In need of help identifying

[Fearlus]

Hello there. I am quite a beginner to fossil hunting and would like some help on identifying one’s that I found today on the shore of Lake Michigan in New Buffalo, Michigan. I am aware that some could be rocks that I may have mistaken for fossils. Like I said, I’m new to this but would appreciate any of the help that I could get. Thank you. 

 

[Fearlus]

Here is another photo with the fossils flipped around 

Edited May 26, 2019 by Fearlus

[ClearLake]

Welcome to the forum. I hope you had fun in your search and you have indeed found some fossils. I believe the item at the top is a rock, not a fossil. The other larger piece is a piece of rock that does contain fossils. The small round objects in the rock look like crinoid stems and there may be other items in there but I can’t tell from the picture.  The two larger button like objects I believe are larger crinoid stems that have been worn by rolling around in the water. The final item is more questionable only because I can’t tell if the spots on it are raised bumps or not. At first look it almost appears to be a Petosky stone, which is a type of coral eroded into a nice pebble shape common along Lake Michigan in the northern part of the state.  But the spots look a little too round for that and if they are really raised bumps then it is probably something else. The picture to me is a little to blurry to make out what the circles are for sure. 

[Fearlus]

Thank you so much, it means a lot. You truly helped me out. Is there any chance you could educate me on the fossils that I could potentially find around the lake and what they are? If not I understand. But as for the final item with the spots, they do seem to be raised bumps. I can feel them slightly. Up close in person, they kind of resemble tiny fish eyes.

[fossilcrazy]

The dotted one, appears to be Oolitic Limestone.

[ClearLake]

24 minutes ago, Fearlus said:

there any chance you could educate me on the fossils that I could potentially find around the lake

The bedrock in your area is probably  Mississippian in age, but it is buried under quite a bit of glacial till and then right along the lake of course you have lots of sand from the lake shore (I have visited Warren Dunes many times, a very cool place). Most of the fossils that tend to be found along the lake have been carried down from the north by the glaciers and tend to be Paleozoic in age (lots of Devonian and Silurian) so you may find corals, brachiopods, bryozoan, crinoids, and maybe even the occasional trilobite fragment. Most of the fossils tend to be a bit worn from all the movement. There are several websites (including this forum) that can be helpful in identifying your finds such as Michigan basin fossil from the UM Museum of Paleontology. 

[Mark Kmiecik]

Hi, and welcome to the forum. Nice finds. I agree with Oolitic Limestone for the one on the bottom right. It is similar in appearance to Petosky Stones, which are fossil coral, but the Oolites are of geological origin. The one above it definitely has parts of crinoid stems and other things that are fossils. The upper left appears to be a chert nodule. The two round ones on the lower left we would need much better photos to identify, and it wouldn't hurt to have better shots of all sides of all items individually as opposed to a group photo to be able to give you additional info on those specimens.

 

The rocks/fossils found along the shores of Lake Michigan are absolutely fascinating. The variety of goodies to be found is staggering. Show us what else you find as you do. 

 

P.S. -- Take photos on non-glare surfaces and in natural light when possible, but not direct sunlight.

[Pippa]

Hi Fearlus, 

I'm a newbie here just like you.

I've been collecting rocks on the Chicago north shore up to Wisconsin for a long time and recently started beachcombing in SE Michigan as well. I find that IL beaches have a huge variety of rocks, but fewer fossils than SE MI or the northern parts of Lake Michigan. 

I've come across several sites about Lake Michigan rocks as well as fossils. 

Here a fossil site:

 

https://greatlakeslocals.com/12-collectible-rocks-and-fossils/

 

A simple google search on Lake Michigan fossil images:

https://www.google.com/search?q=fossils+of+lake+michigan&tbm=isch&source=univ&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjD4q-52KzkAhULvKwKHQI5D4kQsAR6BAgCEAE&biw=1354&bih=585

 

Kathi, a blogger who's located in the Saugatuck area writes interesting posts about rocks and fossils she finds at her local beaches. Check her out here:

https://fossillady.wordpress.com/tag/lake-michigan-fossils/ 

and here, for mostly geological info on Lake MI rocks: 

https://owlcation.com/stem/Lake-Michigan-Beach-Stones

 

And Rosemary Parker's blog:

https://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/2015/11/collectible_rocks_of_southwest.html

 

Hope the links will help you. Have fun beachcombing!

 

 

 

Edited August 31, 2019 by Pippa

[minnbuckeye]

On ‎5‎/‎25‎/‎2019 at 11:29 PM, ClearLake said:

The bedrock in your area is probably  Mississippian in age

Actually your local rock formation is

Ellsworth Shale Stratigraphic range: Late Devonian
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