Orthocone Rarity

[Tales From the Shale]

How rare are phragmocones from cephlapods? Are they something you need to get into a quarry to find, or can you recover them out of roadcuts? This is for the Midwest, like Illinois, Wisconsin etc.

[minnbuckeye]

I find many of them in road cuts. No need to be in a quarry. They are found almost every time I hunt the local Ordovician of Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin. They should show up in your finds!!! 

 

 Mike

[Tidgy's Dad]

There is at least one road cut in Graf, Iowa, where the rocks are composed largely of specimens of the species Isorthoceras sociale. 

[erose]

You are talking about the final living chamber?  Much more fragile than the older chambers for sure.  I would say that I find one or two "complete" orthocones for every couple of dozen or so. That has been the case in the Pennsylvanian of Texas as well as the early Paleozoic of Oklahoma, Ohio and New York.