Herrin Coal Flora and Fauna

[connorp]

I'm in the process of photographing and cataloging specimens from a new site and thought some here might enjoy seeing some specimens as I go. These fossils were collected in eastern Illinois from the roof shales of the Herrin (No. 6) Coal. They are middle Pennsylvanian (Desmoinesian) in age. The Herrin (No. 6) Coal is the second to last coal member of the Carbondale Formation. For reference, the Mazon Creek biota occurs in the Francis Creek Shale Member, which overlies the first coal member of the Carbondale Formation, the Colchester (No. 2) Coal. Here's a general stratigraphic section of the Carbondale for reference.

 

 

This biota has similarities to the Mazon Creek biota, but the flora especially is quite different. The fauna so far seems typical of terrestrial Pennsylvanian sites: bivalves, branchiopods, indeterminate arthropod parts, and a single shark egg. This biota is not well studied, and thus many names here are provisional pending a possible formal study.

 

Scale bars are 1cm unless noted otherwise.

 

Dunbarella striata

 

Calamostachys tuberculata

 

Alethopteris gibsonii

 

Cyperites bicarinatus

[minnbuckeye]

Nice finds !!! Hope to see more.

[connorp]

Lepidostrobophyllum acuminatum

 

Lepidostrobophyllum acuminatum and Dunbarella striata

[connorp]

Trilete megaspore

[Nimravis]

Nice pics and finds Connor.

[Tidgy's Dad]

What beautiful colours! 

[connorp]

Stigmariodes sp.

[connorp]

Microconchids

[connorp]

Annularia sphenophylloides

 

[Fossildude19]

Interesting finds, and area. Thanks for posting these up for us to see. 

[Mark Kmiecik]

Very similar to Mazon Creek material.

[connorp]

Alethopteris sullivantii

[bockryan]

Spect

On 7/8/2023 at 12:25 PM, connorp said:

Annularia sphenophylloides

 

 

Gorgeous! Like a fireworks display

[connorp]

Danaeites emersonii

 

[connorp]

I've found a couple fragments of this bivalve, but this is the first nice one. It is preserved in a siderite concretion.

 

Myalinella meeki

 

 

 

Edited October 4, 2023 by connorp

[connorp]

The large cone bract Lepidostrobophyllum acuminatum.

 

[connorp]

Another Dunbarella striata. These seem to be the most common fauna by far.

 

Edited October 10, 2023 by connorp

[connorp]

And another Dunbarella striata, but this time in a concretion.

 

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Love those Dunbarella. 

[connorp]

The seed fern Laveineopteris rarinervis

 

[connorp]

And another Dunbarella striata. These are quite abundant, especially in the concretions.

 

[deutscheben]

A very nice selection of finds! 

[connorp]

A pinnule of the seed fern Macroneuropteris scheuchzerii.

 

[trilobites_are_awesome]

Nice!

[connorp]

The strap-like leaf Cordaites borassifolius