squalicorax Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 Well spring break is apon me now and I have been planning a big spring break trip for this year since the first snow fall. I have always seen the nice stuff people have gotten from the St Clair fern site so I made a trip revolving around that site. The trip was lead by me and it included 8 more members of the UWM Paleo Club that I helped founded back 2 years ago. Now we are more popular than geology club woot! Anyways I through together a trip that would cover the Ordovician of Kentucky, the st clair site and the Devonian of NY. Our first stop was an extremely intimidating Maysvillian road cut in Northern Kentucky that has been well collected at over the years but always seems to produce quality specimens. I have not personally collected this cut previously but I was eager to spend time in the older Ordovician rocks of the Cincinnati area. I was accustom to collecting at St. Leon in the Richmondian many times. When I got to the cut I was unsure where to begin. Immediately I found a crinoid calyx from the Crinoid Ectinocrinus. Wow look at that my first ever crinoid calyx with arms still attached. Also found a nice prone Flexicalymene granulosa There was alot of well preserved cephalopod material and I even pieced together some pieces that were associated. It was almost like vertebrate hunting This one might be Treptoceras The siphuncle is offset on this specimen. Also found a nice plate with a few crinoid calycies on it. Lastly some Rusophychus resting traces. Site photos to come later. I have alot of them for each site and will include them at the end when I am done showing all the specimens. Thanks for looking. My Flickr Page of My Collection: http://www.flickr.com/photos/79424101@N00/sets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squalicorax Posted March 24, 2012 Author Share Posted March 24, 2012 (edited) St Clair Fossils St Clair PA is a site I've always thought about going to. It is an old strip mine exposing the Llewellyn formation which is Pennsylvanian in age. I have never collected plant fossils so I didnt know what to expect nor do I know any common genera that are present. I was fortunate enough to have the generosity of Dave (Shamalama) to meet me at the site, explain the proper techniques, share the taxa that are present and even trade fossils with me. Without Dave I would have not had such a good time. I'd like to thank him again for his generosity in the fossils he gave me and all the delicious local PA beer he supplied. Ok on to the fossils. The site is a quarter mile or so walk from the parking spot. There is alot of roads winding around the area so it can be easy to get lost unless you have a nice map to look at. The site is mostly just a slighly dipping hill with shale talus slopes and some bed rock exposed in areas. There is alot of digging spots that people were using to dig up the ferns. The sun was hot and there was alot of rocks to dig through. This is the kind of site where you hope that people making smart decisions on their collecting techniques and we hope to preserve the site for future use for fossil collectors. Here is a large slab I collected early on in the day. Large piece of root. Smaller root node And my favorite piece Thanks for looking. Devonian next.. Edited March 24, 2012 by squalicorax My Flickr Page of My Collection: http://www.flickr.com/photos/79424101@N00/sets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squalicorax Posted March 24, 2012 Author Share Posted March 24, 2012 (edited) Middle Devonian Of Ny The last 2 days of the trip we spent at 18 mile creek and the Penn Dixie Fossil Park. Since there was not a foot a snow in Buffalo Ny this time of the year the fossil collecting was in full force. The 18 mile creek access site is a great collecting site for Middle Devonian Brachiopods and Trilobites. I am always greatly drawn by the amount of well preserved and large brachiopods on site. The site is a river and a lake cut that is large and full of fossils. The stratigraphy is shales that are sequential with some limestones and more laminated shales. I found my best material from the shales surrounded the heavier compacted lime-shale massive unit. Here is a list of the Brachiopods I found at the Penn Dixie and the 18 Mile Creek site. Spinatypa Psuedoatrypa Athyris Rhipidomella Strophodonta Megastrophia Mucrospirifer Mediospirifer Paraspirifer Spinocyrtia unidentified spirifer sp.1 sp2 it goes on Trilobites are the main draw of both sites and I did considerably better at the 18 mile creek site than I did at Penn Dixie. I feel like penn dixie surface collecting is pretty weak and quarrying is really the only method to use. I was gracious enough to have Xonenine to show me some tricks of the penn dixie quarry included the brachiopod beds. Here is my amazing Phacops quadruple plate. Which while I was cleaning it I found another Phacops right next to one of them. It is probably my favorite fossil so far. I also found a nice prone Greenops that needs prep. I can see that genal spines on this specimen so hope the rest of the cephalon is there. Also I found a weird Bryozoan Also a really nice Aviculopectin? bivalve. Edited March 24, 2012 by squalicorax My Flickr Page of My Collection: http://www.flickr.com/photos/79424101@N00/sets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missourian Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 (edited) Those are pretty nice for first-time visits. Edited March 24, 2012 by Missourian Context is critical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosmoceras Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 I LOVE the crinoids! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Siphuncle Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 great ectenocrinis...gotta love finding those crowns in stem logjams! Grüße, Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas "To the motivated go the spoils." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squalicorax Posted March 24, 2012 Author Share Posted March 24, 2012 Thanks everyone for looking. This trip was one of the best 5 days I've had. My Flickr Page of My Collection: http://www.flickr.com/photos/79424101@N00/sets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lloyd Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 Looks like you had a really good time. Nice finds at every stop, would have to work hard to beat that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jurassic Jim Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 Wow, you put together a pretty nice trip. Fantastic finds...thanks for sharing. I believe I will start packing up my car and heading north!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 A five-day fossiling Odyssey! You make it look easy "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...
masonboro37 Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 I am beyond jealous! Beautiful finds. Process of identification "mistakes create wisdom". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TMNH Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 Wow what a trip!!!! :greenwnvy: Those are some great fossils...I especially love the crinoids and the trilos! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caleb Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 Awesome stuff! That Greenops looks like it's going to be great, and that slab of bugs... WOW! Caleb Midwestpaleo.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piranha Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 I was watching with great anticipation early this morning and left for a collecting trip before you posted the rest of your photos. Everything is spectacular but the bell is ringing for the Phenomenal Phacopids. Congrats Nathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glacialerratic Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 Great report and awesome fossils! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nandomas Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 Our first stop was an extremely intimidating Maysvillian road cut in Northern Kentucky that has been well collected at over the years but always seems to produce quality specimens. I have not personally collected this cut previously but I was eager to spend time in the older Ordovician rocks of the Cincinnati area. I was accustom to collecting at St. Leon in the Richmondian many times. is that the Edrioasteroids place ? Erosion... will be my epitaph! http://www.paleonature.org/ https://fossilnews.org/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shamalama Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 Wow, you really made out well, Nathan! I'm glad that you found some good stuff at St. Clair. Those Ectenocrinus are really nice too. -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...
Vordigern Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 wow, 5 days straight of fossil hunting, I know what I want for Christmas from my wife now lots of great finds, especially love the crinoid calyx (I only ever seem to find the stems) and that big old cephalopod Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 Squalicorax, Thanks for the enjoyable read. Great report, Pics, and finds! You did really well. Congratulation. Regards, Tim - VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER VFOTM --- APRIL - 2015 __________________________________________________ "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~ ><))))( *> About Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RCFossils Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 Wow, what a great haul!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squalicorax Posted March 29, 2012 Author Share Posted March 29, 2012 (edited) Thanks everyone I return with a few Site photos Kentucky Ordovician http://i.imgur.com/5u08M.jpg Pittsburgh Coal http://i.imgur.com/KWP4D.jpg St Clair Fern Site http://i.imgur.com/T4EnU.jpg Edited March 29, 2012 by squalicorax My Flickr Page of My Collection: http://www.flickr.com/photos/79424101@N00/sets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missourian Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 The outcroppings are as spectacular as the fossils. Context is critical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squalicorax Posted March 29, 2012 Author Share Posted March 29, 2012 The outcroppings are as spectacular as the fossils. oh and trust me the outcrop smelled great. Nothing like natural gas on shale split. Ill put some more site photos up per Indy's liking. My Flickr Page of My Collection: http://www.flickr.com/photos/79424101@N00/sets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squalicorax Posted March 29, 2012 Author Share Posted March 29, 2012 me lost in the ordovician here is what the plant fossil look like in situ here is the 18 mile creek lineup looking for devonian goodies My Flickr Page of My Collection: http://www.flickr.com/photos/79424101@N00/sets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nandomas Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 Thanks for sharing those beautiful pics Erosion... will be my epitaph! http://www.paleonature.org/ https://fossilnews.org/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now