65ce1ed5e47808db96a688b108.jpgIMG_7610.jpg.531ad6e7bc71e11d3290b02d63a82c4e.jpg

 

 

 

IMG_7614.jpg.d1e26c1511e5dfb31b94444494c6bce5.jpgIMG_7615.jpg.8de8e983ed48e58a8115121fe6c9215a.jpgIMG_7618.jpg.6273b3d5f4c0c0c5eba2a3debbd7a422.jpgIMG_7634.jpg.537987afd39c50c37ed763d23b0fece9.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, Fruitbat said:

WOW!  You've got some nice stuff there, Nimravis!

 

-Joe

Thanks Joe- 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

WARNING: ORDO OVERLOAD IN PROGRESS! :P

 

Really gets me looking forward to getting in AL and getting my first taste of the Mesozoic.

Every single fossil you see is a miracle set in stone, and should be treated as such.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wow, that gives a good impression that that site is loaded.

It would have been nice if your pics could have been saved at higher res / larger size.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So this is Ordovician heaven! Such a rich site and such a good preservation! Thanks for sharing!

It seems that nearly nowbody is interested in these fossils?

Franz Bernhard

Link to comment
Share on other sites

26 minutes ago, FranzBernhard said:

It seems that nearly nowbody is interested in these fossils?

Franz Bernhard

If I lived close by, I would definitely be interested in these fossils!!! :wub:

I'm impressed that so many of the horn corals seem to be complete and not broken off at the base - wonderful finds, Ralph!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Fabulous trip, Ralph. :hammer01:

 

Having very little access to any good Ordovician sites this year, I'll be hunting vicariously through your pictures! I would love to see that matrix-free prone trilobite up close. It should clean up very nicely!

...How to Philosophize with a Hammer

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Wrangellian said:

Wow, that gives a good impression that that site is loaded.

It would have been nice if your pics could have been saved at higher res / larger size.

I always do- but I just wanted to get the post out there- all original pics are about 4 mb.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

36 minutes ago, Kane said:

Fabulous trip, Ralph. :hammer01:

 

Having very little access to any good Ordovician sites this year, I'll be hunting vicariously through your pictures! I would love to see that matrix-free prone trilobite up close. It should clean up very nicely!

I think it might, if I can ever get around to it- I do not think it is complete, I picked it up, took the pic and put it away and moved on- these are all still in my car.

 

88F48492-937C-46FA-99F6-6CB9C5328C97.thumb.jpeg.38b439f46fdd0c70b42d26a9feb97aa9.jpeg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, Nimravis said:

I think it might, if I can ever get around to it- I do not think it is complete, I picked it up, took the pic and put it away and moved on- these are all still in my car.

 

88F48492-937C-46FA-99F6-6CB9C5328C97.thumb.jpeg.38b439f46fdd0c70b42d26a9feb97aa9.jpeg

Ah, ok, now I see it a bit better. Missing a piece of the pygidium, but looks like a half decent Flexi. Finding them popped out of matrix is always such a treat, though!

...How to Philosophize with a Hammer

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

46 minutes ago, Monica said:

If I lived close by, I would definitely be interested in these fossils!!!

Surely I can understand you!

 

I don´t know where this site is exactly and I don´t bother where it is exactly. But I would like do know (at least) two things:

- Can someone give me a guestimate of how many people are living in, lets say, a driving distance of about 2 hours?

- Are there similar rich Ordovician sites in, lets say, 1 hour driving distance?

Thanks a lot!
Franz Bernhard

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 minutes ago, FranzBernhard said:

Surely I can understand you!

 

I don´t know where this site is exactly and I don´t bother where it is exactly. But I would like do know (at least) two things:

- Can someone give me a guestimate of how many people are living in, lets say, a driving distance of about 2 hours?

- Are there similar rich Ordovician sites in, lets say, 1 hour driving distance?

Thanks a lot!
Franz Bernhard

These are huge road cuts and there are tons of people in this area, and if you add the other road cuts that are in the neighboring states that are only miles apart, you could never collect all of the fossils that are sitting there. I literally walk on or over thousands of fossils, only selecting certain pieces to collect. I have been to these sites numerous times and only have seen 1 other person collecting when I was there, and he only stopped for 10 minutes.

 

Here is a shot of the St. Leon, Indiana roadcut, it is huge.

 

01BFEA67-F912-4024-A6AD-5BFD3B16B1F3.png.fce13d6dc043f831bd3ef2bf4bc98194.png

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Wrangellian said:

Wow, that gives a good impression that that site is loaded.

It would have been nice if your pics could have been saved at higher res / larger size.

If there is something that you want to see in a bigger resolution, let me know and I will post it- next time I will put them at the resolution that I normally do.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the info!

Ok, so there are several Ordovician fossil heavens very close to each other. :)

What do you think, are there nearly no fossil hunters nearby or are they "overfilled" with this fossils? And it would be a dreamland for kids, but may be the outcrops and the traffic are a little bit dangerous.

Franz Bernhard

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ah, this brings back fond memories. About 2 years ago I was up in Chicago in June and Tammy and I make the roadtrip to the St. Leon roadcut to check it out. While there we ran into forum member @Mediospirifer and were invited to tag along to some other sites in the area that she knew about. There was no way we were going to pass up this good fortune and though we got back home much much later than we had originally planned, we had the time of our lives that day. I have fossils and hash plates from that trip placed around my house so I'm often reminded of that fun day in the field with the serendipitous meeting of one of our very own.

 

St. Leon (and the whole region) really is a magical a place with an abundance of fossils that would be difficult to "collect out" even if you tried. Many individuals, groups, fossil clubs, universities have collected there over the years but weathering of the material in the roadcuts continuously brings out new material replenishing the site. Sometime (probably) next year I want to make a roadtrip to the general area focusing on the Ordovician again. My main goal would be to find a nice site to collect some blastoids. I find blastoids fascinating and they are high on my fossil bucket list.

 

Thanks for taking is on a virtual trip to St. Leon (and a walk down memory lane for those of us who've had the opportunity to collect there).

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nice fossils! Seems like a great site!

“...whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been and are being evolved.” ~ Charles Darwin

Happy hunting,

Mason

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, Wrangellian said:

Wow, that gives a good impression that that site is loaded.

It would have been nice if your pics could have been saved at higher res / larger size.

This site is indeed loaded. You can't walk without tripping over a brachiopod plate or horn coral.

...I'm back.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Did you try the site just west of Cincinnati as you come into Indiana? 

...I'm back.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

58 minutes ago, Raggedy Man said:

Did you try the site just west of Cincinnati as you come into Indiana? 

No I did not, but will have to try someday.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@digit Ken, I collect blastoids near Vienna and also Anna, Illinois. I have posted trip reports on those sites in the past.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

40 minutes ago, ynot said:

Nice finds.

It is good to get a change up every now and then.

Yes it is, and everyone I go there I find things that I have not found before.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, FranzBernhard said:

And it would be a dreamland for kids, but may be the outcrops and the traffic are a little bit dangerous.

At the St. Leon site You can park way off to the side and get the kids onto the different levels and collect, but as usual, you have to monitor the younger ones. The road cut in Lawrenceburg  has a lot narrower area to pull off and it is not weathered like St. Leon, I would keep young kids away from that one.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'd like to see larger pics of the ones that seem to be piles of small things that I can't quite make out. #7675 looks like a pile of loose brachs, did you find that as is?

If the fossils there are so abundant, do you or others collect extras for other collectors (ahem) who are too far away to ever make it there themselves?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...