Petalodus Tooth from Pennsylvania

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In: Collection Pieces, Limestone, Petalodus, Teeth

A fourth Petalodus Tooth has been found in the same general area I found the first three teeth. This tooth looks deep, like the 2nd tooth. The two sides are missing and fractured, likely from splitting the rock. The tooth was dark in color when I found it and turnedRead More →

Pyrite on fossil

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In: Geology, Limestone

This is a simple photo view of some pyrite on a local Carboniferous limestone fossil. There is only a little bit of it exposed in this specimen, but it’s flat and you can see the metallic glow quite easily at first glance. I’m not sure what sort of shelled creatureRead More →

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In: Limestone

Update! This specimen turned out to be a Schistoceras, my first found Ammonoid. Ammonoids are a type of Cephalopod with intricate septal chambers, having intricate patterns throughout. The outside of the creature was covered with the lines seen below. They also have the same basic shell shape as the BellerophonRead More →

Bornite

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In: Geology, Mid-Hill Shale, Minerals

Bornite, also known as Peacock ore, is a mineral that tarnishes to different colors, ranging from blue, yellow, and purple. This is the first sample of it I have found locally, right in my local shale pile. I have a feeling that I will be finding more of it nowRead More →

Pseudorthoceras side view embedded in limestone

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In: Cephalopods, Limestone

First described by G. H. Girty in 1912 as found in Oklahoma. This specimen was 3/4 exposed as attached to a rock. I am not positive, but I believe it would break into more than one piece if I attempted to remove it. I am always finding either Pseudorthoceras orRead More →

Aragonite Shell Material

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In: Limestone, Minerals

The very definition of a fossil includes objects that another material has replaced. These are called casts. Impressions are also fossils, such as the shape of a prehistoric fern leaf embedded in shale rock or the impression of a shell in limestone. Somewhat standard in Western Pennsylvanian fossils from theRead More →

Metacoceras Fossil from Parks Township, Pennsylvania

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In: Cephalopods, Nautiloids

First named by Alpheus Hyatt in 1883, Metacoceras is one of the two most common cephalopods I find in Parks Township. Pseudorthoceras is the other one, a narrow straight shelled genus. This specimen shows nice banding where the individual chambers are on the shell. The first photo shows the shellRead More →

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In: Limestone

Seeing a 305 million-year-old prismatic surface on a piece of the shell seems remarkable to me. After all that time, the shell surface still presents with a shimmer that captures and refracts light in several different directions. The views below show edge details and a close-up of the individual standingRead More →