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 →
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 →
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 →
This combination piece came from hammering on already busted up Limestone. The Pseudorthoceras is long in comparison to most exposed specimens I find. Usually they are buried or the pieces that are exposed fall apart at the septal margins. The Metacoceras in this piece shows excellent septal suture lines andRead More →
First described in 1870 by Meek and Worthen, Solenochilus is a genus of Cephalopod. The identification is most likely, as two experts have noted the wide square shape of the specimen. For a short time I considered Ephippioceras. However, this specimen is much too large to be Ephippioceras, which areRead More →
I often find bits of Metacoceras, a Coiled Cephalopod that existed between 314 million years ago until just before the Permian / Triassic Extinction event. I have been looking for complete specimens, but typically they are bisected on some sort of sediment plane within the limestone. Discovery In my localRead More →
Most cephalopod specimens I find are small to medium in size. They range from 3-5 inches in diameter. This one was much larger. Found as a huge slab of limestone in the middle of Guffy Run, recent storms brought this rock to rest in the center of the stream. ItRead More →
This was one of my favorite specimens when I pulled it out of the huge chunk of limestone we were working on. You can clearly see the Metacoceras steinkern and there is a thickness of shell material on the inside of the half circle. In the middle portion there isRead More →
I am finding Pseudorthoceras to be common in the local rocks. I find them often. They are often seen straight on and can be mistaken for crinoid columnials. I also am finding them to be fragile and will readily break apart when attempting to extract them. I was able toRead More →