Shamalama Posted November 8, 2009 Share Posted November 8, 2009 I took advantage of the good weather on Saturday (although perhaps I should have waited until Sunday when the weather was in the 70's) and drove up towards Mount Carmel and Shamokin Pennsylvania to look at some of the coal mine dumps in their area. These rocks are north and west of St. Clair and have a different color and preservation. My first stop was at a dump next to the road I was taking to get to Mt. Carmel near a small village called Gilberton north of St. Clair. The dump here has a lot of Sandstone and Conglomerate as well as some Shale. I was finding some fossils but not too much until I found my first recognizable bark fossils. Closeup of the left hand specimen An odd looking texture, not sure what this is Small Lepidodendron (?) branch segment Not finding too much else I headed towards Mount Carmel passing through Ashland (home of the Pinoeer Tunnel, an attraction that lets you ride in carts into an old underground coal mine) and Centralia (famous for the coal seam fire that exists under the town that started in 1962 and still persists to today). At this site I found more plant fossils as well as a few bark impressions. Views of the top of the spoil piles which have been graded Some nice large Neuropteris (possibly gigantea?) My first Lepidodendron bark.. I'll have to compare it to the vast collection Bruno has posted to determine species. -Dave __________________________________________________ Geologists on the whole are inconsistent drivers. When a roadcut presents itself, they tend to lurch and weave. To them, the roadcut is a portal, a fragment of a regional story, a proscenium arch that leads their imaginations into the earth and through the surrounding terrain. - John McPheeIf I'm going to drive safely, I can't do geology. - John McPheeCheck out my Blog for more fossils I've found: http://viewsofthemahantango.blogspot.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shamalama Posted November 8, 2009 Author Share Posted November 8, 2009 One other interesting find was this branch with "thorns" along the side. I think I read somewhere this is a climbing branch or vine for some species. It could also just be a denuded branch for some other species. I had some time left in the day and decided to hit a different mine dump near St. Clair on the way home. This is in an area that is currently being reclaimed so it's best to hit it on the weekends when they aren't working. The rocks are not the typical deep black with white ferns and the flora is slightly different too. Probably from a different layer in the Llwellyn formation. Could this be a cone? Neuropteris branch Some kind of decorticated branch, not sure what all the pits are from, rotting or maybe animal feeding? Views of the dumps This is what a reclaimed area looks like, they regrade and add some topsoil and then plant with grasses. -Dave __________________________________________________ Geologists on the whole are inconsistent drivers. When a roadcut presents itself, they tend to lurch and weave. To them, the roadcut is a portal, a fragment of a regional story, a proscenium arch that leads their imaginations into the earth and through the surrounding terrain. - John McPheeIf I'm going to drive safely, I can't do geology. - John McPheeCheck out my Blog for more fossils I've found: http://viewsofthemahantango.blogspot.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shamalama Posted November 8, 2009 Author Share Posted November 8, 2009 (edited) A Panorama of Mount Carmel (looking south) from the top of the mine dumps A Panorama of St. Clair (looking south) from the top of the mine dumps. The shopping center at the bottom of the picture used to be mine dumps but they were removed as part of the reclamation process. There are still some dumps behind it but they will be gone soon. You can see a reclaimed area in the upper left section of the photo. Edited November 8, 2009 by Shamalama -Dave __________________________________________________ Geologists on the whole are inconsistent drivers. When a roadcut presents itself, they tend to lurch and weave. To them, the roadcut is a portal, a fragment of a regional story, a proscenium arch that leads their imaginations into the earth and through the surrounding terrain. - John McPheeIf I'm going to drive safely, I can't do geology. - John McPheeCheck out my Blog for more fossils I've found: http://viewsofthemahantango.blogspot.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
worthy 55 Posted November 8, 2009 Share Posted November 8, 2009 Very cool fossils. I have seen those hills and had no idea that they were tailings from coal mines. A friend told me what they were when I was up there visiting. It's my bone!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fig rocks Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 You've got some nice bark there Shama and an even better view! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoup Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 Hi Dave. Very nice finds well done. Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barefootgirl Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 Wow!! Great finds. The pine cone and neuropteris are sweet. Good luck on your next hunt. In formal logic, a contradiction is the signal of defeat: but in the evolution of real knowledge, it marks the first step in progress toward victory. Alfred North Whithead 'Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already tomorrow in Australia!' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docdutronc Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 Hi Dave ,your neuropteris leaves are fantastic ,hairs on the leaf surface assigned to the specie : Macroneuropteris scheuchzeri ..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawkeye Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 Really neat stuff Shamalama. It's amazing how many different things you can find in one of those piles! If you believe everything you read, perhaps it's time for you to stop reading... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shamalama Posted November 10, 2009 Author Share Posted November 10, 2009 (edited) Thanks for the comments, guys! Bruno, You mean to say that all those little lines on the leaf were hairs of some sort? Too cool! :jig: Here are a couple of high resolution closeups of the leaves: Edited November 10, 2009 by Shamalama -Dave __________________________________________________ Geologists on the whole are inconsistent drivers. When a roadcut presents itself, they tend to lurch and weave. To them, the roadcut is a portal, a fragment of a regional story, a proscenium arch that leads their imaginations into the earth and through the surrounding terrain. - John McPheeIf I'm going to drive safely, I can't do geology. - John McPheeCheck out my Blog for more fossils I've found: http://viewsofthemahantango.blogspot.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 Yeesh, it looks like a big dog's tongue! "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docdutronc Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 Thanks for the comments, guys! Bruno, You mean to say that all those little lines on the leaf were hairs of some sort? Too cool! :jig: Here are a couple of high resolution closeups of the leaves: Yes Dave ,these lines are hairs typically ,there is also little leaf side at the base of large pinnae....look this draw by professor Laveine best regards bruno Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Knightia Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 Thank you for the beautiful photo tour of your trip! The scenery there is breathtaking! Nice finds! ---Gerard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docdutronc Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 In northern France , Macroneuropteris is a very rare plant in 20 years of collecting I have found only 3 specimens ....by cons in the St Clair aeras in U.S, she seems very abundant ....various collections of Dave seem to prove ! Does Steve from U.K and Romans from Ukraine have found this species ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RomanK Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 I took advantage of the good weather on Saturday (although perhaps I should have waited until Sunday when the weather was in the 70's) and drove up towards Mount Carmel and Shamokin Pennsylvania to look at some of the coal mine dumps in their area. These rocks are north and west of St. Clair and have a different color and preservation. My first stop was at a dump next to the road I was taking to get to Mt. Carmel near a small village called Gilberton north of St. Clair. The dump here has a lot of Sandstone and Conglomerate as well as some Shale. I was finding some fossils but not too much until I found my first recognizable bark fossils. Hi Dave, I'm really glad to see your hunting success, congratulations! I know well that finding on the tips is really hard job. Very good Neuropteris leaves preservation. Unfortunately I never found such kind of neuropteris here and very interesting to see it. As for your 'odd looking texture' I would IDed it as a fern stem (??) or very decorticated lep bark. Roman http://s1143.photobu.../donbassfossil/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RomanK Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 In northern France , Macroneuropteris is a very rare plant in 20 years of collecting I have found only 3 specimens ....by cons in the St Clair aeras in U.S, she seems very abundant ....various collections of Dave seem to prove ! Does Steve from U.K and Romans from Ukraine have found this species ? Hi Bruno, unfortunately I didn't. Very impressive Dave's finds, well done! Roman Roman http://s1143.photobu.../donbassfossil/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyguy784 Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 Very nice Shama. Thanks for such detailed info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Dactyll Posted November 12, 2009 Share Posted November 12, 2009 Dave..... Nice fossils looking good, and thanks for the location pics, they are always nice to see.....I could be quite happy wandering round your spoil heaps.... although rain sometimes helps me spot stuff ....I may miss that...lol Bruno.....I have something the right 'shape', but looking at the reconstruction, the veination looks different, what do you think? Cheers Steve... And Welcome if your a New Member... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docdutronc Posted November 13, 2009 Share Posted November 13, 2009 Hi Steve the veination looks very different ,there is no hair ,the edge is slightly wavy,the shape is very variable ,it is an heteromorphic leaf I think to a terminal leaf Neuropteris heterophylla bruno Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Dactyll Posted November 13, 2009 Share Posted November 13, 2009 Bruno ... thanks.... I will change the ID..... there was a lot of Neuropteris at Crockhey... Cheers Steve... And Welcome if your a New Member... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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