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, 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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
February 2020 – I have updated this post. I received a more solid identification of Brachycycloceras after a visit to the Carnegie Museum. June 2020 – I am again updating this post. I shared the photo of CM 29726 with Royal Mapes, who said that the specimen is defiantly notRead More →
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 →
This specimen of Pseudorthoceras was exposed on the outside of a large piece of limestone in a local stream. It was several feet below the local layer, and likely fell into the stream a long time ago. A few swings of a sledge hammer and the 4 foot long stoneRead More →
Crinoid stems in Parks Township are typically discs. Rarely do you find them stacked 2 or 3 columns high. Crinoids are a living fossil, and several species are still alive today. While attempting to drop a huge piece of limestone from a steep hill, this 4cm long stem appeared. ItRead More →
I’ve found a large number of Metacoceras locally in Parks Township. Yet I haven’t found one quite like this specimen. Unique to this one, you can see the septal neck openings and the inner whorl channel. I also found a small piece of the next chamber, including the septal openingsRead More →