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In: Cephalopods, Clams, Collection Pieces, Gastropods, High-Hill Shale, Limestone, Mid-Hill Shale, Shale

In writing the most recent research article, Aviculopinna, I set up an area to photograph specimens. While having this setup available, I went ahead and re-photographed the first seven specimens in the fossil catalog. Specimen CG-0001 John Harper identified this specimen as possibly being Orthotetes, a brachiopod. The preservation isRead More →

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In: Mid-Hill Shale, Minerals

The last time I showcased the mineral Bornite, I found it in a general shale pile. This time, while working some limestone locally there is a shale shelf below the limestone that I have carved flat with a shovel. Several of the exposed pieces of shale in that particular pieceRead More →

Paleoneilo

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In: Clams, Collection Pieces, Mid-Hill Shale, Shale

The genus Edmondia was first described by de Koninck in 1841. The book is Description des animaux fossiles qui se trouvent dans le terrain carbonifére de Belgique, written in the French language. The genus occurs from 252.3 to 457.5 million years ago. It died out during the Permian–Triassic extinction event.Read More →

Amphiscapha

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In: Gastropods, Mid-Hill Shale

The fossil Amphiscapha appears readily within shale locally. Buried at an angle different from the plane the shale sheared from, this specimen is a bit unique. Only the raised rim was visible initially. Using precision tweezers, I slowly used the sharp metal ends and a microscope to reveal the restRead 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 →

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In: Mid-Hill Shale

Ostracod fossils are of the class Ostracoda, belonging to the subphylum Crustacea. As far as I understand it, they are typically a microfossil in my area. Ostracods have been found as far back as 450 million years ago and are still an extant class today. They are also known asRead More →

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In: Gastropods, Mid-Hill Shale

Amphiscapha is a commonly recovered genus of gastropod fossil in Parks Township. It often appears as a flat spiral within the shale. Two Meekospira accompanied this particular specimen. I used a pair of engineering tweezers to remove some matrix from the sides of the larger of the two Meekospira. BeingRead More →

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In: Mid-Hill Shale, Plants

Closely related to modern horsetails, Calamites is an extinct genus that existed from the Carboniferous until the early Permian. Horsetails are one of several genera considered to be living fossils. They reproduce using spores, which were similar to Lepidodendron. Both Lepidodendron and Calamites produced cone arrangements of spores. This genusRead More →

Crinoid Columnal Lumen

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In: Mid-Hill Shale

Crinoid columnal fossils are very common in my digging locale. After finding a mollusc in the shale/limestone boundary above the limestone layer within the mid level shale pit, I noticed a tiny deep slot in the rock matrix. For whatever reason, the original crinoid had eroded away and only theRead More →

Macroneuropteris

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In: Collection Pieces, Mid-Hill Shale, Plants

Macroneuropteris is a seed plant that has a temporal range only in the Carboniferous. I found this specimen in the talus near the lab. Most specimens I find are of small leaves, or large pieces of bark. This was more certainly a large leaf. I wanted to show the leafRead More →