9-15-23 to 9-17-23 Southern Indiana and Northern Kentucky Collecting

[Nimravis]

This past weekend I spent the parts of 3 days collecting in Lawrenceburg and St. Leon, Indiana and well as up and down the AA Highway in Kentucky.

 

Here are some random pictures of the sites I collected.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here are some miscellaneous finds- burrows, Trilo-bits, Bryozoan, horn coral, brachiopods, trace fossils, etc.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My favorite finds are always hash plates. I love how they show a snap shot in time. Although I mainly collect Mazon Creek fossils, I still like nice hash plates from the Ordovician more, some of them have so much stuff going on.

 

Zoom in on the pictures, they are really cool.

 

 

 

 

Continued on next post-

 

Edited September 21, 2023 by Nimravis

[Nimravis]

 

 

Close up of above piece-

 

 

 

Backside of above piece.

 

 

Millimeter Ripples or Kinneyia.

 

 

Graptolites

 

 

 

I found other things not shown and many cool things that I left.

 

 

[grandpa]

What fun!

[Tidgy's Dad]

Brilliant stuff, Ralph.

Like you, I adore the hash plates, some of the ones you sent me are simply gobsmacking. 

Here, that crinoid columnal plate is beautiful and amazing. 

Love those graptolites, too. 

[FossilNerd]

Those areas never disappoint Ralph! Glad you were able to get over there and hunt. I’m with you and Adam. Love the hash plates. 

[Nimravis]

48 minutes ago, Tidgy's Dad said:

Brilliant stuff, Ralph.

Like you, I adore the hash plates, some of the ones you sent me are simply gobsmacking. 

Here, that crinoid columnal plate is beautiful and amazing. 

Love those graptolites, too. 

Thanks Adam. The columnar plate is really cool, there are tons of them. That piece is very thin and I was able to get it off of a large block that weighed several hundred pounds.

[Nimravis]

24 minutes ago, FossilNerd said:

Those areas never disappoint Ralph! Glad you were able to get over there and hunt. I’m with you and Adam. Love the hash plates. 

You are correct, it is not “Will I find any fossils?”, but, “What fossils do I want to take home?”

[ClearLake]

I like the selection of hash plates you have shown: one almost totally bryozoan, one totally crinoid, one predominantly brachiopod. and then one that has a bit of everything in it.  Fascinating!  Those are indeed some fun places to go.

[stats]

Awesome photos!  I really like the the views from above.  

 

Always fun to collect those areas.  There is no end to interesting fossils.

 

Cheers,

Rich

 

[SPrice]

Like many others said, love those hash plates. One looks like it has a scaphopod/tusk shell.   Little fossil microcosms. Hope to find something like that in my adventures. 

 

Road cuts have taken a whole new life to me since I started hunting fossils more seriously as I drive down the road and look at horizons in the slopes and wonder what treasure lie within those layers. 

 

We have one well known spot on Highway 6 in Utah that I passed twice last weekend after having passed it dozens of times year ago going to Moab with the family.  The key phrase for this roadcut is "abundant gar fish fossils" .  All off limits with the exception of Universities, State Paleontologists, etc. with permits. One can just daydream.

 

But more roadcuts than I can count are on public BLM land open to collectors within the regulations.

[trilobites_are_awesome]

Great finds. Wow!

[Mark Kmiecik]

Thanks for the tour -- I'm lovin' it.

[stats]

On 9/21/2023 at 10:38 PM, SPrice said:

Like many others said, love those hash plates. One looks like it has a scaphopod/tusk shell.   Little fossil microcosms. Hope to find something like that in my adventures. 

 

Road cuts have taken a whole new life to me since I started hunting fossils more seriously as I drive down the road and look at horizons in the slopes and wonder what treasure lie within those layers. 

 

We have one well known spot on Highway 6 in Utah that I passed twice last weekend after having passed it dozens of times year ago going to Moab with the family.  The key phrase for this roadcut is "abundant gar fish fossils" .  All off limits with the exception of Universities, State Paleontologists, etc. with permits. One can just daydream.

 

But more roadcuts than I can count are on public BLM land open to collectors within the regulations.

Why is that?  Is it a restriction on vertebrate fossils?

 

Cheers,

Rich

 

[SPrice]

50 minutes ago, stats said:

Why is that?  Is it a restriction on vertebrate fossils?

 

Cheers,

Rich

 

Correct. The simplest explanation on vertebrate fossils on public land/BLM land is eye and photographs only. 

 

Here's the BLM verbiage: Vertebrate fossils such as dinosaurs, mammals, fishes and reptiles, and uncommon invertebrate fossils may be collected only by trained researchers under BLM permit. Collected fossils remain the property of all Americans and are placed with museums or other public institutions after study.

 

My understanding as to what a "trained researcher" is  means a papered paleontologist currently affiliated with a University or Museum with the appropriate BLM permits to collect. 

 

Private property vertebrate fossil collecting is allowed. The land surrounding that area I mentioned is all private.

[Paul1719]

Yes, those hash plates are interesting and beautiful. Nice photos!

[Jeffrey P]

Great report Ralph. A lot of wonderful photos documenting your explorations. Congrats on your finds. Love that bryozoan "tree" you were able to assemble. Will be heading up to that area towards the end of the month. Your account has whetted my appetite. 

[Nimravis]

5 hours ago, Jeffrey P said:

Great report Ralph. A lot of wonderful photos documenting your explorations. Congrats on your finds. Love that bryozoan "tree" you were able to assemble. Will be heading up to that area towards the end of the month. Your account has whetted my appetite. 

Thanks and good luck.