Ramo Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 I stopped at a construction site today and looked around a little and found this. As you can see it's a large fan shaped fossil that is about 1/4 inch thick. It has a very "organic looking" texture, almost bone like. It was found in a pile of blueish shale/slate that also contained a lot of iron-pyrite crystals. For one species to mourn the death of another is a new thing under the sun. -Aldo Leopold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crinus Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 I stopped at a construction site today and looked around a little and found this. As you can see it's a large fan shaped fossil that is about 1/4 inch thick. It has a very "organic looking" texture, almost bone like. It was found in a pile of blueish shale/slate that also contained a lot of iron-pyrite crystals. It is a plate from an armoured fish. Probably Devonian. Probably really rare. You should contact Dr. Robert Carr. He is an expert on Devonian armoured fish. I think he is at Ohio State or somewhere in that area. crinus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest solius symbiosus Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 ^^I wondered that myself. You are in the New Albany Shale. I have never collected that formation; as I'm sure you noticed, the fauna is sparse, and the preservation not that great. It could be a sponge??? Too, that formation has produced some of the oldest woody material in the world. I'll see what I can come up with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramo Posted May 5, 2009 Author Share Posted May 5, 2009 So what you are saying is that I shouldn't have just left it there laying on the ground. For one species to mourn the death of another is a new thing under the sun. -Aldo Leopold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xiphactinus Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 So what you are saying is that I shouldn't have just left it there laying on the ground. I'm driving from Louisville to Elizabethtown next week....is it in that general area? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crinus Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 So what you are saying is that I shouldn't have just left it there laying on the ground. If I were you I would go right back an pick it up. I still think it is fish material. crinus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest solius symbiosus Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 This is a fish plate that was collected from near there. I'm unsure of the formation. http://www.kyanageo.org/Fossils/devonian/v...-Fish-Plate.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xiphactinus Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 I've found small fragments of fish plates around St. Louis, and they look exactly the same texture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramo Posted May 5, 2009 Author Share Posted May 5, 2009 You guys better not be jerkin my chain! I'm leaving right now and heading back to get it. I'll post new photos when I return. For one species to mourn the death of another is a new thing under the sun. -Aldo Leopold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xiphactinus Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 You guys better not be jerkin my chain! I'm leaving right now and heading back to get it. I'll post new photos when I return. Look for more of it! That's a mighty big plate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest solius symbiosus Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 I found this about placoderms on the KGS website: Only one near-complete arthrodire is known from Kentucky. It was found in the Devonian-age New Albany Shale Formation. More commonly, fossils are found of individual bony plates of the arthrodires as shown below. These fossils sometimes occur in bone layers within the shale, consisting of the scattered remains of numerous arthrodires. Each of the bones has a shiny exterior, and preserves the spongy texture of the original bone in the interior. This is how they can be interpreted as bones. Also, some of the bone plates exhibit a bumpy (ornamented) texture that is typical of arthrodire bones. The jaw fragment is typical of arthrodire lower jaws and shows the solid construction of this fish's powerful mouth! Links to more information about arthrodires: http://www.cmnh.org/collections/vertpaleo/jaws/index.html Jaws the early years , Cleveland Museum of Natural History. Story with pictures about the Cleveland shale in Ohio, from which many fossil sharks and arthrodires were uncovered. See a picture of a giant skull from the museum at http://www.cmnh.org/ http://www.palaeos.com/Vertebrates/Units/U...html#Arthrodira Arthrodires , Palaeos. Technical description of arthrodires and their phylogeny with images of fossils A reconstructed arthrodire is on display at the Falls of the Ohio visitor center near Louisville, as is a cast of an arthrodire skull. For more information go to the park website http://www.fallsoftheohio.org/visitor-info.html Last modified Thu, 26 Feb 2009 14:09:08 GMT http://www.uky.edu/KGS/fossils/pisces.htm#placodermi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramo Posted May 5, 2009 Author Share Posted May 5, 2009 OK I'm back. I traded out the Mavica camera for one that can take a close up. Sorry, but the pictures may take a while for you dial-up guys. It looks like bone to me. That's why I didn't pick it up when I first found it. I was hoping to find a trilobite, and didn't think there would be any bones in these rocks. I thought it must just be a big coral of somekind. For one species to mourn the death of another is a new thing under the sun. -Aldo Leopold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramo Posted May 5, 2009 Author Share Posted May 5, 2009 This one shows the texture a little better. For one species to mourn the death of another is a new thing under the sun. -Aldo Leopold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest solius symbiosus Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 That sure looks the same as some of the pics in link above. To make the trip that quick, you must be staying near the airport. I've found some nice crinoids in the outcrops that are exposed at the intersection of the Watterson Exp, and I-65, but to get to them, I had to park in the "breakdown" lane for the highway... I wouldn't recommend doing that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramo Posted May 5, 2009 Author Share Posted May 5, 2009 Solius Yes, I am between the airport and 6 Flags. I don't think I'm brave enough to hunt the interstate!! This find was on the East side of I-65 at mile marker 116 (I think it was 116) It was found in the area across the street south from the Love's Store with the real tall sign. Or across the interstate from "The Worlds Most Awesome Flea Market" They are trucking in all this rock to build up an area to build a building it looks like. Xiphactinus I hope to be heading back through St. Louis soon. I'll send you a pm before I leave to see if I can stop by to check out your fish. For one species to mourn the death of another is a new thing under the sun. -Aldo Leopold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xiphactinus Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 SoliusYes, I am between the airport and 6 Flags. I don't think I'm brave enough to hunt the interstate!! This find was on the East side of I-65 at mile marker 116 (I think it was 116) It was found in the area across the street south from the Love's Store with the real tall sign. Or across the interstate from "The Worlds Most Awesome Flea Market" They are trucking in all this rock to build up an area to build a building it looks like. Xiphactinus I hope to be heading back through St. Louis soon. I'll send you a pm before I leave to see if I can stop by to check out your fish. Sounds good....I'll be driving past your KY outcrop next week...I'll hopefully have time to check it out. That's def. fish armor. Awesome!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shamalama Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 Very cool to find Devonian Fish remains. It sure looks like a bony plate to me. You should really explore that site more to see if anything else is there. -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...
tracer Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 i like this thread. it sort of has a "breaking news" feel about it. "armored fish on the interstate! code blue! i'm on it!" it's cool. and as always, i get a longing to be on the road... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest solius symbiosus Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 SoliusYes, I am between the airport and 6 Flags. I don't think I'm brave enough to hunt the interstate!! This find was on the East side of I-65 at mile marker 116 (I think it was 116) It was found in the area across the street south from the Love's Store with the real tall sign. Or across the interstate from "The Worlds Most Awesome Flea Market" They are trucking in all this rock to build up an area to build a building it looks like. You are right there at the intersection where I pulled the crinoids. Before I moved to Lexington a couple of years ago, I lived in that subdivision across from the McDonalds that is right down the street from where you are staying(Preston and Phillips Ln). Until about 100 years ago, the area from the fairgrounds out to nearly Brooks Rd(where you found this) was a large pond that was miles across, and I have heard, malaria infested. Those canals in the area are what drained it, and with a lot of rain, the area is still prone to extensive floods. That is probably why they are building it up. There is an outcrop in Cherokee Park(close to downtown) that has produced at least one Carycrinites sp. cystoid on every visit(and other common stuff). If interested, shoot me a PM, and I will send a map of the location. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramo Posted May 5, 2009 Author Share Posted May 5, 2009 Crinus I tried to Google Dr. Robert Carr (that doesn't sound right), and all I got was an orthopedic surgeon in Dallas. I would like to send some photos out to see if I could get a species on this. Do you have an e-mail for the Dr? Here is a picture of the area where I got it, looking north. (The Loves store is just out of the frame) For one species to mourn the death of another is a new thing under the sun. -Aldo Leopold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommabetts Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 Very cool and interesting find, let us know what you find out about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crinus Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 CrinusI tried to Google Dr. Robert Carr (that doesn't sound right), and all I got was an orthopedic surgeon in Dallas. I would like to send some photos out to see if I could get a species on this. Do you have an e-mail for the Dr? Here is a picture of the area where I got it, looking north. (The Loves store is just out of the frame) Here is the info on Bob Carr http://www.biosci.ohiou.edu/faculty/carr/ email in on this web site I think he will be EXTREMELY excited about this find. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shamalama Posted May 6, 2009 Share Posted May 6, 2009 Aha! I found the piles on Google Earth... now... how do I see the fossils with this thing? Hopefully that stuff is still there in a couple of weeks when I visit Louisville. -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...
Ramo Posted May 6, 2009 Author Share Posted May 6, 2009 You can see it!! If you see the little square building at the SE corner of the intersection that is a gas station. Behind it (between the interstate and the building) you can see it looks a little grey. There is a bunch of rock hauled into there now. Also south of the building (Where you can see semi's parked) there is more rock piled there. The town is called Bullitt i think. For one species to mourn the death of another is a new thing under the sun. -Aldo Leopold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest solius symbiosus Posted May 6, 2009 Share Posted May 6, 2009 The town is called Bullitt i think. The community is called Brooks. It is located in Bullitt Co. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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